Safeguarding means protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, or neglect. It also includes creating safe environments where all can participate in the life of the Church with dignity, respect, and care.

Who does safeguarding apply to?

Safeguarding applies to everyone in the Church, including clergy, religious, employees, volunteers, parishioners, and visitors. Special attention is given to children, young people, and adults at risk.

What are my responsibilities as a volunteer or staff member?

You are expected to:

• Follow safeguarding policies and codes of conduct
  
• Complete required safeguarding training
  
• Report any concerns or disclosures immediately to the relevant safeguarding lead or the statutory authorities if someone is at immediate risk
  
• Treat everyone with respect and maintain appropriate boundaries

What is a Parish Safeguarding Representative (PSR)?

Each parish has a designated Parish Safeguarding Representative who is trained to:

• Receive and manage safeguarding concerns
  
• Provide advice to staff and volunteers
  
• Liaise with the diocesan safeguarding office and statutory authorities

How do I report a concern about a child or adult at risk? 

Immediate danger: Call 999. 

Other concerns: Contact your Parish Safeguarding Representative (PSR), the Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS), Religious Life Group (RLG) safeguarding lead or the diocesan safeguarding office.

Staff and volunteers must not investigate concerns themselves; report them promptly to the Parish Safeguarding Representative.

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What if the concern involves a priest, religious, or senior leader?

The same reporting rules apply. Allegations must be reported immediately to the appropriate safeguarding lead and statutory authorities. The Church’s policy is to always report allegations, regardless of the person’s role, whether the abuse is recent or non-recent, or if the person is living or deceased.

Can I make a report anonymously? 

Yes. You can report anonymously to your Parish Safeguarding Representative, diocesan safeguarding office, or to the statutory authorities. However, providing your contact information may help authorities or the Church to follow up effectively. 

What is the difference between a concern and an allegation? 

Concern: Something that makes you worried about someone’s safety or wellbeing (e.g., inappropriate behaviour, repeated boundary breaches).

Allegation: A formal claim that abuse or harm has occurred. All concerns should be reported, even if you are unsure.

What training do I need? 

All clergy, staff, and volunteers working with children or adults at risk must complete mandatory safeguarding training every three years. Refresher additional training may be offered for leadership roles, recruitment, or specific ministries.

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September, 2001

Nolan Report: A Programme for Action

The Nolan Report was a major step in strengthening safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It made 83 recommendations to improve the protection of children, including safer recruitment, better sharing of safeguarding information, stronger record-keeping and clear referral to statutory agencies when concerns are raised.

2001

COPCA established

Following the Nolan Report, the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (COPCA) was created. It gave the Church in England and Wales a national safeguarding structure and helped dioceses and religious congregations apply safeguarding policies consistently.

2007

Cumberlege Review: Safeguarding with Confidence

The Cumberlege Review looked at how far the Church had acted on the Nolan recommendations. It found that most had been wholly or partly addressed, while also calling for stronger national leadership, better training and support, and a more joined-up approach across the Church.

2008

NCSC and CSAS established

The National Catholic Safeguarding Commission and the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service were set up to provide national leadership, guidance, training, audits and professional advice. Their work helped strengthen safeguarding practice across dioceses and religious congregations in England and Wales.

2019-2020

Elliott Review

The Elliott Review examined whether the Church’s safeguarding structures were still effective. It made 15 recommendations for reform, including clearer accountability, stronger standards and a new national safeguarding model for England and Wales.

2020

 IICSA report

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its report on the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Bishops accepted its recommendations alongside the Elliott proposals, reinforcing the need for greater accountability, scrutiny and public confidence in safeguarding.

2021

CSSA established

The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency was created as the professional independent inspectorate for safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It sets safeguarding standards, carries out inspections and supports a more transparent and accountable safeguarding framework.

2021

One Church approach

A common standards-based model was introduced for dioceses and religious life groups in England and Wales. This approach aims to make safeguarding clearer, more consistent and easier to compare across Catholic organisations.

2024

Vatican Universal Guidelines Framework

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors approved the Universal Guidelines Framework for pilot use. Although it is a global framework, it is relevant because it supports clear safeguarding policies, accountability, cooperation with civil authorities and measurable standards in local Church settings.

2025

SCCS formed

The Strategic Council for Catholic Safeguarding was formed to provide senior leadership and oversight for safeguarding across the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Its role is to support consistency, monitor the effectiveness of the national model and help safeguarding continue to improve.

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