BOOKING PLACES ON TRAINING EVENTS IS BECOMING EASIER! A new, ‘fillable’ booking for to reserve a place at a training event has now been added to the website! All you need to do is download it, complete it, and email it back to Lorna at office@soddc.org Lorna will confirm your …

Our children and the Internet: Keeping our children safe in our homes and elsewhere as they play, communicate, interact and surf on the multiple highways of cyberspace   Make no mistake about it: online child abuse involves real children, in real time, in the real world. And tragically it is …

This edition covers the following features: Developments in Training Keep Children Safe Online Programme Parish Self-Audits Listening and Communications: Meetings with PSC Chairs and Priests Newsletter Winter 2017

This special edition covers the following features: Update on the implementation of the NBSCCCI  7 standards (Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016). Developments in Training Training Strategy 3-Year Strategic Safeguarding Plan Rebranding of Safeguarding Materials New Parish Self-Audit Tool Update on the work of the Interfaith …

Down and Connor Safeguarding Office Advisory Panel Terms of reference   History and background The Catholic Church in Ireland realised that there was a need to improve the handling of concerns and complaints of the abuse of children by clergy. Procedures and protocols were introduced and they have continued to …

The Diocese of Down and Connor has recently issued a revised Licence for the Use of Parish Premises by External Groups. The revised Licence and an accompanying letter of explanation has been forwarded to each Parish Priest, copies should also have been forwarded to Parish Safeguarding Committee Chairs (If you …

JOINT VICARIATE MEETINGS – PARISH SAFEGUARDING COMMITTEE THANK YOU to all those who were able to attend the seven Joint Vicariate meetings arranged during March. These were important meetings as they provided an opportunity to hear what is happening in the area of safeguarding and also in terms of practice …

Down and Connor Diocesan Working Group on the NBSCCCI Seven Standards In March 2016, the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland launched their revised Safeguarding Policy and Standards Document.( www.safeguarding.ie) This was a replacement for the original standards document launched back in 2008. These new …

Joint Vicariate Meetings Please be advised that the Joint Vicariate meetings arranged for February are being postponed until March.   The new dates are as follows:  Vicariate  Date  Venue  Time Holy Rosary & Holy Family Monday 13th March Sacred Heart Parish Centre  7.00pm  Upper & Lower Falls    Wednesday  15th …

Safe Church Training Empowering Churches to Safeguard Children and Adults Thanks to funding from East Belfast DPCSP, we would like to invite you to attend the following Safe Church training: Session 1:  Wednesday 8th February 2017, 7.00pm-9.00pm, St. Colmcilles Presbytery, 191a Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3JB Session 2:  Wednesday …