The Down and Connor Safeguarding Team would like to welcome a new addition to our staff team
David Burns will start with the Team on Monday 1st September 2025 Continue reading “UPDATE August 2025 – Staffing News”
Your Voice Matters- SBNI Barnardo’s NI- Consultation
Philip O Hara, the Director for Safeguarding for the Diocese of Down and Connor is also the Chairperson of the Interfaith Committee under the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI). As Chairperson of this Committee, Philip sits on the Board of SBNI. Continue reading “Your Voice Matters- SBNI Barnardo’s NI- Consultation”
NCA – National Crime Agency – Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has launched a campaign to raise awareness about financially motivated sexual extortion ‘sextortion’ targeting young teenage boys. It aims to increase awareness of the issue, drawing attention to the tactics used by offenders and how to report it, emphasising that it’s never the victim’s fault. Continue reading “NCA – National Crime Agency – Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion”
“Seeking the Truth “, mandated by the Northern Ireland Executive – Truth Recovery Programme
This programme is a recommendation from the Truth, Acknowledgement , and Accountability Report, which investigated the operations of Mother and Baby Home Institutions , Magdalene Laundries . and Workhouses in Northern Ireland. Continue reading ““Seeking the Truth “, mandated by the Northern Ireland Executive – Truth Recovery Programme”
Friday 7th March 2025 – Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Abuse – Message from Bishop Alan McGuckian
You are invited to attend this important Diocesan event, in person, or online at ST PATRICK’S CHURCH WEBCAM
For a Synodal Church- Communion, Participation, Mission
For the past month our Bishop has been attending the synodal consultation and discussions in Rome.
On the 27th October2024, Pope Francis presided over the Synod’s closing mass.
During the mass Pope Francis spoke;
“we cannot remain inert before the questions raised by the women and men of today, before the challenges of our time, the urgency of evangelization and the many wounds that afflict humanity.
“A missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world”
See below, a link to the final document of the Synod, please look through it. Could I draw your attention to just one of many elements of this document, Part v – “So I send You” forming a people for Missionary Discipleship.
For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission
This is an all-encompassing document which looks to how our Church is going forward with missionary zeal and prayer.
It will be discussed throughout our Church, our Dioceses and in our Parishes.
From a local perspective, in Down and Connor this journey will be seen and driven by our local diocesan strategy “Pathways to the Future”
SBNI Safeguarding Futures Newsletter
The SBNI are delighted to introduce you to the initial “Safeguarding Futures” newsletter and appreciate you taking the time to read the content. A key element of the newsletter is to promote effective communication with everyone involved in safeguarding children and young people. We hope this newsletter will help raise awareness of Child Exploitation (CE) across various domains.
The current and future editions will provide an update on the collective efforts made to address critical issues underpinning child criminal exploitation. It will also outline the need for and benefits of a co-ordinated and collaborative approach to enhance child protection and safeguarding measures. The newsletter will seek the involvement of SBNI members, partner agencies, community organisations, children and young people and carers to influence future decisions and service delivery. We also hope to share progress on the action plan, disseminate learning and good practice as well as highlight emerging issues.
UPDATE JULY 2024 – National Board Revised Child Protection Policy and Standards
On the 11th June 2024 the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland issued the revised safeguarding policy and standards
This is a significant publication and replaces “Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland 2016”, the seven standards policy with associated suites of guidance under each of the seven standards, which we all have become familiar with and which has underpinned safeguarding in our Diocese of Down and Connor and across every Dioceses , Religious Orders and ministries with children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
The publication of this revised policy has been a significant piece of work and has been overseen by a Steering Group with representatives from a number of Dioceses and Religious Orders. The revised policy has been informed by a series of consultation and listening exercises involving dioceses and parishes across Ireland (including listening exercises and consultation within Down and Connor which a number of you were involved in ), groups of young people and engagement with victims and survivors. Statutory Agencies were also involved in this consultation.
I urge you to embrace this revised policy. The fundamental elements of safeguarding within the church do not change ; creating and maintaining safe environments where children and young people can nurtured in their faith, responding to suspicions, concerns, knowledge and allegations in line with legislation and communicating the safeguarding message,
Where there were seven standards with associated suites of guidance there are now three standards with suites of guidance:
The Policy statements Posters in all our Churches and Parish Centres will be changed and the Safeguarding Office will set up three Information Sessions on the revised Policy “A Safe and Welcoming Church, Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland, 2024, two online and one face to face.
Philip O Hara