This section is reprinted from Intercom, April, 2008. Author is Ian Elliott, Chief Executive Officer, National Board for Child Protection.

Ian Elliott outlines the initiatives currently being undertaken regarding the implementation of Our Children, Our Church.

Children are a precious gift from God and should be safeguarded by everyone. Nowhere is it more important to do this than when they are in church or involved with church activities. For this reason, in 2006 an initiative was launched to help the Church to become an exemplar for best practice in safeguarding children. It is this initiative that I serve as Chief Executive Officer.

To achieve its aim, the National Board, under the chairmanship of Aidan Canavan, a Belfast based solicitor, is in the process of introducing guidance to support the whole Church in examining its practice in the field of safeguarding children. In October 2005, the Church launched Our Children, Our Church, as a whole Church guidance document to achieve a consistent and uniform approach to policy and practice in this area. The new guidance that is currently being drafted seeks to develop and build upon this guidance and adapt it to the operational context of Dioceses and Congregations, regardless of where they are on the island of Ireland.

To date much of the development that has taken place within the various parts of the Church, had been reactive and driven by a desire to put in place measures that will address the vulnerability of the Church and the child. It has not been coordinated or strategic. As a consequence, differences of approach have arisen. These differences do create some difficulties and a move to a more planned and coherent away forward is needed. The introduction and adoption of a single approach to the implementation of guidance should help to achieve this.

It is important that all developments are seen as being necessary, appropriate and fair by all involved. Ultimately, children are protected by the actions of people, rather than by the writing of policy or procedure. These are only valuable in so far as they shape the actions that people take. It is a truism to state that if people do not have a sense of ownership of guidance offered, they are unlikely to follow it. Therefore, it is vital that the guidance produced by the Board will be actively endorsed by all in the Church, or it will have failed in its purpose.

Going forward with a sense of confidence and clear purpose in mind is vital for all involved in safeguarding children in Church. I believe that the Church can act as a catalyst for positive change in vulnerable children in Irish Society. Through creating a safe environment for children in the Church we can set down standards that should apply to caring for children in communities, at home, in school, or wherever they are. This is the contribution that we should aspire to and seek to achieve in the coming years.

In the forthcoming weeks a number of key developments will be taking place. I have already mentioned the issuing of draft guidance on the implementation of Our Children, Our Church. We will be adding to this in the months ahead and issuing guidance on a range of issues that challenge us in the Church today. We will also be reviewing the current approach to training that is employed across the Dioceses and within Congregations. Up to now, this has not been examined independently and given the very significant investment that is made in this area, it is important that we establish an objective and independent assessment of the various programmes and their suitability for use in the Church.

The area of safeguarding children from harm is vital. It is also highly emotionally charged. It evokes strong feelings in people and it is important that they are kept in check to ensure that we make the best decisions. By valuing children, we value the Church. In failing children, we fail the Church. This is the simple but important truth that lies behind all that we do. If we allow our reactions to events to cloud our judgements, we will run the risk of not achieving our aim. We need to maintain our focus on the underpinning principles that are drawn from Gospel values that see children as a precious gift from God that should be safeguarded by everyone.

Ian Elliott,

Chief Executive Officer,

National Board for Child Protection,

Columba Centre,

Maynooth,

Co Kildare

Intercom • April 2008