Abuse survivors doubt independence of company running safeguarding standards forum

By Giselle Wakatama And Liz Farquhar
ABC
July 01, 2018

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-02/abuse-survivors-slam-catholic-churchs-safeguarding-forum/9931240

Some abuse survivors are boycotting the Catholic forum in Newcastle.

Prominent Hunter Valley clerical abuse survivors will boycott a Catholic safeguarding standards forum, saying it is a sham that lacks independence.

A consultation forum will be held in Newcastle today as part of an Australia-wide engagement with survivors of child sexual abuse, advocates, Catholic Church personnel and others to discuss draft national Catholic safeguarding standards.

The standards are being developed by the company Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL), established by the Catholic Church as part of its response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to develop, audit and report on compliance with professional safeguarding standards across Catholic entities.

"The consultation with survivors and advocates is specifically designed to hear from people who have been abused in Catholic institutions or have been directly impacted by it," the company said.

The company said it operated as an independent entity.

"Board directors are lay men and women with professional expertise in governance, law, education, child protection, human services, safeguarding and regulation.

"There are no bishops, priests or religious brothers or sisters on the board."

But prominent abuse survives are sceptical about the assurance of independence.

Hunter abuse survivor Bob O'Toole said he would not attend the forum as a result.

"CPSL is a company limited by guarantee, with two members — The Australian Catholic Bishops [Conference] (ACBC) and Catholic Religious Australia (CRA)," Mr O'Toole said.

"Each member organisation has two representatives.

"For ACBC they are Brisbane archbishop Mark Coleridge and the Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle Bill Wright.

"For CRA they are Sister Ruth Durick, Provincial Ursuline Sisters, and Father Tom McDonough, Passionist Father.

"These four representatives of the two member organisations have recruited and appointed a board of directors — all lay people with about half of them drawn from other Catholic organisations."

CPSL is currently funded by the two member organisations, a situation that will continue until it can implement a business model that will lead to CPSL becoming self-sufficient, expected to be in 2020.

Mr O'Toole said he did not want to be a part of the process.

"The CPSL has been described to me as 'diabolical' and another example of the Catholic Church establishing a structure, which is questionable to say the least," he said.

"I am also informed that it is clearly designed to provide the Catholic Church with a vehicle to investigate itself.

"At the outset of the royal commission, CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, speaking on behalf of all Catholic entities, publicly stated that the Catholic Church can never again be allowed to investigate itself.

"I have head some conversations with some academics who have studied this stuff and they have said that this is just a sham, the whole business just beggars belief."

Another Hunter abuse survivor, Peter Gogarty, also distanced himself from the process.

"Here we are again with a new professional standards body that is entirely a subsidiary of the Catholic Church, and yet again the church is doing exactly what it promised it never would," Mr Gogarty said.

"People like Bob and I attending this will just lend our credibility to a sham process.

"I just thought I can't be bothered. I would prefer to be critical from the sidelines and not risk them saying 'Well, we have spoken to people like Bob O'Toole and Peter Gogarty about this'. Not on my watch."

CPSL chief executive Sheree Limbrick admitted the organisation had been established by the church, but said it operated independently with its own board.

"We've been set up with a board that has some pretty high-powered, reputable people, independent and forthright thinkers and very skilled," she said.

"My day-to-day work, and the organisation, is governed by them, not the church."

But she said she understood the scepticism of survivors.

"The important thing for us is to have the conversation and we'll take that feedback on board quite seriously," she said.

"We have heard in other communities, some survivors have said to us this is the first time that any organisation connected with the church has asked for their feedback, which is a pretty sad indictment on the church I'd have to say."

CPSL director of safeguarding Kate Eversteyn said the input of survivors was crucial.

"We need to know, from the perspective of survivors, if the new standards we are developing will achieve what we are hoping for — a safer church for children and young people and a more inclusive and responsive environment," she said.

"The 10 draft standards being developed set out a framework for Catholic Church entities to build child-safe cultures and to advance the safety of children across the Catholic Church in Australia.

"They build on the guidance of the royal commission and the draft National Statement of Principles for Child Safe Organisations from the Australian Human Rights Commission."

The company has held 40 consultation sessions and the final one is planned for Sydney tomorrow.