IRELAND
National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church
Key Findings of the Reviews
This can be divided into two parts – a) findings from the full reviews which were assessed against the 7 standards and b) the shorter reviews of female religious where there is limited or no ministry with children and no allegations of sexual abuse in Ireland.
In relation to a) – findings from full reviews – the following themes emerged:
* There have been 285 allegations made against 98 priests, brothers or sisters.
* There have been 8 criminal convictions.
* Allegations relate to the period 1940 – 1998 with the largest number of incidents recorded between 1950 and 1990’s.
* Variable delays in reporting allegations to the civil authorities up until 2009 (introduction of Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland) for most orders and congregations, however for some practice did not improve until 2013.
* Poor record management in many cases making an assessment of practice difficult.
* Opportunities to safeguard children were missed, known abusers allowed to remain in ministry in 1990’s.
* Management plans relating to accused priests and brothers and sisters have improved significantly over time, though there is still room for improvement, in terms of clarity of roles, review of restrictions and sharing of information.
* Support for complainants is good in many cases. Good evidence of pastoral support, outreach and direct contact between the provincial and the survivor.
* Adherence to other aspects of the 7 standards was less well developed in many congregations. Many have limited ministry with children in Ireland today therefore the applicability of all criteria was limited. Recommendations for improvement where relevant have been made.
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