AUSTRALIA
The Catholic Universe

July 1, 2020

The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference has hit back at claims that a new national safeguarding office may be a step backward from the work of Catholic Professional Standards Ltd. over the past three years.

Catholic Professional Standards Ltd. was established by the bishops in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse to conduct audits of Church entities’ compliance with child safe standards and to deliver safeguarding training.

It was set up as a not-for-profit company operating independently of the Church hierarchy and runs at a cost of around $1.8 million (approx. £1.4 million) a year. It is expected to be replaced early in 2021 by a national approach to streamline and co-ordinate the Church’s work to protect children and vulnerable adults.