THE Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, involving the Catholic Church, concluded its final hearing in Sydney recently.
The hearing examined the current and procedures of the Church authorities, including responding to allegations of child sexual abuse and factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse at Catholic Church institutions in Australia.
The commission is due to deliver its final report in December this year. You are invited to read Archbishop Denis Hart’s letter
and visit the Royal Commission’s website.
Catholic Schools educate around 20 percent of students in Australia. As well as exploring the riches of the Christian tradition, our Catholic schools today strive to invite students into a rich dialogue with many diverse life stances that exist in our world.
All involved in Catholic education are invited to deepen their understanding of themselves, others, the world and God in a supportive and safe environment. Child safety and wellbeing are also a hallmark of Catholic schools today. Care is taken to ensure that all students are respected and safe as well as challenged and supported to reach their potential.
At the Parish and at St Bridget’s Catholic Primary School we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children as a central and fundamental responsibility.
We continue to work on policies and procedures to ensure, that children’s safety and wellbeing are central to all we do.
Key leaders in Child Safety in our school are Fr Dennis Rochford and Michelle Verna. At the parish level, the Parish Pastoral Council is developing policies and procedures and will appoint a Child Safety Officer in due course. Any of these three leaders should be approached for any concerns about child safety in our parish or school.