The Chairman of the Catholic Church’s National Board for Child Protection, has announced the details of the new Board’s membership.The Board will oversee the workings of the National Office for Child Protection, a one church body, overseeing child protection in the whole Church, north and south, all the dioceses and all the religious orders.
Chairman Anthony Hederman, former Judge of the Supreme Court, said yesterday the Board comprised a range of experience and expertise relevant to child protection.
‘We are now in a position to move forward on recruitment for the position of Chief Executive Officer for the Church’s new National Office for Child Protection.’
The Board’s nine members include the former Supreme Court Judge, a child psychologist, a priest, a school principal, a family therapist, lawyers, a former Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Child Protection and a former Superintendent of An Garda Siochána.
John Morgan, former Chairperson of the Bishops’ Committee on Child Protection told ciNews that the new National Office would be a ‘one Church’ office, covering not just the bishops and their dioceses, but also all the religious orders.
The Board, which will meet every five to six weeks, will receive no financial remuneration for its work but Mr Morgan said it was an honour to sit on the board.
‘Given the credibility issue on child protection, we want to get this right, but there is a lot to be done,’ he said.
Mr Morgan, a corporate lawyer, said the Board would be placing advertisements in the press within the coming weeks for the position of Executive Officer for the new National Office for Child Protection.
This person will be responsible for the day to day running of the office which will be based at Maynooth. Overseeing the new CEO of the National Office, will be the new National Board for Child Protection which will monitor the implementation of Church child protection policies and procedures and publish an annual report on how Church leadership have enforced their own policies.
In preparation for that role, the Board agreed at its first meeting, on a more tightly defined remit with the bishops and religious orders.
‘There is a difference between reading Our Children- Our Church and translating it into an implementable policy. There are some issues in the text of the document that might give rise to a fudging of issues, as between the bishops and the Board. We want to be absolutely certain that there can be no derogation from the implementation by religious,’ he said.
The new Board will also complete a review of child protection measures throughout the Catholic Church in Ireland, North and South. Our Children Our Church, was published in December 2005, and represents a one-church set of child protection policies and procedures. It was backed by the bishops, the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), and the Irish Missionary Union.
National Board for Child Protection members are:
The Honourable Anthony Hederman (Chair), a former Judge of the Supreme Court;
Sr Martina Barrett, a Mercy Sister, psychologist and counsellor with a specialisation in working with communities affected by sexual abuse.
Mr Aidan Canavan, a lawyer and former President of the Council of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, and member of the Parades Commission.
Mr Brian D Matthews, a lawyer specialising in charities and former member of the Child Protection Task Force of the Conference of Religious of Ireland.
Fr Paul McCafferty, priest and canon lawyer and current Moderator of the Diocesan Curia for the Diocese of Derry.
Ms Rosaleen McElvaney, Clinical psychologist and former director of Laragh Counselling Service for adults who were sexually abused as children.
Mr John B Morgan, barrister and former Chairperson of the Bishops’ Committee on Child Protection from 2002 to 2006.
Ms Jean Pound, Secondary school teacher and Principal and former advisor to the Department of Education and Science.
Mr Michael D Ringrose, Chief Executive of People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI), the national representative organisation of all people with disabilities and former Chief Superintendent in An Garda Síochána.
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