The review, commissioned from an independent consultancy firm by two church bodies, will focus on the experience of survivors in dealing with the church after the abuse was disclosed.
In particular, information is being sought on how the church responded, what support was offered and what the experience of survivors was like going through those systems.
The review comes amid an upsurge in reports of historical child sexual abuse in the wake of revelations regarding Blackrock College and other fee-paying schools run by religious orders.
It also comes not long after the Christian Brothers were accused in the High Court of adopting a cynical legal strategy aimed at safeguarding assets from abuse victims.
The review is being conducted by accountancy and advisory firm RSM Ireland.
A statement issued by the Irish Episcopal Conference (IEC) and the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI), who commissioned the work, said the voices of victims and survivors constituted “an essential component” of the review.
“Survivors who disclosed abuse in the last 20 years are asked to get in touch if they have an experience ... to share,” the statement said.
“The experience of those who have engaged with the existing systems will be invaluable in assessing the current processes and in identifying areas that may need improvement.”The Catholic Church has had a National Board for Safeguarding, whose role is to advise constituent members on safeguarding and to monitor their compliance with legislation in the area, since 2006.
The board’s most recent annual report said 251 allegations of abuse were received by dioceses or religious orders last year, up from 178 in 2021.
It said that while the board could be “fairly confident” existing practice with children is well regulated, safeguarding would not be completed until everyone who had been abused as a child within the church is enabled to come forward.
The statement said a multi-disciplinary team, with acknowledged experts in child safeguarding policy and best practice, had been assembled to consult with survivors.
These include Ranald Mair and Roisin McGoldrick, who were part of the McLellan Commission looking at safeguarding policy and practice for the Catholic Church in Scotland.
Consultation with victims begins today and will continue for a month. Survivors wanting to take part are asked to contact survivor.consultation@rsmireland.ie for further information.
The Primate of All Ireland and president of the IEC, Archbishop Eamon Martin, said: “The IEC and AMRI recognise that the monitoring and evaluation of safeguarding processes, both internally and externally, is vitally important so that the most up-to-date best practice in safeguarding can be maintained.”
He said a “One Church” approach had been adopted with the aim of ensuring the same standards and procedures apply across all dioceses and religious congregations.