Bishop Mark Edwards OMI requested the audit, undertaken by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd, to reassure the community that the Catholic services in the Wagga Wagga Diocese have zero tolerance for abuse of any kind and are keeping up to date with emerging safeguarding risks for children and vulnerable people.
With a diocese that stretches from Khancoban in the east to Griffith and Yenda in the west, “We must do whatever it takes to continually ensure that our church environments are safe – parishes, ministries, community services and schools,” Bishop Edwards said.
ACSL chief executive Ursula Stephens congratulated the diocese on its safeguarding commitment.
“This audit evaluated governance, policies, procedures, and safeguarding practices across this large diocese and Bishop Mark and the team are to be commended for their leadership, safeguarding culture, and ongoing investment in safeguarding,” Dr Stephens said.
The audit revealed strong maturity in the safeguarding approach across the diocese.
“There is a genuine and tangible commitment to safeguarding in the diocese. On his appointment to the diocese, Bishop Edwards conducted a review of diocesan Safeguarding. He accepted all of the recommendations of the review and resourced the Safeguarding Unit it envisaged,” Dr Stephens said.
“These appointments continue to send a strong message to the diocesan clergy and parishes of his priority of safeguarding.”
The audit team noted that “As the bishop’s senior delegate, the vicar general plays a pivotal leadership role in advocating for and modelling safeguarding practices, while the professional standards and safeguarding manager has been instrumental to ensuring the diocese meeting its responsibilities in relation to handling individual safeguarding matters.”
Bishop Edwards welcomed the results of the review audit.
“We have learned from the audit and welcome the recommendations made. We remain committed to ongoing improvement and accountability, and to fostering a culture where the dignity of every person is upheld,” Bishop Edwards said.
The full ACSL audit report is publicly available on ACSL’s website.