Lord Jesus we praise you for calling us to the service of others.

We pray for a generosity of spirit
to ensure the vulnerable
are protected.

We pray for a compassionate heart so that we will reach out
to those who are wounded
by abuse.

We pray for courage and determination as we seek
the safety of everyone
in our parish communities.

We dedicate ourselves to this work of service and pray that
You will help us to do Your will
at all times and in all places.

Amen

Safeguarding News –
 Papal update to
 ‘Vos estis lux mundi’
 On March 25, 

Pope Francis permanently decreed an updated version of Vos estis lux mundi, his landmark legislation to counter abuse in the Catholic Church. The decree now extends the Church’s norms for handling of abuse to cover lay leaders of international associations of the faithful recognized by the Vatican. Vos estis lux mundi (“You are the light of the world”) reaffirms an obligation to report cases of “vulnerable adult” victims of abuse, including violence against religious women by clerics and cases of harassment of adult seminarians or  novices by a superior.  It also includes protections for people who witness acts of abuse, in addition to those who submit  reports of alleged abuse, stipulating that no “obligation of silence” may be imposed on those who report, witness, or are   victims of abuse. The new provisions will come into force on April 30 and replace the Pope’s provisional version of Vos estis lux mundi published nearly four years ago. Further information can be provided from the following link:Pope confirms ‘Vos estis lux mundi’ procedures against abuse - Vatican News

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED ABUSE 

On this annual, national Day of Prayer for Those who have Suffered Abuse (Friday after Ash Wednesday), you are invited to join your prayers with those of the Catholic Church throughout Scotland
 for people in our families and communities who carry within themselves the deep and traumatic wounds of abuse in any way inflicted by the Church. 

Please download/read the full text of the Liturgy by clicking on the Document link(s)
 side column

 
The new Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency is developing a forum for young Catholic adults. This forum will in the first instance look at the current safeguarding training and resources for people in youth ministries; discuss ideas which have been proposed for development; and ultimately create a comprehensive package of training and resources for ministries involving young people.

We will be joined at some online meetings by experts on particular aspects of Church teaching such as Theology of the Body and Catholic Social Teaching, to ensure all work created is informed by our faith and in line with our safeguarding instruction ‘In God’s Image’, which can be downloaded at scssa.org.uk/In-Gods-Image-v2.

SAFEGUARDING THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
 DECEMBER 2024
   

The Church seeks to restore the fabric of broken lives 

and heal the pain of survivors. 

Safeguarding Training

The Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency has reorganised safeguarding induction training into one course only, combining the previous Parts 1 & 2. 

If you are a new volunteer or one who completed the Part 1 training course more than a year ago, you are invited to sign up for a Safeguarding training session taking place on:

To sign up for a place on a training sessions, you should first inform your Parish Safeguarding Coordinator that you wish to attend Safeguarding Training. 

To book a place, please contact Sarah Jane Colhoun at [email protected] or telephone 0141 847 6138 to book a place. 

All parishes must appoint a Parish Safeguarding Coordinator(PSC) who is able to work competently and professionally with the Parish Priest. Some parishes wisely appoint more than one PSC. 


​​​​​​​The main function of the PSC is  to ensure that recruitment procedures are followed and that volunteers attend training.
An important activity is to assist in the annual Parish Audits.  Essentially PSCs must be skilled in knowing what to do to prevent abuse or harm and also how to act if there is
a disclosure of concern or current/non-recent abuse.

ST. CADOC'S PARISH CO-ORDINATORS:
Jo Mackie and Deborah Manini

REPORTING ABUSE:
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, do not delay in contacting the police if
a child or adult is believed to be in immediate danger.
It is the policy of the Catholic Church in Scotland to report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person is living or deceased.
If you are in any role within the Catholic Church in Scotland, you must refer allegations directly to the Safeguarding office for your Diocese or Religious Congregation.
If you are a member of the public, you should refer allegations directly to the Police and also to the Safeguarding office in your Diocese (see contact details above).
You can also contact the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service (SCSS) by telephoning 0141 332 7177 or by email at [email protected]

Mr Gerry McBride                              Mrs Sarah Jane Colhoun

Safeguarding Advisor                              Safeguarding Administrator

07939486290                                     0141 847 6138
[email protected]              safeguardingadmin@rcdop.org.uk
                                                            

The Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service requires each Diocese to prepare an audit of Safeguarding practice and procedures on an annual basis.This is completed at diocesan and parish level. Parish Priests are supported in this task by the Parish's Safeguarding Coordinators.
 

To read/download Annual Parish Safeguarding Announcements
see Documents - side column.

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Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency:

SCSSA website: https://www.scssa.org.uk/
SCSSA telephone: 0141 332 7177
SCSSA email: [email protected]

SCSS Information Line: 0141 353 1177

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Church establishes new independent Safeguarding agency

2 October 2021

The Catholic Church in Scotland has announced the creation of a new independent Safeguarding agency. Speaking at the end of a national Safeguarding webinar which attracted 450 participants from across Scotland, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, announced the establishment of a new body –
the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (SCSSA) as an independent
private company.

Speaking to the webinar participants, Bishop Hugh Gilbert said: “The SCSSA will operate entirely independently of the Church and will have its own staff and Board of Management who will work in close collaboration with dioceses and religious communities to ensure that they are able to meet national safeguarding standards. It will also develop a process that will provide an independent review of complaints about safeguarding practice and crucially, establish a forum in which those who have experienced abuse can contribute their own perspectives to the development of safeguarding.”  Bishop Hugh added: “We will shortly commence the recruitment process for the Chair and members of the Board of Management, followed by the recruitment of a Director and a Head of Safeguarding Training. It will take some time to establish the new agency and we ask for your patience and support while that process is underway.” 

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) was commissioned to undertake an audit of the safeguarding arrangements of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paisley.

Similar audits have taken place for all Scottish Roman Catholic Dioceses.

The aim of the audit was to work with the Diocese to support safeguarding improvements by identifying how well safeguarding is working; identifying where there might be weaknesses; and exploring the rationale for both strengths and weaknesses found.