Sisters of the Good Shepherd safeguarding audit published

Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) has today published the safeguarding audit report of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (Australia and New Zealand). The report indicates that the Sisters of the Good Shepherd have fully implemented or are substantially progressed in the implementation of all 63 (100%) Indicators of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards relevant to their operations.

The audit reports Church entities’ progress in implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards. The Standards are a national framework for the protection and safety of children in Catholic organisations.

This is the final safeguarding audit report of Australian Catholic entities completed by ACSL for 2021. It demonstrates the strong commitment of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd to ensuring a safe Church for everyone.

ACSL’s Manager of Audit and Review, Dr David Treanor, said that safeguarding audits conducted by ACSL form part of the Catholic Church’s ongoing response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“Through our audit program we help Church entities identify any risks in their safeguarding practices. We then provide practical recommendations to improve child safety within the organisation.”

“We undertake a detailed review of the policies and documentation and combine this with interviews with key personnel about safeguarding practices within the organisation.”

“We congratulate the Sisters for their work in committing to the Standards. They have demonstrated the cultural change that helps to create child safe organisations and are committed to continuous improvements in their safeguarding practices.”

Dr Treanor said that the development of ACSL’s new audit and review framework is also progressing, in line with ACSL’s commitment to continuous improvement. “Future audits will be very much risk-based and proportionate to the Church entities’ engagement in ministry and the safeguarding of children and adults at risk. This is in line with ACSL’s own commitment to continuous improvement and something we look forward to sharing more about in 2022.”

The full audit can be found here.

For any enquires please contact Dr David Treanor on 0439 974 470.