A new policy document has been published by the Diocese of Cork and Ross to ensure that all children and young people involved in Church-related activities are safeguarded and respected.

The Child Protection Policy for the Diocese of Cork & Ross contains principles and procedures guiding best practice in safeguarding children and young people as well as a code of conduct that must be adhered to wherever children are involved in Church-related activities.

This includes a number of new guidelines which will mean that written parental consent will have to be in place before children or young people can participate in Church-related activities, that leaders will not work alone with children or young people and that there be an adequate supervision ratio of adult leaders to children/young people at all times.

This policy was drafted and developed by the members of the Diocesan Child Protection Committee, a body established almost two years ago. This Committee will continue to monitor its implementation throughout the Diocese.

As part of the implementation process, two members of the Child Protection Committee, Ciaran Boland and Bernie O'Callaghan, completed a preparation course last year qualifying them as Child Protection Trainers. They have undertaken a programme of training Child Protection Representatives for every Parish in the Diocese which is due to be completed by December 2008 and means that every parish in the Diocese will have people in place to ensure that the recommended procedures are known and observed in their parish.

Launching the document this week the Most Reverend Dr John Buckley, Bishop of Cork & Ross said the new policy is a statement of the commitment of this Diocese to ensuring that all children and young people involved in Church-related activities are safeguarded and respected. "It is a continuing source of sadness and regret that people were deeply hurt in the past through abuse by some Church personnel. It is also deeply regrettable that the Church's systems did not always deal effectively with such situations. We are determined to do everything possible to prevent similar situations occurring in the future," he said.

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