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Keeping steadfast in its commitment to protecting young people and vulnerable adults, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has been rated as demonstrating best-practice in a safeguarding audit completed by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL).
Recognising the need for clergy and lay Catholics to work together to keep the vulnerable in our society safe, the Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL) published their audit report focused on the safeguarding initiatives put in place by the Archdiocese of Sydney assessing implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS).
The establishment of Catholic Professional Standards Limited in 2017, that later transitioned into Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited (ACSL), has been key in providing a framework for church entities across Australia to build safe environments.
The audit was undertaken by ACSL in partnership with Michael Elphick & Associates and Woods Consulting between January and July 2024.
Underscoring the Archdiocese of Sydney’s commitment to the protection of the vulnerable in our community, the audit found that 91 per cent of the NCSS indicators relevant to the Archdiocese of Sydney had either been fully embedded or substantially progressed at the time of audit.
Other areas where it has demonstrated strengths are in human resource management (covering recruitment and ongoing training for personnel), effective and transparent complaints management, and upholding equity and the diverse needs of the archdiocesan community across safeguarding policies and practice.
ACSL Chief Executive Dr Ursula Stephens said that the audit has identified several areas of good practice as well as highlighting some areas for improvement.
“Our audit approach is strengths-based and focuses on continuous improvement. One outstanding area is the efforts of the Anti Slavery Taskforce, which works to safeguard a section of adults at risk who are often overlooked in workplaces.”
“Audit processes also showed a high-quality body of safeguarding resources developed by the archdiocese including training programs, protocols, and procedures, which are made available to all parishes and agencies.”
“The archdiocese is a complex governance environment with many multi-faceted operational arrangements and geographic challenges. ACSL has made three recommendations to enhance collaboration and oversight between the central function and its related entities, including parishes and agencies, can reduce safeguarding risks.”
“The archdiocese has committed to acting on these over the next 12 months.”
“We would like to thank the archdiocesan leadership team and all those involved in the audit for their candour and cooperation throughout this process,” Dr Stephens said.
The archdiocese serves almost 600,000 Catholics, across 137 parishes, with 300 priests and played a vital role in the church’s response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, by developing and supporting safeguarding responses that have been adopted across the New South Wales Province.
View the Archdiocese of Sydney’s full audit report on ACSL’s website.