A safeguarding audit report published today by Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd has found that the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston are taking safeguarding seriously in their unique ministry environment.
The nuns are an enclosed, contemplative community of religious women dedicated to prayer.
The safeguarding review, carried out by ACSL from June to August 2024, checked that key policies, procedures and processes to protect children or adults at risk are being implemented within the community.
The assessment found that 91 per cent of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards indicators relevant to their operations are being implemented.
ACSL chief executive officer Ursula Stephens said that despite the Nuns’ low-risk environment, every Catholic entity needs to have safety as a top priority.
“At ACSL we have taken the approach that safeguarding reviews and audits should be proportionate to the risk of ministry activities,” Dr Stephens said.
“In the case of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston, there are few activities with people outside the community and no unsupervised interactions with children at all.
“Taking this into account, our review was focused on the elements of the NCSS relating to leadership and culture, human resource management, complaints management, ongoing education and training, and continuous improvement.”
Dr Stephens said the policy review and interview with the community showed the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston had “excellent human resource practices in place, with the development of the human person a central focus”.
“This is particularly significant for the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston, which is notable for having a younger age demographic compared to many Australian religious communities, and which has a number of women entering formation,” Dr Stephens said.
“Our review also considered that there is an increased risk to a nun who lives in a cloistered community, who could experience spiritual abuse from either a member of their community or a member of clergy.
“The Carmelite Nuns recognise this risk and have adequate independent reporting processes available to their congregation to mitigate such risks occurring.”
The ACSL audit team made two recommendations: consolidating a risk register and ensuring online risks are adequately addressed; and piloting some new safeguarding training for the formation program.
View the Discalced Carmelite Nuns Launceston audit report on ACSL’s website.
FULL STORY
Safety of children and adults at risk in focus for Launceston Carmelite Nuns (ACSL)
