Adelaide Archdiocese has received a strong independent assessment of its safeguarding practices from Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd.
In March, an ACSL audit assessed compliance with all 10 National Catholic Safeguarding Standards across Adelaide’s parishes, Catholic Education South Australia schools and Centacare Catholic Community Services, finding that most safeguarding requirements were firmly in place.
The audit was conducted jointly by ACSL and Safeguarding Central across 14 parishes, nine schools, and two Centacare ministries, with more than 90 interviews conducted including clergy, staff, volunteers, parishioners, school students, and parents.
ASCL chief executive Ursula Stephens praised the archdiocese for its leadership in promoting a strong safeguarding culture.
“The audit’s overarching finding is unambiguous: the Archdiocese of Adelaide is successfully embedding a culture of safeguarding across its organisation,” Dr Stephens said.
“Strong leadership from Archbishop [Patrick] O’Regan, the Chancery, and the Integrity and Safeguarding Department, which was established in October 2023, has translated into real practice on the ground.”
Across the parishes and schools visited, personnel were found to champion and model sound safeguarding practices, procedures, and language. Auditors observed that all parishes and ministries have safeguarding embedded in their leadership structures.
Archbishop O’Regan was pleased to hear that the safeguards being implemented by his team, led by executive director Adam Cartland, have been independently recognised.
“Ensuring we adhere to the highest possible safeguarding standards within the archdiocese is fundamental to the daily life of everyone connected with the Church,” he said.
“The recognition, by the ACSL, of the work undertaken by the Integrity and Safeguarding Department to connect our safeguarding efforts across the archdiocese (including Catholic Education and Centacare) over the past few years is an important, and welcome, part of that process and a timely reminder to continue the focus of safeguarding.”
The audit also identified areas of improvement as part of the archdiocese’s continuous improvement plan, which the archdiocese has committed to addressing.
The full audit report is publicly available on the ACSL website at www.acsltd.org.au.
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Archdiocese of Adelaide Demonstrates Strong Safeguarding Culture in Independent National Audit (ACSL)
