Bishop responds to publication of Independent Review Group report on Safeguarding

Press release

Bishop Joseph Toal – Vice-President of the Bishops Conference of Scotland

Responding to the IRG report, Bishop Joseph Toal, who has responsibility for overseeing the work of the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service, said:

“The Bishops of Scotland are grateful to Baroness Helen Liddell and members of the Independent Review Group for their work in externally reviewing and monitoring the Safeguarding practices of the Catholic Church in Scotland.  We welcome their report and we shall take time to give it serious consideration.”

“Since setting up the Independent Review Group, we have taken steps to improve Safeguarding practices in all eight Dioceses in Scotland.  The most significant of these actions include the publication of ‘In God’s Image’ (our manual of Safeguarding procedures), a radical revision of the annual Safeguarding Audit which is completed in every Catholic parish and, most recently, entirely independent audits of Safeguarding practice in two of our Dioceses.”

“We are determined to apply what we learn, both from the steps we have already taken and from the IRG’s report, and to ensure that the highest standards of Safeguarding practice are met throughout the Church in Scotland.”