In May 2018, the Bishops of Scotland published the document ‘In God’s Image’ as an “Instruction on Safeguarding for implementation in all Catholic canonical jurisdictions in Scotland and by all other groups and organisations in Scotland subject to a legitimate canonical authority of the Catholic Church”.
For the public, and for Catholic faith communities in particular, it was written to explain how the Catholic Church in Scotland makes every effort to protect from all forms of harm and abuse those children and adults who are vulnerable or at risk.
For the past two years, the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Group, have been responsible for the compliance and implementation of these new national Safeguarding standards in the Diocese and each parish. These standards, and the vigilance of those involved in the life of the parish, help us to ensure that everyone will be safe when they come to Mass and when they take part in any parish groups or activities.
As a diocese, we seek to uphold the highest safeguarding standards in our relationships with people of all ages who are involved in whatever capacity within the Church and its organisations.
Normally, this annual statement would be delivered in parishes during the period of Lent. As we are all aware, our time at church over the past few months has been greatly affected by the Covid19 Pandemic. Despite this, many of our volunteers throughout the Diocese have continued to provide support where possible within our parish communities….