The CSSA confirms safeguarding audit judgements on seven religious life groups

2 November 2026

In audits of their safeguarding practice today, seven religious life groups have been judged by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) with the following grades:

Augustinian Recollects – basic

British Province of Carmelites – exemplary

Canonry of the Order of Canons Regular of Premontre (Peckham) – firm progress

Congregation of the Sisters of Christ – not met

Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity (the Adoratrices) – met with recommendations

Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary – comprehensive assurance

Sisters of St Andrew  – met with recommendations

The Inspectorate for England and Wales reports that these seven religious life groups demonstrate varied results, with differing levels of evidence about how they meet the eight national safeguarding standards.

Paul Threlfall, Quality Assurance Manager, CSSA said: “These baseline results show different rates of progress within each of the individual seven church bodies.  Any grade of ‘basic’ or ‘not met’ – as with the Augustinian Recollects and the Congregation of the Sisters of Christ – is of concern to us. The British Provence of Carmelites are ‘Exemplary’ in each of the eight safeguarding standards and should be extremely pleased with their results.

“Each religious life group must either improve or sustain a rate of progress. Only this way can they assure the public that everything possible is being done to help prevent harm.”

CSSA safeguarding audits for larger religious life groups range on a scale from: ‘below basic,’ ‘basic,’ ‘early progress,’ ‘firm progress,’ ‘results being achieved’, ‘comprehensive assurance’ and ‘exemplary.’

For smaller religious life groups, grades range from: ‘not met,’ ‘met with recommendations’ and ‘met.’ In each case, the overall grading represents a combination of their scoring across eight areas of work relating to safeguarding standards.

The CSSA publishes the safeguarding audit and inspection results from every Catholic diocese, religious life group and eparchy in England and Wales. You can find the audits for religious life groups HERE.

ENDS

More information about the CSSA’s audit and inspection process can be found  HERE.