Quality
Assurance
Framework
Quality Assurance Framework for Dioceses
Our role at the CSSA is to inspect safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and to share what we find.
We do this through a programme of planned inspections and unscheduled reviews of dioceses (for information about our work with religious life groups, including their baseline audits, click HERE). Both inspections and reviews assess safeguarding practice against our eight National Safeguarding Standards. They also monitor compliance with mandatory requirements, such as the reporting of allegations to statutory authorities.
Inspections are carried out by members of our Quality Assurance team. These analysts are highly qualified and experienced safeguarding professionals who are independent of the Church.
What is the purpose of inspections?
We carry out inspections and reviews in order to:
- Exercise oversight and ensure that the diocese has suitable safeguarding procedures in place and that those procedures are being complied with to meet the safeguarding standards.
- Check that the relevant safeguarding statutory and regulatory requirements, including the mandatory requirements, are met.
- Assess the quality of practice.
- Identify and share effective practice.
- Identify areas for development.
The purpose of the baseline audits of all dioceses was primarily to check compliance. Inspections, which come after baseline audits, focus on the quality and impact of practice.
We want all dioceses to succeed at safeguarding.
Our job is to hold them to account.
How do we go about inspecting?
A summary of our inspection process is here (below). You can find full information about what to expect before and during an inspection in our:
Diocesan Inspection and Review Framework
Inspection Activity
There are two stages to all CSSA inspections:
- A process for self-assessment by the diocese
- Inspection of the diocese by the CSSA Quality Assurance team
Self-assessment
The inspection process begins with a request for the diocese to complete a safeguarding self-assessment tool. This helps inform the CSSA inspection, but also allows the diocese to work out where they are in terms of compliance with the safeguarding standards. It supports them to evaluate where improvements can be made, and how best safeguarding practice can be achieved in their specific context and ministry.
The diocese is requested to submit its completed self-assessment tool to us alongside documentary evidence that supports the assessment.
We have created guidance for evidence to be provided alongside the self-assessment. This includes information that the inspection team will always ask for in preparation for inspection, alongside other examples of evidence that could be provided. This is not intended to be a definitive list. How any diocese chooses to evidence their safeguarding practice is, to a large degree, in their own hands and will reflect their own unique circumstances.
Self-assessments
CSSA inspections of dioceses
Our starting point for any inspection is always a review of the self-assessment and supporting evidence. This will help us decide the areas that we need to focus on, which we refer to as our key lines of enquiry.
A diocesan inspection takes approximately three weeks during which we will speak to people in key roles, both individually and in focus groups. We will assess how individual allegations and concerns have been managed (our case audit matrix provides more detail about this), where possible speaking to those involved. We always aim to hear from as broad a range of people as possible, so we make a public call-out for information and provide surveys for Parish Safeguarding Representatives and members of clergy. Finally, we will visit a number of parishes and other ministries in order to assess their practical safeguarding arrangements.
Inspection timetable
Our current programme of diocesan inspections will run from 2025 until early 2028, with dioceses having been made aware of the likely timescale for inspection within their baseline audit report. Our inspection programme is risk based and while the time since the baseline audit, and grade achieved, are primary determinative factors, we will adapt this in the event of any emerging risks.
The timetable for individual inspections is set out here:
Inspection outcome
All of the information that we obtain during the course of an audit is used to assess the diocese’s progress against each safeguarding standard. We use a Maturity Matrix tool to inform our grading process.
Each standard will be individually graded, in turn these are combined to provide an overall grade.
Dioceses will receive one of seven potential grades of Below Basic, Basic, Early Progress, Firm Progress, Results Being Achieved, Comprehensive Assurance and Exemplary.
Reporting
Each inspection will result in a written report which will include an assessment of the extent to which the diocese has met, and continues to meet, the safeguarding standards and other mandatory requirements. The report is likely to include recommendations to further strengthen practice.
An opportunity will be provided to the RLG or diocese to review the content of the report, to make any representations they see fit and to correct any points of factual accuracy. The final version of the report will be published on this website on our pages HERE.
Inspection actions, review, and follow-up
It is the responsibility of diocesan leaders to implement audit recommendations, however we will be available to provide further information about what we expect to see as an outcome. We are always happy to share good practice that we have seen elsewhere.
The outcome of the inspection will inform the level of subsequent oversight by the CSSA.
Safeguarding Reviews
A Safeguarding Review is an unscheduled review of a diocese.
A Safeguarding Review may be triggered in a number of circumstances including where:
- in the reasonable belief of the CSSA there is a risk of harm or potential risk of harm relating to safeguarding.
- evidence-based concerns or reports of a safeguarding nature are made to, or come to the attention of, the CSSA.
- evidence-based concerns or complaints of poor safeguarding practice by the diocese are made to, or come to the attention of, the CSSA.
- the diocese itself seeks formal advice and/ or recommendations from the CSSA.
We will agree the bespoke terms of reference and methodologies for the review with the diocese concerned.
Notifications of safeguarding concerns
It is an expectation of dioceses, under the national safeguarding standards, to notify the CSSA of any safeguarding concerns. Any incident which meets the threshold for reporting to the Charity Commission should also be reported to us. To report a safeguarding concern to us, you can access a secure online form HERE.
Alternatively you can email the PDF of your Charity Commission notification to us at: qualityassurance@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk
Continuous Improvement
At the CSSA we hold ourselves to the same high standards that we expect to see in the church bodies that we inspect. We therefore seek to learn from what we do and from others to continually develop our audit model. To promote the transparency that we expect to see throughout the church, we will publish any external reviews of our practice that we commission, together with our own overviews of phases of inspection activity.
Any questions?
Please email qualityassurance@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk if you would like to speak with a member of the QA team.