Safeguarding Audits of Religious Life Groups

5 December 2024

Today (Thursday 5 December) is an important day for the CSSA, and an even more important day for religious life groups (RLGs) across England and Wales, as we embark on our parallel journeys of safeguarding audits. It marks, for the first time, the open commitment of every religious life group to keeping people safe – through scrutiny, continuous learning, and accountability.

The CSSA independent auditors will look at how every religious life group is doing, against the eight national safeguarding standards. They will apply these standards, and the criteria against which they are judged, consistently and transparently. As with every CSSA audit, they will evidence their findings and they will publish what they find, here on the website (in small collections, rather than individually).

The process of auditing every RLG will take a while – there are over 200! RLGs are unique – in scope, in history, in culture. There are huge variations in terms of their charisms, in the numbers of their congregation, their geographical setting, and their resources.

The CSSA, as an independent body, is sensitive to these variations and has tailored its process to ensure that every religious life group has the best possible opportunity to showcase their safeguarding work. You can find the CSSA matrix (their methods of auditing) HERE.

One thing that is common to all safeguarding audits, and our work with religious life groups and dioceses alike, is a common desire to prevent harm from ever happening again in the Catholic Church.

I am acutely aware that this process is new. It can be challenging for any team being audited. There will be bumps, I’m sure. But with a positive, open approach by all of us, we together can take a big step forward to ensuring people are being kept safe in religious life groups across England and Wales.

The journey starts today, with our first audits. You can read about the first four religious life groups to be audited here on the news pages with their reports  HERE.

Thank you to those who have been the first – for your willingness and openness to this essential part of safeguarding.

Sister Una, Lead Religious for Safeguarding, CSSA Board Member

If you are a member of an RLG and have queries about what to expect, do not hesitate to contact the CSSA and a member of the team will be more than happy to talk through the process: quality.assurance@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk