Note from Nazir

20 November 2023

As we approach December, this time of year will mean different things to different people.

For many different faiths, cultures, communities and individuals, late November and early December are a time of quiet preparation.

At the CSSA we certainly are in a period of quiet preparation for a busy year ahead. Our primary purpose is to regulate safeguarding in the Catholic Church by auditing every church body and publishing the results. Over the coming weeks, and into 2024, you will be able to read the Executive Summaries of those reports. They will be on our website regularly, as part of our commitment to publishing the results of safeguarding audits every time, whatever the results. These audit results represent the months’ of preparation work not only of the CSSA audit team, but more importantly, the preparation work of church bodies over several years. They matter.

You will also soon be able to read in our first strategic plan how we will moniter the Church’s progress and act when necessary.  Steve Ashley, CEO, and I presented this plan to Catholic Bishops across England and Wales last week. As we walk alongside Catholic leaders in their One Church Approach, it was reassuring to hear such positive preparation for their safeguarding leadership in 2024 and beyond. We look forward to seeing the visible results of the most profound issue facing the Catholic Church today.

The CSSA’s vision is that the Catholic Church is a safe place for all, and as we all put in the preparation now, I look forward to the hard work, commitment, and dedication of everyone involved in safeguarding being visible to the wider world in 2024.

Nazir Afzal, OBE