This article reports on research into the safeguarding capabilities of a range of people with different roles within Catholic Church ministries in various countries.  The research measured the awareness, confidence, attitudes, and knowledge of participants and examined differences between participants in different roles within the Church and different countries.

The researchers found varying levels of awareness, confidence, attitudes, and knowledge regarding sexual abuse prevention and safeguarding. It pinpointed the significant differences in three of these domains (confidence, attitudes, and knowledge) both between people with different roles in the church worldwide, but also between the countries from which participants came from.

We found that people in various countries and roles within the Church are at different stages of their safeguarding journey. Some are still understanding their roles (attitudes), some are still learning about how it is operationalised (awareness), and others are acquiring skills that will prepare them for enacting safeguarding policies and practices (confidence).