Safeguarding is the shared responsibility of everyone to ensure the safety and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults. It is also about ensuring the safe behaviour of everyone who has a duty of care within our Catholic communities, whether they are ordained or lay, and whether they work in a paid or voluntary role. Safeguarding is not only a way to respond to harm but must be proactive in the prevention of any form of abuse or harm.

Abuse can take many forms.  Usually, when someone is subjected to abuse, more than one form is being used.

Types or forms of abuse include:

The Bishop’s Conference of Scotland has a mandatory Reporting Policy which requires all safeguarding allegations to be reported to Police Scotland, whether the accused is alive or deceased. Allegations should in the first instance be reported to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (contact details below). If the DSA is not available, please ask to speak to a member of Safeguarding Team.

If someone discloses an allegation to any Church personnel, they will follow the process below.

In 2013 the Bishops of Scotland published an audit of all the allegations of abuse which had been disclosed to any Diocese or Religious Congregation in the period 2006 - 2012. They committed to published such data annually thereafter. In 2018 they published a statistical review of all historical abuse cases for the period 1943 to 2005. These Allegations Audits can be seen here on the website of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland._[link]