“Challenges of safeguarding are everyone’s responsibility” is a key message at Interagency Safeguarding Conference

Pictured at the Diocese of Limerick Interagency Safeguarding Conference held at Mary Immaculate College Limerick on 16 May were Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy and Prof. Gary O’Brien, MIC, Stephan Sperber, HSE, Sinéad Maguire and Úna Kissane, Tusla, Cora Ryan, HSE, and Detective Sergeant Gerry Staunton, An Garda Síochána.

Diocese of Limerick Interagency Safeguarding Conference held at Mary Immaculate College on 16 May aims to create a “community of practice”

Creating a ‘community of practice’ and demystifying the processes around safeguarding to create a safer world was the focus of a Diocese of Limerick Interagency Safeguarding Conference held at Mary Immaculate College on 16 May.

The event, entitled ‘Working Together to Protect Children and Adults Who May be Vulnerable’, saw representatives from Tusla, the HSE and An Garda Síochána make presentations to around 60 attendees.

The gathering included staff from relevant agencies, members of religious communities and laypeople.

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Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy, emphasised that the occasion was an opportunity to “to recognise again the extensive safeguarding protocols and procedures which are led by many committed people across the country” as well as stay informed about the “very significant developments in the policies and practices of the statutory agencies”.

He summarised the context of the conference—the first instalment of which was also held at MIC six years ago with subsequent events delayed by the Covid pandemic—and also spoke about what the Church continues to learn in an impassioned speech.

“Shortly after our 2018 conference, Pope Francis came to Ireland and the issue of Safeguarding played a central part of his visit. [He] met with survivors of abuse and the following day, moved by this experience, he asked for forgiveness for our failures as a church. We must acknowledge our failures and commit to not repeating them and to work collaboratively to ensure the safety of people who are vulnerable due to age, disability or other factors affecting their capacity to safeguard themselves.”

He went on to say that he has “witnessed the impact of abuse. We cannot underestimate its effect on individuals and indeed on their families and this impact can be lifelong”.

“Covid highlighted the vulnerability in particular of older people and people with a disability. This has strengthened our awareness of safeguarding as a lifelong issue. While the forms of abuse may vary somewhat, the distress and the fear and the difficulty in disclosing can be very similar.”

Bishop Leahy welcomed the development of strong legislative processes but noted that “a cultural change informed by awareness raising and capacity building is essential”.

“The three agencies who so generously gave of their time today carry a heavy load for all of society. I believe that as a society we do not really appreciate the pressure they walk under. I am certain we do not ensure that they are resourced and supported appropriately. There is a personal cost to joining with people in pain as they seek to restore their broken lives and heal, this can overwhelm and can be a source of depressing discouragement, and we cannot underestimate the support that those people who work directly with people who have been abused need. I commend and thank our speakers today and indeed their colleagues for the work they do.”

“However, if we are to create a safe society for all of those who are vulnerable then we have to accept the challenges of safeguarding are everyone’s responsibility. We must all stay with this issue. If we let our focus drift this leads only to repeating the failures of the past. I hope today’s seminar has helped to deepen all of our understanding and that it will serve to renew our commitment to strive to ensure that we build a safer world.”

Prof. Gary O’Brien, Vice-President of Governance and Strategy at MIC and MC of the conference, said, “We at MIC are delighted to host this significant networking event, the second in a series that began a few years ago following a commitment between key authorities with statutory responsibilities in the area of safeguarding, and service providers who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults, to collaborate and to build a community of practice to share knowledge and expertise.

“In places like MIC, the safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults is of paramount importance and the willingness of our partners to cooperate with each other to ensure that child and adult safeguarding is of the highest quality is wonderful to see.”

Learn more about Diocesan Safeguarding here
Read more about MIC here