This year’s Child Protection Week theme emphasised the profound impact that the starting point in a child’s life has on their future, including where they live, how they live, and the environment in which they grow.

Attending before the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee’s inquiry Monday 11 September, Archbishop Costelloe began his testimony with his repeated “sincere apology to those who have been so badly wronged by members of the Catholic Church”.

Archbishop Costelloe acknowledged that while the report outlines number examples of safeguarding work being undertaken across the Church, “many of the changes that are taking place – cultural and behavioral changes – are not easily captured in the pages of a report”. Photo: Jamie O’Brien The ongoing work to ensure Catholic settings are safe for children and that organisations are responsiv...

This year, Safeguarding Sunday, 11 September, which marks the end of National Child Protection week, was commemorated in parishes across Perth – not just St Mary’s Cathedral. The Mass was also a special celebration of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away Thursday 8 September at the age of 96.

Speaking this week to representatives from across the Archdiocese, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has said the people on the ground in the concrete realities of our local communities are the ones who are there to help ensure that no child, no young person, and no vulnerable adult is ever hurt again, in any of our communities.

Like many workplaces across the Archdiocese, the lockdowns caused by COVID-19 meant the Safeguarding Program team needed to be able to work safely offsite, while also accessing data to continue the important implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.