October 3, 2009
Audit finds diocese in compliance with charter protecting youth
By Julie Sly
Herald editor
Mary Hastings, right, safe environment coordinator for the Diocese of Sacramento, reviews materials with Yvette Espinoza, background check clerk for the safe environment program. Cathy Joyce/Herald photo
The Diocese of Sacramento has been found in 2009 to be in compliance with
all requirements of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young
People, which was adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 in response to the
clergy sexual abuse crisis.
The charter is a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and guides for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse. The charter also contained mandates for an audit and annual report in order to form a two-fold process of accountability for the implementation of the charter in each diocese.
Two independent auditors from the Gavin Group, Inc. visited the diocese for a week in mid-August to perform the 2009 review, according to Mary Hastings, safe environment coordinator for the diocese.
The auditors, who are retained by the National Review Board of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, interviewed about 20 staff members of the Diocesan Pastoral Center, including Bishop Jaime Soto.
They did on-site visits at several parishes in the diocese, talked to pastors and directors of religious education, and reviewed documentation that confirms the implementation of the charter, Hastings said.
They also reviewed all programs and policies, the Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct, the Diocesan Sexual Misconduct Policy, adult training programs, youth programs, fingerprinting procedures and the process for screening seminarians.
The auditors want to verify the diocese is implementing the required programs and “they want to create a way for sharing all that we learn with other dioceses,” Hastings said. “The process is quite exacting, as they examine whether all our youth and all our adults have received training, and all volunteers and employees have received background checks.”
Hastings reported that from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, 32,614 children in the diocese were trained through safe environment programs. For children in kindergarten through grade eight, the diocese uses the Virtus “Teaching Touching Safety” program, in which lesson plans rotate over a three year cycle so that as children grow, the lessons address their experiences and knowledge, she noted.
During that same time period, 9,875 active volunteers in youth programs in the diocese were background checked and trained and 2,079 employees were background checked and trained. The latter number includes priests and permanent deacons.
Hastings noted that the diocese’s safe environment program consists of four primary components, with training and education as the foundation of its ongoing success.
First, all priests, deacons, pastoral ministers, spiritual directors, administrators, employees and all volunteers in ministry must undergo thorough training on the Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct, child abuse prevention and the Diocesan Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Second, the diocese requires fingerprinting and background checks for all priests and deacons, and all employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children.
Third, the diocese engages in extensive and enhanced screening of all seminarian candidates.
Fourth, personal safety education programs are implemented for all children and teens enrolled in Catholic faith formation classes and Catholic schools. Parents and guardians also receive workshops conducted by trained facilitators to equip parents with parallel information that guides and reinforces the material that children receive.
Hastings noted that the diocese’s “Shield the Vulnerable” online training program for adults, which covers diocesan safe environment policies, child abuse prevention and mandated reporting laws, has received excellent feedback.
“The vast majority of the participants feel the training is very beneficial and are grateful it is available,” she said.
Emphasizing the importance of the diocese’s safe environment program is an ongoing effort, Hastings told The Herald.
“The sexual abuse issue isn’t something that will go away,” she said. “Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, is in every facet of our society. As people of faith we have a responsibility to safeguard everyone. All of our guidelines and standards are with us for the long term and we need to continue to realize that they are important.”
