May I begin by thanking you for the invitation to speak to you this evening and to congratulate you on the conference. It is an interesting and commendable initiative and I would wish to congratulate you on it.

It is good to have the opportunity to talk directly to so many people who are involved in providing safeguarding services for the Church. The safeguarding framework that exists within the Church is, to a very great degree, volunteer lead and I always welcome the opportunity of being able to thank those people who are part of that framework and who give of their time so generously to take forward this very important work of the Church,

Last year I had the opportunity of being involved in a review of safeguarding practice within the diocese and of having the opportunity to meet a number of you at that time. It was very interesting and rewarding for me to be able to see first-hand the very good work which is taking place within this diocese. There is great commitment and enthusiasm for the task of effectively safeguarding children. I commented on this in the Review report which was published by the diocese in November last.

Good safeguarding practice within any Church authority requires sound policies and procedures. I would wish to congratulate you on those which are in place now within this diocese. I believe they represent best practice and, if followed and applied, they will ensure that children are well protected within the diocese.

Along with sound safeguarding policies and procedures it is also vitally important to have good leadership. Within the Diocese of Kilmore you are particularly fortunate to have Bishop Leo O’Reilly in post to support your work and also to ensure that from the very top sound safeguarding practice is prioritised. Inevitably within the area of safeguarding children there are challenging and difficult decisions that have to be made. It is gratifying to report to you, as I did last year, that Bishop O’Reilly provides excellent leadership for the diocese in this regard.

Good leadership and a sound set of policies and procedures are essential ingredients to effective safeguarding. It is also vitally important to have in place good working relationships with the key statutory child protection agencies of the Gardai and of the HSE. It is gratifying to see both those agencies represented here tonight which is evidence of the respect and commitment that those agencies have for the safeguarding work which takes place within the diocese.

I believe the future for vulnerable children within the Diocese of Kilmore is as secure as it can be through the combination of good safeguarding practice within the diocese and the support of the statutory agencies. This formula is one that is tried and tested and represents the best chance that the Church has for addressing and eliminating the difficulties that they have had and experienced in previous years.

Once again I thank you for the opportunity to share this evening with you and I wish you continued success in terms of your work.