Recommendation 48: Mandatory Catholic safeguarding training
From The Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report, published 10 November 2020.
Recommendation
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales should ensure that safeguarding training is mandatory for all staff and volunteers in roles where they work with children or victims and survivors of abuse. It should also be a requirement that regular refresher training is completed. The training should consider the impact of child sexual abuse, including the impact of trauma and the perspective of victims and survivors, and should be developed in conjunction with the Survivor Advisory Panel.
In brief (written by this site)
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse reported in October 2022 that the Catholic Council for the Inquiry stated in April 2021 that baseline safeguarding training was already mandatory for clergy and parish safeguarding representatives, supplemented by biennial refresher training (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022). It also recorded in October 2022 that the reach of mandatory training was being extended to volunteers under a new standards-based approach, with the Survivors' Reference Panel acting as a key player in this work (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Catholic Bishops Conference has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (20 October 2022)
On 30 April 2021, the Catholic Council for the Inquiry stated that it has already mandated that clergy and parish safeguarding representatives undergo baseline safeguarding training, supplemented by biennial refresher training. The reach of mandatory training is extended to volunteers under a new standards-based approach to safeguarding for all who are engaged in any pastoral work in the Church. The voice of victims and survivors of abuse is central to the development of this approach and the Survivors’ Reference Panel will be a key player in this work.
From: Recommendations - Roman Catholic Church investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Roman Catholic Church investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 20 October 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding