PRESS RELEASE
13TH OCTOBER 2004
CATHOLIC BISHOPS LAUNCH NEW CHILD PROTECTION WEBSITE
www.cpo.ie
The Child Protection Office (CPO) of the Irish Bishops Conference today launches its
website www.cpo.ie. The website provides resource and contact information for anyone
working with children in a parish setting or for anyone who might have a child
protection concern.
Welcoming the launch of this dedicated child protection website, the Primate of All
Ireland Archbishop Sean Brady said, the Child Protection Office s website is a
testimony to the Church’s commitment to protecting children and young people in
our parishes. The material available on the site will provide great support to
all those, both lay and ordained, involved in ministries with children.
Also welcoming the new website Mr John Morgan, Chairman of the Bishops Committee
on Child Protection said, this website is the latest development in the ongoing
work of the Child Protection Office and will, I hope, prove to be a significant
resource to all those working with children and young people in parishes across
Ireland.
According to Mr Paul Bailey Executive Director of the Irish Bishops’ Conference
Child Protection Office, the site has been specifically designed with two key
target audiences in mind: those with a responsibility for child protection in
the Catholic Church and secondly, the site is a service and information facility
for all victims of child abuse.
The core function of www.cpo.ie is to keep its key audiences, the media and
public decision makers informed about the Catholic Church s responsibilities
and initiatives regarding child protection. As it is an information portal,
www.cpo.ie allows access to other websites of the Bishops Conference such as
www.catholiccommunications.ie.
The design aim of www.cpo.ie is to keep the content browser-friendly and
streamlined. Clarity of language and ease of navigation are at the heart of
the site’s construction. The site contains the following sections:
access to a local delegate via an interactive map of the 32 counties of Ireland
informing the browser which dioceses cover each county ;
how to make a complaint concerning child sexual abuse;
a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section;
child protection publications commissioned by the Irish Bishops Conference;
an archive of relevant press releases; and,
a search facility and a links index providing contact details to church, statutory
and voluntary organisations for children and adults with child protection concerns.
This new facility will assist volunteers and priests at parish level working with
children and young people. It is our intention to maintain the site as a ‘live’
medium, allowing it to evolve into the future so as to reflect national and
international developments in the area of child protection, Mr Bailey said.
Further information:
Martin Long Director, Catholic Communications Office 086 17 27 678.
Paul Bailey Executive Director, Child Protection Office 086 2440331.
Notes for Editors
The Child Protection Office (CPO) of the Irish Bishops Conference was established
in July 2001.
Based in Maynooth along with the other agency and commissions of the Irish Bishops’
Conference, the CPO provides advice to bishops, priests and lay people on the island
of Ireland (32 counties) on best practice in child protection.
Publications:
– In July 2003 the CPO developed a set of safe practice guidelines Working with
Children and Young People in the Catholic Church Community in Ireland which have
been distributed to all dioceses and religious congregations.
– The Health Services Research Centre at the Department of Psychology in the Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland was commissioned by the Bishops Committee on Child
Protection to conduct a study into clerical child sexual abuse. Time to Listen:
Confronting Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy in Ireland, was published in
December 2003.
– Photograph of Paul Bailey, Executive Director, Child Protection Office
