Parents sceptical of Church child guidelines

PARENTS have described the Catholic Church’s guidelines as more of a judgment measure than a protection measure for children.

In its submission to the hierarchy’s consultation process on the protection guidelines, the National Parents Council-Primary (NPC-P) strongly urged that the State reporting system should apply to everybody, regardless of the walk of life they were from.

NPC-P chief executive Fionnuala Kilfeather said: “It’s disappointing this doesn’t appear to be central to the Church’s guidelines and that they have set up their own judgment mechanism. They’re going to make a judgment that something didn’t happen if it suits them, in contrast with the mechanism for reporting abuse in schools.”