Safeguarding refers to all measures taken to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to prevent abuse, harassment and other forms of inappropriate conduct within the life of the Church. Its aim is to foster a culture in which everyone can participate in the life of the Church safely, with confidence and with respect.
Safeguarding is not only about responding to problems after they arise. At its core is prevention: clear policies and procedures, an open culture, training, and the shared responsibility of every priest, member of a religious institute, diocesan and parish employee, and volunteer form the foundation of a safe parish community.
For the Catholic Church, safeguarding is part of its mission. Every person is created in the image of God, and protecting the dignity of children and vulnerable persons is an essential expression of the Church’s mission.
Pope Francis strengthened Safeguarding throughout the Catholic Church
In 2014, Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, whose mission is to promote the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults throughout the Catholic Church and to support dioceses in developing safeguarding practices.
Building on this work, the Holy See has issued common guidelines and procedures for dioceses, including the Guidelines for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons in 2019 and the updated Vademecum in 2022, which provides guidance on the handling of cases of abuse. In accordance with these principles, every diocese is required to establish its own safeguarding process.
Safeguarding in the Catholic Diocese of Helsinki
The Catholic Diocese of Helsinki has made steady progress in developing safeguarding over recent years. The goal is to establish a unified safeguarding framework throughout the Diocese, enabling all parishes to operate according to the same principles.
The safeguarding process is implemented in cooperation between the Diocesan Curia, the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and Caritas Finland rf. The Diocesan Pastoral Centre is responsible for coordinating the safeguarding process, organizing training, administering safeguarding commitments, preparing and updating materials, and maintaining the safeguarding webpages.
Caritas Finland is an important partner and co-trainer in this work. It contributes expertise in social work, victim support and safe environments, while also participating in the development of safeguarding procedures.
Safeguarding Working Groups
The Diocese’s safeguarding work is supported by three working groups:
- Task Force – coordinates action in crisis situations
- Safeguarding Working Group – develops preventive practices, prepares guidelines and monitors their implementation
- Expert Group – provides support to the Safeguarding Working Group and the Task Force when needed, and participates in supporting victims during crisis situations
The working groups meet regularly to evaluate the implementation of safeguarding and to further develop common diocesan practices.
Safeguarding Training is the foundation of effective Safeguarding
Safeguarding training is provided for everyone who works with children, young people or vulnerable adults. This includes priests, members of religious institutes, teachers of religion and catechists, educators, youth camp leaders, volunteers, support staff and diocesan employees. The Holy See requires every diocese to establish common safeguarding procedures for the prevention and handling of abuse, and training is a fundamental part of fulfilling this responsibility.
The aim of the training is to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults while also supporting employees and volunteers in carrying out their responsibilities. The programme covers the principles of safe interaction, recognizing risks, preventing the abuse of power, the Church’s teaching on human dignity, Finnish legislation, reporting obligations, the Diocese’s safeguarding process, and the appropriate response to and support of victims. Participants gain the knowledge and skills needed to act appropriately both in preventive situations and when concerns about harassment arise.
After completing the training, participants sign the Safeguarding Commitment, and the training is renewed every three years.
The Work Continues
Safeguarding is much more than training. The Diocese is currently preparing safer space principles, a multilingual safeguarding handbook, and the Diocese’s official safeguarding publication. At the same time, training programmes, materials and webpages continue to be developed so that safeguarding becomes part of everyday parish life throughout the Diocese.
More information is available on the Diocese’s website:
www.katolinen.fi → Safeguarding (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
Building a Safe Church Together
Safeguarding is not only the responsibility of the bishop, the clergy, employees or working groups. It is the responsibility of the entire Church.
Every employee, volunteer, catechist, teacher, camp leader and parishioner contribute to building a safe Church through their own actions. A culture of safeguarding is created when we know our shared principles, commit ourselves to them and take responsibility for one another.
If your parish would like to arrange a safeguarding training for employees, volunteers, or teachers and catechists, please contact the undersigned (meisa.dano@katolinen.fi) or the Diocesan Pastoral Centre (pastoraalikeskus@katolinen.fi).
Together, we are building a Church where everyone can encounter Christ in a safe community that respects the dignity of every person.
Meisa Dano
Executive director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre
Safeguarding Coordinator