The Catholic Church in Scotland has announced the creation of a new independent Safeguarding agency. Speaking at the end of a national Safeguarding webinar which attracted 450 participants from across Scotland, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, announced the establishment of a new body – the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (SCSSA).

Bishop Hugh Gilbert said: “The SCSSA will operate entirely independently of the Church and will have its own staff and Board of Management who will work in close collaboration with dioceses and religious communities to ensure that they are able to meet national safeguarding standards. It will also develop a process that will provide an independent review of complaints about safeguarding practice and crucially, establish a forum in which those who have experienced abuse can contribute their own perspectives to the development of safeguarding.”

Bishop Hugh added: “We will shortly commence the recruitment process for the Chair and members of the Board of Management, followed by the recruitment of a Director and a Head of Safeguarding Training. It will take some time to establish the new agency and we ask for your patience and support while that process is underway.”

Social distancing indoors has now ended and there is no obligation to keep 1m distance between household groups. For those who are still wary about being too close, one side of the cathedral has been reserved for social distancing. It is still essential to provide track and trace details, wear face masks and sanitise hands.