The 2022 National Safeguarding Conference. addressing the theme ‘Walking together in Safeguarding: a journey of personal and communal conversion’, provided an excellent opportunity for all those responsible for Safeguarding in the Church to gather together and to ‘refresh’ their understanding of, and commitment to, safeguarding.  Moreover, it was the ideal platform for the launch of the new Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, allowing participants to talk with Lady Rae and the SCSSA Board members and staff about their plans for the agency.  The Conference also featured contributions from Fr Hans Zollner SJ, an internationally renowned expert on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and Dani Wardman, CEO of the Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS) for England & Wales.  The Conference programme was hosted by SCSSA staff Paul Donaldson and Helena Rameckers.  162 participants were registered to attend in person and 154 were registered to participate online.

• DOCUMENTS related to the Conference, including Discussion Feeedback and Conference Evaluations can be found immediately below.
• VIDEOS of the key inputs to the Conference can be found below the Conference papers.
• Photographs from the Conference can be found in the Image Gallery at the bottom of the page.

SCSSA Chair Lady Rita Rae welcomes participants to the Conference, thanks them for their work and the SCSSA's role in offering independent assurance of safeguarding standards. (8 mins. 42.secs.)

Fr Hans Zollner SJ, a recognised international expert in the abuse crisis that has afflicted the Catholic Church, speaks about steps being taken across the world to respond to the crisis. (53 mins. 58 secs.)

Frances Gunn previews a simple online Safegarding Risk Assessment tool that will be trailed in some dioceses before being made available nationally.  (15 mins. 21 secs.)

A panel of people responsible for various aspects for safeguarding (a PSC, a DSAG Chair, a Religious priest and a Bishop) reflect on improving practice that they are seeing in their own areas. (23 mins. 41 secs.)

SCSSA Vice Chair Pat O'Meara stresses that the agency's priorities and stresses will be informed by the needs of survivors and the experience of those working in Safeguarding. (13 mins.)

Dani Wardman, CEO of the Religious Safeguarding Service for England & Wales (RLSS), speaks about her experience of responding to and accompanying victims and survivors of abuse. (46 mins. 14 secs.)

Caterina O'Connor, Safeguarding Adviser in the Archdiocese of Glasgow, highlights some themes that appear in the independent safeguarding audits carried out in all 8 Scottish Dioceses.(15 mins. 11 secs.)