November 23, 2005
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Bud Bunce (503) 233-8373
bbunce@archdpdx.org
Archdiocese of Portland in full compliance
An audit of the Archdiocese of Portland by The Gavin Group, Inc., found that the Archdiocese was in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Gavin Group is an independent auditing agency which reviews the child safety policies and procedures of Catholic dioceses in the United States. The audit took place the first week of November 2005. The Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth was adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002. The Archdiocese of Portland was found to be in full compliance in previous audits in 2003 and 2004.
The Archdiocese participated in the “focused on-sight audit… conducted
for all dioceses/eparchies that received ‘Required Actions’ during the
2004 compliance audits.” At the time of the 2004 audit, the Archdiocese
of Portland was still in the process of conducting safe environment training
for new employees and volunteers who have contact with children and youth.
The “required action” the Archdiocese needed to
perform was to provide a schedule showing
the completion date for the training in 2004. That schedule was provided
and the Archdiocese was found in full compliance in 2004.
The Child Abuse Policy of the Archdiocese is available in English and Spanish
on its web page: www.archdpdx.org/abuse-policy-revised. The Archdiocese
has provided safe environment training to thousands of students in parish
schools, Archdiocesan high schools and parish religious education programs.
Several thousand adult employees and volunteers, who have contact with
children and youth, have participated in training programs and been background
checked. The Archdiocese of Portland is committed to providing a safe environment
for all persons served in ministry.
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