The Western Australian dioceses which include Broome, Bunbury, Geraldton and Perth are committed to protecting children and adults from abuse or harm. The dioceses have a moral, spiritual and legal obligation to safeguard everyone in the church community and are, therefore, committed to the development of a culture of safety which is defined by transparency and accountability.

For a direct pastoral approach:

The National Response Protocol (NRP) is employed by all Catholic Church Authorities in Australia to respond to concerns and allegations of contemporary or historical child abuse.

The main purpose of the NRP is to provide a framework for Church entities to offer a consistent response to children and adults who have been subjected to child abuse by Church personnel. Church personnel include clerics and religious, employees and volunteers, currently or previously associated, with a Church Authority or entity. The implementation of the NRP from 1^st February 2021 prompts the phasing out of the previous Towards Healing protocol.

The implementation and continuous review of the NRP is now the responsibility of Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd (ACSL). 

Click here to view the National Response Protocol.

If you need to report a concern about a matter pertaining to a Catholic entity, whether it be a diocese or a religious institute, you can contact:

1)   The responsible Church Authority/entity directly

OR

2)   The WA Professional Standards Office (WAPSO)

The WAPSO is charged with implementing the National Response Protocol in Western Australia.

The WAPSO will continue to assist:

• Adults who have been subjected to historical, childhood (sexual, physical or emotional)
• Adults who have been subjected to professional misconduct, for example, in adult boundary violations,pastoral incompetence or financial improprieties

All forms of professional misconduct or unprofessional behaviour that fall outside of the scope of child abuse are covered by professional standards policies and procedures, and national codes of conduct, namely Integrity in Ministry and Integrity in the Service of the Church. Copies of these documents which outline the principles and standards for Catholic Clergy and Religious in Australia are available to download:

Integrity in Ministry 2010 
Published on 03 April 2013    Modified on 31 July 2015

Integrity in Service of the Church 
Published on 03 April 2013    Modified on 31 July 2015

The National Redress Scheme:

All four Western Australian dioceses joined the National Redress Scheme (NRS). The NRS enables the dioceses to provide redress to people who experienced child sexual abuse at any of the relevant institutions.

The NRS was launched on 1 July 2018.  It is intended to operate for 10 years and applications can be submitted up until 30 June 2027.   Applications can be made online or via paper. 

For further information you can contact the National Redress Scheme on 1800 737 377.

For further information on professional standards please visit:

• Catholic Church in Australia

The Catholic Church in Australia is served by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference which is the permanent collegial assembly of the Bishops of Australia.

• Catholic Professional Standards

Catholic Professional Standards Ltd (CPSL) was formed in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. CPSL is committed to fostering a culture of safety and care for children and vulnerable adults by developing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

• Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd

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