New Child Protection Officer for Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland has appointed Ms Renée English to the post of Child Protection Officer for the Republic of Ireland.

The appointment complements that of Margaret Yarr, Child Protection Officer for Northern Ireland which took place earlier this year. The appointment is on a part time basis initially, based at Church of Ireland House, Dublin.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev Dr John Neill, commented that the selection of a child protection officer of the calibre and experience of Ms English is a reflection of the Church's commitment to ensure the protection of all children who are served by the Church of Ireland.

Renée is a qualified social worker with experience in the fields of child protection and fostering. She has worked for the Health Service Executive for many years. She was involved in the introduction of the Stay Safe Programme for primary schools in the 1990's and more recently as a Children First trainer (National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children).

Canon John McCullagh, secretary of the General Synod Board of Education which resources the Church's child protection policy also welcomed the appointment.

He commented: "Renée's expertise will be invaluable as the Safeguarding Trust programme, based on the State guidelines Children First, has been redesigned and expanded to provide a holistic set of procedures for parishes and the Church's youth organisations.

"She will advise on the implementation of the new edition of the Code as well as supporting any necessary reports to the statutory authorities."

It is seen as crucial for the Church of Ireland to support the raising of standards of child protection across the voluntary sector and to keep abreast of rapid developments in legislation. The welfare of children in youth ministry is a central concern.

Ms English will be involved in the co-ordination and delivery of training at all levels by resourcing diocesan support teams and enhancing their training and evaluation roles. Information on developments in best practice will be provided to those involved in youth ministry on an ongoing basis.

She will be making contact with diocesan trainers and others involved in implementing the policy in the coming months and looks forward to working with them.