Diocese of Metuchen in compliance with USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children

PISCATAWAY – Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski has been notified that the Diocese of Metuchen is in complete compliance with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The diocese underwent a week-long on-site audit by the USCCB’s Office for the Protection of Children and Young People in September. It was conducted by the Gavin Group which was retained by the USCCB.

 “We are pleased that every year since the audits began in 2004, the Diocese has been found in compliance with the Charter.  We take our responsibility to protect children very seriously and continue to improve and implement programs, policies and procedures to ensure their safety,” Bishop Bootkoski said.

Lawrence V. Nagle, director of the diocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection, said the audit does more than just ensure the diocese is compliant with the charter. “The audit gives us an opportunity to review what we have accomplished over the past year and assess if we are continually striving to provide a safer environment for our children,” he explained.

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People comprises 17 articles and each has a minimum of requirements.

Nagle, as well as individuals from a number of diocesan offices, pastors, members of the Diocesan Review Board and the diocese’s Victim’s Assistant Coordinator, met with the USCCB auditor to discuss the Charter’s articles.

“We were asked about our background check program and safe environment training, how we respond to allegations, deal with victims and provide assistance to them, as well as our pastoral code of conduct,” Nagle said, adding this year the auditors were more specific requesting training documents, including sign-in sheets, schedules, and data from computer programs. “They even verified the paperwork we receive from the State Police on background checks,” he said.

In his report to the auditor, Nagle noted that in September the diocese introduced, “Called to Protect,” in the high schools. The program was created by Praesidium to teach high school students about boundaries and how to respond if their personal boundaries are violated.

Last year, he said, the diocese began digital fingerprinting which offers results in seven days and has a significantly less rate of rejection.

“We would have implemented these programs as well as the others we have even if we were not audited,” Nagle said, “but the audit makes sure we don’t get a false sense of security and because so many people are involved with the audit it keeps everyone vigilant about maintaining our programs.”

By next year, Nagle said, the diocese will have implemented the software program, ParishSoft Safe Environment Program Manager, which will give pastors and other authorized individuals access to the database of individuals who have passed the background check and completed Virtus training.

According to Nagle, to date almost 20,000 individuals working or volunteering in the diocese have completed the Virtus safe environment training program and have been fingerprinted.  He said a wealth of information on the reporting of abuse and the diocese’s policies, procedures and programs are available on his office’s website which can be accessed at www.diometuchen.org.