A safeguarding commission should be legally required in all situations where organisations provide services to minors and vulnerable adults to protect against and respond to potential abuses, according to the head of the Safeguarding Commission of the Church in Malta, Mark Pellicano.
Pellicano, a social worker who was appointed by Archbishop Charles Scicluna as the head of the Safeguarding Commission last year, made his case as he was being interviewed on the latest edition of Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103.
The Church in Malta had established the commission in 2015, overhauling and expanding the scope of the Response Team which was previously responsible for investigating alleged abuses by pastoral functionaries.
Though the commission regularly involves the police where warranted – not every substantiated allegation it investigates can be considered a crime, even in cases where it may recommend restricting pastoral ministry or other preventive measures – Pellicano stressed that the commission’s approach differed from criminal investigations.
“The police and the commission have different remits,” he emphasised. “The police may see no crime but we may still perceive a risk.”
The commission’s approach, Pellicano explained, was victim-centred and focused on the risks, including to other potential victims of the subject of the complaint, which may include members of the clergy as well as lay people, whether church staff or volunteers.
And Pellicano went on to argue that this distinct approach would be of benefit far beyond the remit of the church.
“As the safeguarding commission of the church, our wish is that the commission does not remain solely a church thing: we believe it must be a structure that is required by law,” Pellicano said.
“We wish that our structure… is either replicated or studied so that it can be adapted to different institutions which work with minors and vulnerable adults.”
Among other issues, the interview also saw Pellicano speak of the need to work towards safe recruitment to minimise the possibility of abuse, and not just respond to such cases.
He said that more needed to be done to assess how the church entrusts individuals – whether members of the clergy, staff or volunteers – to be of service to minors and vulnerable individuals.
While no system could be infallible, Pellicano stressed the importance of strengthening prevention, and a clear policy on safe recruitment – including potential auditing of prospective recruits by the commission – would help achieve this.
Sors: Newsbook Malta