Independent auditors find Diocese in compliance for 9th consecutive year
Based on the analysis of the results of the 2011 Audit/Review concerning adherence of the Diocese of Cleveland with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Diocese of Cleveland has been declared in compliance.
A new independent audit fim, StoneBridge Business Partners conducted the audit, collecting all data related to the protection of children for the most recent 12 month period.
Carefully monitored were the Diocese's record keeping related to reports of child abuse cases, actions taken upon those reports, and accountability from the parish level on up.
National audits find nearly all Dioceses compliant
In a release from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, the 2011 Annual Report on the implementation of the Charter for Protection of Children and Young People found that nearly all diocese in the United States are totally complaint with the 17-point Charter.
The full report can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/2011-annual-report.pdf.
The Charter was establsihed in 2002 by the Bishops following the reports of clergy sexual abuse and the need to carefully monitor the care of children. Diocese are now responsible for implementation of child protection and reporting policies from the parish level in order to insure the safety of children.