Independent validation of Catholic audit programme
IICSA · The Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report · Issued 10 November 2020 · Addressed to: Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, E
The Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service should have the effectiveness of its audit programme regularly validated by an independent organisation which is external to the Church. These independent reports should be published.
IICSA, The Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report · 10 Nov 2020 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that the CSSA had undergone independent external validation of its audit programme (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
On 30 September 2021, the Catholic Council for the Inquiry stated that the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) Board is committed to the independent verification of its audit processes, and would undertake a formal process of appointment of a suitable external body. The Catholic Council for the Inquiry also stated that safeguarding standards would be formally launched, and the CSSA would work with Dioceses and Religious Life Groups to ensure that they are fully aware of what would constitute good practice in relation to each of the standards. In November 2021, the National Safeguarding Standards was published.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.