Diocese in compliance with Charter

Bishop George Leo Thomas recently received notification from The Gavin Group, Inc. that the diocese is in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
The letter, sent by William A. Gavin, noted:
“Based on the analysis of the results of the 2006 Focused Audit of the Diocese of Helena, you have been found to be in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
“The conclusions reached as to the compliance of your Diocese with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People are based on the completeness and accuracy of the information furnished by the Diocese to The Gavin Group, Inc. during the course of this audit.”
Patrick Haggarty, superintendent of diocesan schools, coordinated preparation for the focused audit. Safe Environment coordinator Judy Ober and administrative assistant Vicki Duvernay assisted with the audit preparations, along with many parish religious education directors throughout the diocese.
The focused audit was required because the diocese was found non-compliant in the children’s training program for 2005. Based on the continued training efforts of many parishes’ religious education program directors and their staffs, as well as a comprehensive review and delineation of Parish Religious Education Program data, the Diocese of Helena fulfilled the requirements, as set forth by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
With the 2005-2006 audit in its completed stage, the diocese will be preparing for the next full compliance audit, scheduled for the fall of 2007.
“I applaud the diligent efforts of the diocesan staff and our parishes’ religious education staff in working to address the children’s training component of our Safe Environment program. Through their combined efforts, important steps have been taken to ensure that we are protecting God’s children,” said Bishop Thomas.

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 22, No. 12, December 15, 2006.