- How do I report that I or someone known to me was abused by a priest or someone connected to the Church?
If you were abused by a priest or someone connected with the Church in Dublin, or if you know or suspect that someone else was abused, you can report it to Andrew Fagan or Deirdre Donnelly of the Child Safeguarding and Protection Service at 01 8360314. Alternatively, you can send an email to andrew.fagan@dublindiocese.ie or deirdre.donnelly@dublindiocese.ie giving your name and contact details and either Deirdre or Andrew will make contact with you.
- What will happen if I report abuse?
Reporting abuse is always difficult. We will try to make it as easy as possible for you. Normally we will meet with you to hear your account of abuse. We will discuss and agree with you where the meeting should take place. We can meet you in our offices but if that is inconvenient or otherwise difficult for you we can arrange to meet in a place of your choosing.
If you do not want to meet us, we will take your complaint over the phone or in an email.
- Can I report abuse in confidence?
Any information that you share with us will be treated with the utmost respect and only shared with the people who need to know it. We are required to share information about abuse with the civil authorities, that is, the Gardai (police) and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency or the HSE if it concerns a vulnerable adult. We also need to share the information with some colleagues in the Diocese. If you tell us that you were abused by a person who is still alive, we will put your complaint to that person in order to get their response to it.
We will explain all of this to you when we hear from you and before you tell us about the abuse so that you can make an informed decision about sharing your information with the Diocese.
- What support will I be offered?
We will put you in touch with Towards Healing. This is an organisation that provides a range of services to people who were abused by priests and religious and for their families. One of the services they provide is counselling. The service is free and there is no waiting list. We will also discuss other support services that might be of interest to you.
Deirdre or Andrew will also keep in touch with you to let you know how the Diocese is dealing with your complaint, if that is your wish.
- What if I do not want to report abuse to the Diocese?
You can take your complaint directly to the Gardai or to Tulsa, the Child and Family Agency or the HSE if it concerns a vulnerable adult. If you are unsure who to approach we can assist you with this. Organisations such as the Rape Crisis Centre and One in Four can also help you with this (see ‘Support Services for Adults’) in our Links section.
- What if the person that abused me was not a priest or in any way connected with the Church?
This is explained under Reporting Child Safeguarding and Protection Concerns in our Links section. If you are having any difficulty finding out who you should contact, we will be happy to advise you.