From the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
The agency that oversees safeguarding in the Catholic Church has observed “good practice” in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle across all eight of the recognised National Safeguarding Standards.
In an audit report published on 26 February 2025, the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) in particular hailed major improvements in Church leadership, governance, ministry, culture and the care of those people who have been harmed.
The 2025 CSSA report says that:
The audit of the safeguarding arrangements for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle was undertaken as part of the CSSA’s programme of audits of all 22 Dioceses of England and Wales. The Diocese has been the subject of a full review of safeguarding and combined audit in January 2023 which achieved an overall grade of Early Progress, and a subsequent interim review of Safeguarding in Leadership, Governance, Ministry and Culture which was not subject to grading, in May 2024, both of which are available on the CSSA and diocesan websites.
The new audit report says that it is “evident that the Diocese is motivated to ensure that improvements are made”.
It says: “The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle has made a firm commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to abuse … Observations of ministries and interviews with clergy, staff and volunteers evidenced that consideration is consistently given to the safety of all those that access the church. Health and safety and safeguarding are standing items on all meetings that are held across the Diocese, which was observed in the minutes of meetings held by the curial staff and Parish councils.”
The report continues: “The Bishop made an unequivocal public commitment to victims and survivors of abuse at his installation Mass … The Bishop continues to meet with victims and survivors of abuse, whether this is abuse suffered within Church organisations or structures or in wider society. The Bishop will meet with victims and survivors at a location of their choice to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible, and he has also shared that he respects the views of those victims and survivors who do not wish to meet with him. There is also evidence of the Bishop considering the views of victims and survivors with consideration to information presented on the website.”
Welcoming the report, The Rt Rev. Stephen Wright, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle, said:
“I am very pleased that our diocesan family’s commitment to best practice in safeguarding is acknowledged and demonstrated in this report. The improvements over the last two years are clear and we all remain committed to ever improve our safeguarding culture, procedures, and practices. Best practice in safeguarding is always evolving and complacency must always be avoided.
“Safeguarding the vulnerable is everybody’s responsibility and the audit looked at all aspects of diocesan life. I thank everybody in our Diocese for their commitment to best practice. I thank our Parish Safeguarding Representatives for their vigilance in our parishes. I also thank our excellent Safeguarding Team and Committee for their work. When it is needed, I and the diocesan family are secure in receiving their independent advice on safeguarding the vulnerable.
“I thank the regulator the CSSA for their comprehensive audit. We look forward to implementing recommendations to improve even further and welcoming the CSSA back in the future.”
The full report is available to view or download from the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle‘s website.
You can also read a statement from the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency.
The CSSA has a section on its website for diocesan audit reports, including Hexham and Newcastle’s re-audit.
