A new chairman of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) has been appointed following the resignation of Baroness Scotland.
Danny Sullivan, the new chairman, is a former Director of Education for the Anglican Diocese of Oxford and senior civil servant in the Ministry of Justice.
He was appointed after Baroness Patricia Scotland resigned from the role in December because of the pressures of other work commitments.
Mr Sullivan said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of Chair of the NCSC. I value the independence the Church affords to the role of the Commission and recognise how vital that is. The Church continues to make progress in safeguarding, but there is no room for complacency as we move forward to create a safe environment within the Church for all children, young people and vulnerable adults. The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI makes clear that safeguarding and particularly the on-going dialogue and work with and for survivors should be at the core of our mission as Church and I am passionately committed to ensuring that this will continue to be championed by the Commission.”
The NCSC was established in July 2008 following the recommendations in the Cumberlege Report “Safeguarding with Confidence”.
It is responsible for setting the direction of the Church’s safeguarding policies for children and vulnerable adults, and monitors compliance with the policies set out in the report.