If you have information of a safeguarding nature where a child or adult is in immediate danger or requires immediate medical attention call the emergency services on 999. If you wish to report any safeguarding concerns, past or present, please email the safeguarding coordinator on safeguarding@jesuit.org.uk. She will ensure that any concerns are dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner.
Safeguarding is at the heart of the mission of the Jesuits and of my responsibility as Provincial. Our first service of others is to make sure that you are safe with us. Our task is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise, in a way which is always respectful of the safety and well-being of all those we meet. Children and adults at risk are our particular concern.
To those who raise a concern or report to us that they have suffered harm, we respond promptly and effectively. We are scrupulously observant of sound procedures which enable the telling of the truth, progress towards healing and the making of amends. We readily seek the help of statutory authorities, accept independent professional guidance, and submit to probing external scrutiny.
As followers of Jesus, we are ashamed to recognise that we have often failed to see and serve our Lord in those who most need our care and protection — in his most vulnerable sisters and brothers. We know that the Church, including the Society of Jesus, has caused serious harm, and we do not look away from that. We take our next steps contritely but also confident that good can come from a constructive reaction to the mistakes and wrongs of the past. We believe misdeeds and their concealment can give way to truthfulness and genuine virtue.
We cultivate a culture of self-criticism and of trying resolutely to do better. We listen attentively and compassionately to victim-survivors, acknowledging their experiences honestly and learning from them. A humble awareness of the wrongs that have been committed and the suffering that has been inflicted spurs us to continual striving for improvement.
This commitment extends to all: Jesuits, staff, and volunteers alike. In this area of our website you will find our safeguarding policy, the people responsible for its implementation, contact details of our safeguarding team, and links to independent support. If you have a concern — however long ago, however difficult to raise — I want you to know that you will be heard and responded to with care.
Peter Gallagher SJ, Provincial
The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency have asked every Religious Life Group to share a public survey inviting survivors to contribute their experiences. The purpose of this public call is to gather information from anyone who has had recent contact with a Diocese or a Religious Life Group (RLG).
This includes experiences that are new or ongoing, as well as those connected to non-recent abuse. While our primary focus is the period from July 2024 onwards, we do not wish to limit what survivors choose to share.
Information regarding this survey can be found here, and if you have any questions, please contact the CSSA Quality Assurance team at qualityassurance@catholicsafeguarding.org.uk
The Jesuits in Britain wholeheartedly support the call of Pope Francis for Catholic institutions not only to fulfil their statutory and legal obligations, but to demonstrate Christian compassion and provide reparation for abuse that has taken place. We undertake to play our part in fulfilling that mandate.
As a Catholic religious order, we are committed to proactive and effective action that will enable victim-survivors to access support aimed at repairing the harm caused. The Catholic Church must be safe for everyone.
We are committed to listening to any victim-survivors who have suffered abuse from Jesuits or their employees, to acknowledging their experience, to responding effectively to their complaints, to providing them with pastoral and professional support at the earliest possible opportunity, and to offering redress adapted to their personal needs.
Our Safeguarding Policy and practices are compliant with the relevant safeguarding legislation, statutory codes of practice and the guidance applicable in the jurisdictions of England & Wales and of Scotland, and in particular with the obligations and responsibilities upon us as a charity.
We are committed to best practice in the field of safeguarding to create and sustain a safe environment for all. The Province provides pastoral support and access to a range of help, including psychological counselling, for any victim-survivors who have made themselves known.
Where victim-survivors, due to issues of trust, might not be willing to engage with services provided directly by the Jesuits or the Church, we have asked an independent specialist organisation to provide specialist support to victim-survivors in Scotland of childhood abuse by Jesuit priests or brothers or their staff.
James Reilly was appointed Chair in February 2019 and brings 33 years experience to the role. He spent most of his career in Social Services in the London Boroughs of Brent, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham. In the five years prior to his retirement in February 2016, he served as Chief Executive of the Central London Community Healthcare Trust.
Julie Ashby-Ellis brings to the role of Safeguarding Coordinator many years of experience, including work with the NHS and British Red Cross. She is the contact person for anyone raising concerns, and is also responsible for arranging safeguarding training.
E-mail: safeguarding@jesuit.org.uk or
Phone: 07715 669128
Nadra Gadeed is our Safeguarding Support Advisor, and brings years of frontline experience to the role. She can be contacted at:
E-mail: safeguardingsupport@jesuit.org.uk or
Phone: 07706 325952
How to report concerns about yourself and/or others having been abused, or about people currently being abused or at risk of abuse.
Find out more about the key people responsible for safeguarding in the Jesuits in Britain.
Find out more about our Safeguarding co-ordinator, Julie Ashby-Ellis, and her responsibilities. Her role is to be advisor to and also the executive arm of the Safeguarding Commission.
The safeguarding policy of the Jesuits in Britain.
Find out how the Jesuits in Britain are moving towards a culture of safeguarding.
Here are some helpful external safeguarding resources and links.
Terms of reference for the independent safeguarding committee of the British Province of the Society of Jesus.
The role and responsibility of the committee in regard to schools and parishes associated with the Jesuits.
Safeguarding provision in the Church
There are eleven schools associated with the Jesuits in Britain. Six independent schools that are part of three local trusts, and two independent schools, together with three voluntary aided schools, fall within the remit of the Trust for Roman Catholic Purposes (TRCP). Click here to read more about how the Jesuits in Britain want to address the question of how we are to achieve effective interagency cooperation.
If you believe a child or adult is at risk or in immediate danger please contact the emergency services on 999.
