Update on the Archdiocesan Review Board
What do you get when you convene a group that includes a psychologist (Dr. Suzanne Giraudo), a pediatrician (Dr. Eileen G. Aicardi), a retired judge (Honorable Raymond Williamson), a retired police inspector (Ms. Janice R. McKay), an attorney (Mercy Sister Mary Gemma O'Keeffe), and a Catholic priest (Father John Ryan, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Burlingame)? In the case of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, it's our Independent Review Board.
This group of well educated and highly skilled professionals has been assembled by Archbishop George H. Niederauer to advise him and the Archdiocese on all matters involving sexual abuse of children and young people by those who serve the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
When he was Archbishop of San Francisco, Cardinal William J. Levada created the Board in response to the clergy sex abuse crisis in the Church. The Board continues to meet regularly to consider allegations brought against Catholic clergy, employees and volunteers in this Archdiocese, and to oversee the "Safe Environment" program described below.
If the Board finds charges of sexual abuse to be credible, they utilize the services of professional investigators, counselors, and others to determine the facts so that fair decisions might be made. Their work is kept confidential to protect the privacy of both alleged victims and alleged abusers.
Dr. Giraudo, who chairs the Board, said, "When we first convened, we were meeting every two or three weeks and it was trying for all of us. The investigation and deliberation of the Board was very, very difficult because we tried our best to be fair to all involved. We have done our best and I feel that we have been equal partners to the Church hierarchy in our decisions."
The Board also oversees the "Safe Environment" program of the Archdiocese. Board members review any educational program prior to its implementation, and the Director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection briefs them at each of their meetings on the current status of compliance. Compliance includes the work done to evaluate the background of every adult who has on-going, unsupervised contact with minors, and the adult education program that each of those people is required to complete. In an interview with the San Mateo County Times, Father Ryan said that many people have stopped ignoring the problem due to the on-line training.
The Safe Environment program also includes ensuring that all minors, in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese and those in parish Religious Education programs are exposed each year to the basic tenets of self-protection. Great care is taken to make sure the educational programs are "age-appropriate." One Board member spoke recently with a high school girl who was coaching for a Catholic elementary school. This girl was very positive about the Safe Environment program that she was required to complete for the protection of kids. She stated that unfortunately, it was necessary and "a really good idea." Dr. Giraudo believes that children are at least learning to be safe in an increasingly unsafe world, i.e., Facebook, MySpace, cyber-bullying, and cyber-pedophilia.
The Archdiocesan Independent Review Board is proud of the balance of men and women who are its members and the fact that most members are parents. They know the devastating impact of abuse in someone's life. They work hard to prevent abuse and to help the Archdiocese maintain its Safe Environment. They are working for us.
Deacon John Norris is Director of the Archdiocesan Department of Pastoral Ministries as well as the Office of Child and Youth Protection. For more information, visit www.sfarchdiocese.org and click on "Protecting Children."
By Deacon John Norris
From June 26, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
