From 1 April, Aidan Gordon (pictured), the former Director of Safeguarding for the Archdiocese of Armagh, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.
Mr Gordon has extensive experience in child protection management and family support. He is a qualified social worker with over 30 years’ experience in safeguarding practice and management, and is a former Assistant Director of the Western Health and Social Care Trust in the North of Ireland.
Responding to his appointment, Mr Gordon said, “I certainly have big shoes to fill in replacing the outgoing CEO, Teresa Devlin. Teresa has been a tireless champion of the need to ensure all of the activities of the Catholic Church in Ireland that include children are conducted to the highest standards of safety and care and in line with current legislation and best practice. I hope that I, along with my colleagues, will continue and build on that excellent work.”
“As well as building on the good work of the National Board to date, I am aware that we need to maintain our vigilance to ensure the Church continues to be a safe and welcoming place for children. We must also ensure we respond in a pastoral and caring manner towards any victims of abuse in the Church while offering them support in accessing justice. Appropriate actions towards those who are accused is also a priority, and I look forward to co-operating closely with all of the Statutory-agencies responsible for child safeguarding across the island of Ireland to ensures that that continues to be the case,” Mr Gordon said.
The National Board was established to provide independent advice, services and assistance to constituent members of the Church in furtherance of the development of the safeguarding of children within the Church on the island of Ireland.
The National Board’s sponsoring bodies are the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, as well as the Association of Major Religious in Ireland, and it has a role in monitoring Church bodies compliance with civil legislation and constitutional imperatives, policy and best practice. The Board is also required to report upon activities of the Company and the cooperation which it receives in respect of such activities to the extent that such activities are always and in all respects carried out with due regard to the doctrines and applicable canon law.
ENDS
