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CSS AUDIT PROCESS FOR PARISHES AND SCHOOLS

Topics covered during the onsite audit

1. List of current employees, incl. background checks and training
2. List of current volunteers, incl. background checks and training
3. The Charter
4. Code of Conduct
5. Diocesan policies and procedures
6. Safe environment curriculum used in the setting
7. Trainings for staff/volunteers
8. Reporting procedures
9. Confidentiality
10. Problems, if any
11. Suggestions for the OCP office
12. Others as the situation arises

Please note: This list is not necessarily all-inclusive. The OCP has a responsibility to explore any situations that may indicate a problem with compliance.

Process

The auditor (OCP Coordinator) will set a meeting date with the parish or school representative, (generally the pastor and DRE for parishes and the principal and/or the administrative assistant for schools), and will cover the above topics as well as any others that arise in the course of the audit. In the process, files and other documents may be reviewed to determine content and accuracy of information. The site will be viewed briefly to confirm the presence of required materials. The auditor will go through a list of questions with the site representative to determine the level of compliance with the Charter and Diocesan policies and procedures.

If there is a need for corrective action, a plan will be discussed during the visit and the OCP auditor follow-up to confirm that the action plan has been followed. The site will receive a notice when the audit is complete and successfully passed.

Please understand that the purpose of the audit is twofold: 1) to ensure compliance with the Charter and with Diocesan policies and procedures; and 2) to provide assistance as needed. This is not a punitive process; rather, it is designed to review each site’s documentation and compliance and provide guidance/assistance if it is requested or needed to meet the expected standards.

AUDIT ROTATION SCHEDULE FOR SCHOOLS BY AUDIT YEAR

Important Notes:

• Each school will have an on-site audit every three years, but is expected to remain in compliance during the other years, and to submit training/CORI forms regularly as required during those in-between years.
• Audit years go by the year in which the audit period ends. They begin on July 1 of the previous year and end on June 30 of the following year. As an example, audit year 2010 is from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
• This schedule reflect the closing of St. Mary’s and St. Joseph-St. Therese in New Bedford at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, and the opening of All Saints Elementary in 2010.

2010

Bishop Connelly
Bishop Stang
Espirito Santo
St. Francis Xavier
St. Margaret Regional
St. Mary – Mansfield
St. Michael
Villa Fatima

2011

Bishop Feehan
St. Francis Xavier Prep
Holy Family-Holy Name
Holy Trinity Regional
St. James-St. John
John Paul II
St. Mary’s Primary
St. Stanislaus
Taunton Catholic Middle School

2012

All Saints Elementary
Coyle and Cassidy
Holy Name – FR
Holy Trinity
St. John the Evangelist
St. Joseph
St. Mary-Sacred Heart
SS. Peter & Paul
St. Pius X

If you have additional questions, please contact the OCP:

DEBORA JONES
Coordinator, Office for Child Protection
Fall River Office
(508) 674-4681