At Woodlands Academy, we recognize the great responsibility we have to protect the integrity and dignity of each of our students.

The commitment of everyone at the boarding school is to use all available means to ensure healthy and safe environments where the dignity of every individual is respected and promoted.

Now more than ever, we understand that abuse, regardless of its nature, causes profound pain and harms not only the victim but also their family and society. This awareness has led us not only to establish a policy on this matter but also to ensure that every member of our staff, without exception, knows, understands, and consistently upholds our mission and guidelines.

Our Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy includes principles, rules, and procedures to ensure a safe environment and prevent any potential situations. This policy consists of three sections:

• A code of conduct for all individuals who interact with minors, aimed at safeguarding the physical, sexual, psychological, and social integrity of each minor in the school.
• A clear procedure to follow for reporting and addressing violations of the established code of conduct.
• A guide for the implementation and verification of the Safe Environment Policy to ensure its proper enforcement and to assess the suitability and fitness of staff to work with minors.

Safety is our priority

At Woodlands Academy, we prioritize the protection and well-being of the children in our care. We are committed to implementing procedures and best practice guidelines

for everyone involved in the spiritual, academic, disciplinary, athletic, or cultural formation of young people.

Based on the guidelines from the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, this document outlines the standards and practices that all personnel —including clergy, staff, and volunteers— must follow to create a safe environment for children and young people. The policy covers safeguarding structures, reporting procedures, risk management, and mandatory training, ensuring a comprehensive approach to child protection.

Child Safeguarding and Protection Principles

1. We emphasize our commitment to protecting each of our students by providing them with a healthy and safe environment.
2. We recognize that child sexual abuse causes profound harm to the victim, their family, and society as a whole, and that no one should ever have to experience it.
3. We condemn any type of abuse—physical, psychological, sexual, or neglect—regardless of who commits it, and we emphatically reject its concealment.
4. We reaffirm our commitment to tirelessly establishing a culture of prevention throughout our community, ensuring that no one ever experiences such a situation. This includes providing information sessions and workbooks for children, as well as periodic training and reviews for staff to ensure everyone is well-informed about the policy and procedures.
5. We have a Child Safeguarding and Protection Policy that outlines principles, rules, and procedures to ensure a safe environment. It includes specific guidelines on acceptable and unacceptable behavior for staff in their interactions with children, covering physical and verbal contacts to prevent inappropriate conduct. The Child Protection Committee oversees policy implementation, ensures compliance, and supports the Child Protection Officer in managing cases. Regular risk assessments and audits are conducted to ensure the policy is effectively implemented.
6. We ensure that our facilities and daily actions foster a preventive environment by identifying potential risks and implementing measures to mitigate them in all child-related activities.
7.  We select personnel through strict hiring policies that assess candidates’ suitability for working with minors, including criminal record checks and mandatory signing of the Child Protection Policy by all employees.
8. We operate under a code of conduct that guides the behavior of adults with minors, requiring all personnel working with children—including employees, priests, coworkers, and consecrated staff—to sign it as a commitment. They must also undergo regular safeguarding training to ensure they are aware of their responsibilities and procedures.
9. We have clear procedures known to the entire community for reporting any breaches of the code of conduct and/or suspicions of abuse.
10. We acknowledge that child sexual abuse is a serious crime and take responsibility for reporting any suspicions to the competent civil authorities. We also conduct regular reviews and updates of our policy to reflect changes in legislation and national guidelines.

Prevention involves all of us; therefore, if you have any concerns or issues related to Safe Environments at our boarding school, we invite you to contact us:

Download Files

.