237 new abuse cases reported to Church watchdog
A total of 237 new abuse allegations were reported to the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) in the year to the end of March.
The Board has today published its annual report, which shows the allegations mainly came from adults, and concerned events during their childhood.
The claims involve 196 priests and members of the religious community. Six complaints related to events which are reported to have happened since the year 2000.
Chief executive of The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church Ian Elliott said: "We encourage anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward to receive help and support.
"If we're not aware of the abuse, we're not in a position to provide help and support. There are services within the Church which can do so."
The report covers the period from March 31, 2011 to April 1, 2012.
In that period, the NBSCCC created a standardised set of training materials and recruited eight tutors, two in each metropolitan area, to roll it out.
