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Douglas Russell and Prof Daryl Higgins, Institute of Child Protection Studies, ACU; members of the Global Safeguarding Alliance
Benevolentia, managed by Porticus
Explore women’s experiences with current safeguarding measures, their ideas for improvement, and their views on the risks posed by both men and women within Church settings.
While the Church has made progress in safeguarding over recent years, especially following major inquiries and reforms, there is still limited research on how women within the Church perceive these efforts.
The Women's Insights into Safeguarding Efforts in the Catholic Church (WISE) project is a global research project that seeks to understand how religious and lay women experience and view safeguarding practices within the Catholic Church. Safeguarding refers to the policies and actions taken to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm, including abuse.
Women often play key roles in safeguarding, as educators, carers or religious leaders, but their voices have not been fully heard. The WISE project aims to fill this gap by collecting insights from women across different countries via an online survey. Participants will include nuns, sisters, and lay women who are active in Church life, and women (both Catholic and non-Catholic) working in the Church. The study will explore their experiences with current safeguarding measures, their ideas for improvement, and their views on the risks posed by both men and women within Church settings.
Feel free to share survey with women in your network-whether volunteers, staff, religious sisters, or lay women involved in Church life.
Download our media kit content suggestions (PDF, 402KB)
Ethics approval has been given by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Australian Catholic University (Project: 2025-4280E).
Findings will help inform better safeguarding policies and practices and will be shared through reports, published manuscripts, and presentations at conferences. Ultimately, the WISE project aims to support safer Church communities by listening to the voices of women and using their insights to strengthen safeguarding efforts worldwide.
June 2025 to March 2026
If you have any questions, get in touch with our research team at icps@acu.edu.au
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