ACSL Annual Report 2025 FINAL DIGITAL (spreads) v3 - Flipbook - Page 6
Message from
the CEO
As ACSL marks another
year of significant
progress, 2025 represents
not only a period of delivery
but also a pivotal moment
of strategic reflection.
Throughout this Jubilee
Year our work continued
to evolve in response to
the complex safeguarding
environment facing the
Church in Australia. This
year’s achievements reaffirm ACSL’s role as a national leader
in safeguarding, grounded in the principles of accountability,
transparency and continuous improvement—values consistently
reinforced in our work across the sector.
Through strengthened partnerships, deepened engagement,
and enhanced capability across our services, ACSL has
progressively advanced a unified safeguarding culture. The
year also saw us complete the five year corporate review,
positioning ACSL for its next phase of sustainability and
national alignment.
Strategic Foundations:
Insights from the Five Year Corporate Review
The five year review was an important milestone that allowed
us to assess progress since our establishment and chart a
clear strategic direction for the years ahead.
Building on our achievements in 2024—including
strengthened learning platforms, maturing audit capability,
and expanded support services—the review affirmed ACSL’s
trajectory as an organisation with strong national influence and
deep sector trust. It also identified challenges ahead.
Key insights included:
y The need to continue enhancing ACSL’s internal
capacity and resilience, particularly in data systems,
professional learning, accountability measures, and
strategic partnerships.
y The importance of reinforcing survivor centred principles
across our work consistent with ACSL’s explicit commitments
to including the prophetic voice of survivors.
y A recognition that audits and safeguarding assessments
provide critical insights for shaping ACSL’s long term
national strategy.
y An acknowledgement of the changing shape and
governance of Religious Institutes over time.
y The importance of strengthening safeguarding leadership to
foster a safeguarding culture within the Church.
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ACSL AN NU AL R E P OR T 2 0 2 5
Dr Ursula Stephens
with Cardinal Bychok
and Alison Rahill at the
Catholic Social Services
Australia Conference
March 2025
These findings will
shape ACSL’s future strategic
planning, focusing on strengthening
national consistency, expanding best
practice models, and deepening the culture
of safeguarding across the Church.
Transforming Learning and Capability:
Investing in the Workforce of the Future
High quality professional learning remains one of ACSL’s
most powerful levers for cultural change. In response to
direct feedback from practitioners, ACSL expanded the
ACSL Learning Platform, which attracted more than 1,900
enrolments in 2025.
Our learning platform’s design ensures that safeguarding
knowledge is accessible, contemporary, and adaptable to
diverse roles across the Church. Complementing this, our
live learning webinar series—featuring expert presenters—
continues to model a future focused approach that integrates
national trends, current research, and emerging risks.
ACSL participated in the 2025 International Safeguarding
Conference, see photo on page 8, again offering thought
leadership on global safeguarding trends and reinforcing our
commitment to international best practice. We also hosted Fr
Hans Zollner SJ speaking tour which included a fundraising
event for the Church in Ukraine.
Deepening Survivor Engagement:
Setting the Standard for a Survivor Centred Future
Survivor engagement continues to shape ACSL’s identity
and informs every dimension of our work. Our 2024
Annual Report reaffirmed our explicit commitment to walking
alongside victims and survivors, recognising the enduring
impact of abuse and the need for compassionate, trauma
informed support.
