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About the Fund Position StatementThe Catholic Bishops, through the Catholic Conference of Ohio, have created a new fund, independent of the Church, to help adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The Counseling Assistance Fund is designed to provide counseling or similar mental health services for persons who were sexually abused as minors by clergy or other representatives of the Catholic Church. Currently, each Ohio Catholic Bishop, through the diocese's Victim Assistance Program, provides survivors of abuse the opportunity to receive counseling or other assistance to aid the healing process. The new Fund offers an additional option for healing. The Counseling Assistance Fund is different from existing forms of assistance because it is directed toward persons who are reluctant to contact the Church for help. This new Fund will provide an opportunity for persons to be considered for counseling through a process independent of the Church. A person who receives counseling through the Fund may obtain services from any mental health provider licensed in the person's state of residence. Providers will be paid by the Fund. About the FundThe eight dioceses and one eparchy comprising the Catholic Conference of Ohio have contributed a total of $3 million that has been placed in a Fund with Fifth Third Bank, Central Ohio, as Trustee. All administrative expenses are paid directly by the Catholic Conference to assure 100 percent of the money in the Fund is available for counseling services. The final date to submit claims is May 15, 2008. A person who wishes to make a claim to the Counseling Assistance Fund can do so through a Claim Form. The Fund will consider a claim request from any person who was sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy authorized to minister as a priest or deacon in Ohio, or who was abused by an employee or authorized volunteer of a Catholic Diocese or Bishop in Ohio. A claim may be made unless the person has:
A person who elects to file a claim with the Counseling Assistance Fund is not eligible to make a claim or receive assistance from a Diocesan Victim Assistance Program. The person making the claim must have been an Ohio resident at the time he or she was abused. Any information disclosed in the Claim Form which is required under law to be reported to law enforcement officials, but which was not reported previously, will be reported. Decisions regarding claims will be made by a Claims Award Panel. An individual who is granted an award will be required to sign a waiver and release of claims against the Church before the Fund will make payments to the claimant's service provider. Terms of the Fund Provide That:
Reaching Survivors of Sexual AbuseAnyone who does not have Web access, or who needs assistance with completing the Claim Form, can call any of the Counseling Claims Administrators. County probate court judges have appointed the Counseling Claims Administrators. Their role is to help an individual file a claim, not to determine the merits or validity of any claim. Click here for the names and contact information for the Counseling Claims Administrators. The Catholic Conference is embarking on an outreach effort to announce the availability of the Counseling Assistance Fund, and to direct people to the Web site for detailed information. In addition to distributing an announcement to media outlets, the Conference has developed informational materials for parishes and has sent notifications to mental health agencies. The parish materials provide tools for priests, deacons and lay members of the church to announce that the Fund is available and to provide ongoing information through parish bulletins. Counseling, Prevention Programs in PlaceThe Catholic Church is strongly committed to helping those who have been harmed in the past, protecting young people from future instances of sexual abuse by clergy and Church representatives, and reporting abuse to law enforcement officials as required by law. Ohio dioceses, through their Victim Assistance Programs have arranged for many survivors of sexual abuse to receive counseling services. Each diocese in Ohio has a Victim Assistance Coordinator to help persons who wish to report an allegation of abuse or request pastoral or clinical care to begin the process of healing. Independent review boards composed of local child welfare advocates, mental health practitioners, and legal advisers have been working with the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinators to assure allegations are properly managed by the Church. The Victim Assistance Coordinators are:
Each diocese in Ohio also has initiated a Safe Environment Program. The Safe Environment Programs are based on requirements outlined in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, issued in 2002 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Over 450,000 Ohioans affiliated with Catholic churches and diocesan organizations have attended this training in recognizing and preventing childhood sexual abuse. In accordance with the Charter, full-time and part-time employees and volunteers of the Catholic Church who, in their daily responsibilities, work directly with children, must attend the Safe Environment Program. These persons also are subject to a mandatory background check. The persons responsible for Safe Environment Programs are:
About the Catholic Conference of OhioFounded in 1945, the Conference represents the Church's position before various state departments, bureaus, agencies and other organizations. The Conference also provides facilitation, coordination and joint programming for diocesan groups involved in various Church ministries. The Catholic Conference of Ohio is composed of the six Roman Catholic dioceses in the state – Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Steubenville, Toledo, and Youngstown – along with the Parma Byzantine Eparchy, the Romanian Catholic Diocese of Canton and the Ukrainian Catholic Diocese of Parma. |
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