Fact Sheet:
Office of Child and Youth Protection
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Office of Child and Youth Protection to assist dioceses and eparchies (dioceses of the Eastern Catholic Churches) in the implementation of their "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" and to ensure the consistent application of the "Charter's" guidelines and procedures to prevent abuse and properly deal with allegations of misconduct.
The Office of Child and Youth Protection has three central tasks:
- A Safe Environment Program seeks to prevent abuse from occurring in church settings by training employees, parents and children. It involves screening adults who would come in regular contact with children, creating a code of conduct for ministers, employees, and volunteers who work regularly with children on behalf of the Church, training adults how to define, identify and report abuse, as well as educating parents and children as to what constitutes acceptable behavior and how to report any concerns. The Office assists each diocese and eparchy in establishing Safe Environment Programs by providing information, guidelines, and training for diocesan leaders.
- To measure how effectively each diocese and eparchy adheres to the Charter, the Office developed and manages an appropriate compliance audit mechanism.
- The Office prepares a progress report and will continue to do so in future years to inform the USCCB, Catholic faithful, and the general public as to the status of diocesan and eparchial compliance with the Charter's provisions.
Dr. McChesney has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement. She joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1978 after having worked as a detective with the King County (Seattle) Police Department. In September 1996, she became head of the FBI's Portland, OR, field office and in March 1999, became head of the FBI's Chicago Field Office. In October 2002, Dr. McChesney was named Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's Law Enforcement Services Division, where she oversaw the activities of 4,700 employees and multiple budgets totaling over $1.1 billion. She holds a doctorate in public administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.
Ms. Horan served for nearly 29 years at the FBI and retired as Deputy Assistant Director for Administration. At the FBI, she worked primarily in the counterintelligence field starting as a field agent and thereafter, serving in numerous management and executive positions. She was the Special Agent in Charge of the National Security Division at the FBI's Washington Field Office overseeing all espionage, terrorism and counterintelligence investigations before moving to FBI Headquarters as Deputy Assistant Director of the National Security Division. Her work took her all over the world in furtherance of investigative operations and intelligence policy issues.
Ms. Palmer has worked with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices, the Ministries Secretariat including the Office of Priestly Life and Ministry, the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, the Office of Vocations and Priestly Formation and the Office for the Diaconate. In addition, she has served on parish pastoral councils in the Archdiocese of Washington along with various Catholic School Boards and served as a Youth Ministry Retreat volunteer for several years.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is made up of the Catholic bishops of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Conference's purpose is to promote the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through pastoral and social service adapted to the circumstances of time and place. The bishops alone constitute the membership of the Conference, and they are served by a staff of over 350 lay people, priests and religious located at headquarters in Washington, DC, and in offices in New York, Miami, and Rome. In the United States there are 195 Catholic archdioceses or dioceses. There are currently 275 active and 131 retired bishops in the United States.
Office of Child and Youth Protection
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-5413 | FAX: (202) 541-5410
Email: ocyp@usccb.org