Safe Space,
Strong Community
We create a culture of relational safety among persons and institutions of the Catholic Church in Asia and the Pacific Nations.
Who We Are:
BUILDING A
CULTURE OF SAFETY
The Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI) is a non-stock, non-profit organisation that works to cultivate a culture of safety within the Catholic Church in Asia and the Pacific. Through leadership training, consultation, and research, CSI integrates safeguarding principles into the daily lives of Catholics, guided by survivor stories and Gospel values.
Proverbs 31:8 calls us to ‘speak out on the behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable’. CSI seeks to empower those who have been left voiceless by encouraging a world that listens and acts.
what we do:
Raising awareness, fostering appreciation, and facilitating safeguarding growth.
Who We Are
BUILDING A
CULTURE OF SAFETY
The Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI) is a non-stock, non-profit organisation that works to cultivate a culture of safety within the Catholic Church in Asia and the Pacific. Through leadership training, consultation, and research, CSI integrates safeguarding principles into the daily lives of Catholics, guided by survivor stories and Gospel values.
Proverbs 31:8 calls us to ‘speak out on the behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable’. CSI seeks to empower those who have been left voiceless by encouraging a world that listens and acts.
what we do
Raising awareness, fostering appreciation,
and facilitating safeguarding growth.
what we do:
Raising awareness, fostering appreciation,
and facilitating safeguarding growth.
- Vision
CSI collaborates with the existing church structures by supporting and complementing ongoing efforts of the local churches.
- Mission
The mission of the institute is to become a center of excellence in matters of safeguarding formation and development, in the periphery of the Catholic Church, as inspired by the Holy Father.
Our Partners:
At CSI we believe in creating a future where every child and vulnerable person’s voice can be heard and acted upon.
Help us make this a reality and join us on our mission to create an environment and culture of safeguarding.
Our story begins in 2017 with three peopleText Here
Dr. Gabriel S. Dy-Liacco, Msgr. Ramon M. Masculino and Dr. Maria Carmen Bontoc-La Viña. Dr Gabriel, inspired by his involvement as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, initiated safeguarding workshops and formation in collaboration with the Emmaus Institute to partner dioceses within the Philippines with the help of Msgr. Ramon and Dr. Carmen. The mission was not purely to educate others on safeguarding but to ignite a conversion within hearts.
By December 2020, the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, Inc (CSI) was formally established and registered as a non-stock, non-profit corporation in the Philippines with a mission and calling.
Our History and Growth
Our story begins in 2017, working in partnership with the Emmaus Institute. The team of three were initially called to create and develop modules and workshops to help instruct the Church and clergy on safeguarding matters, as instructed by the Pope.
When developing modules, they identified that providing tools, resources, and knowledge alone was not enough to call people to the mission of safeguarding. That a deeper conversion was necessary to evoke the desire and motivation needed to create a conscious cultural shift within the safeguarding landscape in the Philippines and Asia Pacific.
As CSI continued to grow and its purpose became clearer and more refined, they parted ways with the Emmaus Institute and became an incorporation in December 2020. Today, the CSI team operates in three locations, Rome, Manila, and Iloilo and manages offices in Manila and Iloilo. Since the first BOWS in 2017, they have delivered the program to almost 2,000 participants, they have developed partnerships with 8 organisations and congregations and expanded their clientele, offering workshops to lay people and teachers as well as clergy. From three individuals with a calling, CSI has grown into a wider team and community with an international support and network. What was once a vision is slowly becoming a reality through the dedication, faith, and prayers of CSI community. CSI continues to grow and evolve to meet the ever-changing climate and needs of safeguarding, as we all undergo a continuous, profound conversion to bring about a world and society that upholds Gospel values.
Vision
Our vision is to help foster a world in which minors and vulnerable adults can live in a culture of relational safety and in communities of care.
Mission
The mission of CSI is to become a center of excellence in matters of safeguarding formation and development, in the periphery of the Catholic Church, as inspired by the Holy Father.
Educate
others on matters of safeguarding.
Equip
them with tools and knowledge to become safeguarding leaders in their schools, parishes, homes, and communities so that they may respond to victims.
To build and encourage
a culture of safeguarding within our society where everyone feels safe, people’s voices are heard, and victims are empowered.
Offices:
Manila Head Office
3F CLC Center, Seminary Drive, Ateneo de
Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
Iloilo Head Office
2F Sta. Maria Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, 138
Gen Blanco Street, Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines
FAQs
Safeguarding is ensuring that everyone feels safe, free from abuse and neglect. It includes the policies and practices that institutions employ to keep children safe and promote their well-being. Safeguarding is both about creating an environment and culture of safety through how we treat each other as well as responding appropriately and taking the right measures against abuse.
A minor is a person under the age of 18, and a vulnerable adult is a person aged 18 or over at risk of abuse due to their physical or mental needs which limit their ability to resist the offence.
Everyone. Whether you are a parent, teacher, priest, catechist, parishioner, neighbour we all have a responsibility and duty of care towards minors and vulnerable adults.
In 2014 Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors with the aim “to promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, using the forms and methods, consonant with the nature of the Church, which they consider most appropriate, as well as through their cooperation with individuals and groups pursuing these same objectives.”
The Pontifical Commission leads the Church worldwide in its mission of safeguarding and its recent Memorare initiative launched in 2023, is helping to develop strong abuse prevention policies.
The Pope calls us to ‘Protect, listen, and heal’ victims of abuse (Nov 2023, Pope Francis to Safeguarding Leads). The CSI follows this direction and seeks to create a safer environment, building a culture of relational safety in the Church and the society under the guidance of the Holy See.
You can learn more about safeguarding in our digital library.
Our Formation and Training workshops also provide more education and formation about how to implement safeguarding in your community.
If you are interested in a more technical, academic based formation, we also offer the Diploma program in Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.
