January 7, 2021

Diocese contracts with Stop It Now! to conduct focus groups, surveys with individuals sexually abused

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Carolee McGrath

Peter Pollard of Stop It Now!, a sexual abuse prevention organization, speaks at a press conference to announce a contract with the Diocese of Springfield. Stop It Now! will conduct confidential focus groups and surveys with individuals who have been sexually abused by clergy.

SPRINGFIELD – The Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield announced a contract with Stop It Now!, an internationally recognized sexual abuse prevention organization, at a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 7.

Stop It Now! will independently create a safe forum for those who have experienced sexual abuse within the Catholic Church to share their experiences and insights, through confidential focus groups and surveys. The information will help inform the task force, which is charged with providing recommendations to Springfield Bishop William Byrne on how to improve the response to sexual abuse allegations in the diocese.

“I think it’s important that we do this work, the work of the independent task force and this collaboration with Stop It Now! so that we can rebuild trust. We’re here to tell people about Jesus Christ, but they’re not going to hear it if we can’t be trusted. So it means we have to work towards transparency and communication and an important step of that is to hear the voices of people who have been victimized by people representing the church,” Bishop Byrne told iObserve.

Stop It Now! has no affiliation with the Catholic Church or any other faith community.

 “We have identified a number of different stakeholders, one of the most important, if not the most important, stakeholders are those who have been abused by clergy,” said Judge Daniel Ford, chair of the task force. “We believe that this contract with Stop It Now!, an independent, professional group, will provide individuals with an opportunity to share their views through focus groups, surveys and conversations in a safe, trauma-informed way. The information will inform us in our work in making recommendations to the bishop for improvement in the response to future allegations of sexual abuse,” Ford said.

Stop It Now!, founded by an individual who was sexually abused, has nearly 30 years of experience of working with families and organizations to identify behaviors that pose risks, and educating the public around preventing sexual abuse. Stop It Now! has developed practices designed to support individuals impacted by sexual abuse to most effectively access the resources they need.

“We believe that the story and experiences of people who were sexually abused help us all understand opportunities for prevention,” said Jenny Coleman, director of Stop It Now! “We focus on prevention, so by gathering these stories, we can learn what is needed for prevention moving forward. We also were founded on principles of restorative justice. And for us, this means that the voices of people who were sexually abused are central in determining how responses can be most impactful, respectful and healing,” she said.

Stop It Now! encourages individuals wishing to participate to reach out through Jan. 25 by calling (413) 587-3502 and leaving a message on a confidential voicemail, providing first name and call-back number, or by email at info@stopitnow.org, subject line ‘You Matter.’ For more information, visit  www.stopitnow.org/youmatter. 

The contract with Stop It Now! follows a survey conducted last fall in which the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield invited people to share their input on how to improve­­­ the diocese’s response to sexual abuse and promote healing.

The feedback from focus groups and surveys will be used to help inform the development of a strategic plan with specific steps for improvement in the following areas:

1. Acknowledging the trauma of sexual abuse on members of the community and ensuring the allocation of resources needed to promote healing of individuals who have been sexually abused and the faith community;
2. Responding to all allegations of sexual abuse in the church community in a timely, compassionate and fair way;
3. Ensuring the diocese has a transparent system of protocols and procedures that guarantee respect and due process for all involved;
4. Ensuring that local church leadership is held responsible and accountable for failing to protect children and other vulnerable persons;
5. Holding those who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse responsible and accountable; and
6. Preventing sexual abuse of anyone in the faith communities in the future.

A video version of this story will be featured on Saturday’s edition of “Real to Reel,” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.