I bet not.
But no matter how time consuming they are and no matter how nit-picking they may seem, audits are a standard part of how we operate in every important endeavor in our society.
In the Diocese of Tucson, audits are a regular part of how we operate in the Safe Environment Program.
In fact, we have just finished another on-site audit of the Safe Environment Program conducted by the Gavin Group.
This independent firm does the audits of dioceses nationwide that are required by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Review Board that collaborates with the Conference to prevent the sexual abuse of minors by persons who serve the Church.
Exactly what does our audit involve?
Before all else, the audit requires preparation. Preparing for an audit is hard work, but it provides the framework for a thoughtful review of what has been done.
This preparation goes on in each parish and school of the Diocese. It is not a job that is taken lightly.
The review of what has been done leads inevitably to what might have been done better. This is the real fruit of an audit.
An operation as complex as that of a parish, school or a diocese has so many moving parts, it is unreasonable to believe that they will all be working well at any given time.
From that perspective, audits are simply an opportunity to discover those areas that need more attention so that a timely correction can be applied.
So, as much as we might wish that we could do away with the stress of audits, dispassionate consideration suggests that timely “maintenance” of the Safe Environment Program would suffer if we did.
In the Diocese of Tucson, we put such store in audits that we not only commit to the annual audit through the Bishops’ Conference, we also have the professional services of our own internal auditor, Katherine Preble.
Katherine visits each of our parishes and schools on a two-year cycle to examine financial records, human resources practices and, importantly, Safe Environment Program implementation.
Many people have commented to me about the positive impact Katherine has made through her visits.
In addition to these more traditional types of audits, the Safe Environment Program also includes another type of audit process: the review of the Compliance Plan.
A compliance plan is a policy statement of the parish or school that outlines the way in which the Safe Environment Program will be implemented in that particular place, so an audit of the compliance plan is central to the planning process of each parish and school.
Each year, when the leadership of the parish or school reviews the plan, they consider whether the plan still fits the local circumstances and whether is actually being carried out.
These three audit processes – annual collection of data, internal auditor visits and annual review of the compliance plan – are just the formal ways in which the audit component of our complex Safe Environment Program is carried out.
Also, in the course of each year, there are many other specific checks that are done as issues arise, augmenting our common commitment to try to do the right thing and to keep on doing it.
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