Children’s Cove Urges Youth-Serving Organizations to Review Safety Protocols Following Statewide Clergy Abuse Report

Children’s Cove, the Cape & Islands Child Advocacy Center, has urged local youth-serving organizations to review and update their child safety protocols in light of a statewide report detailing institutional failures in handling clergy abuse across Massachusetts dioceses. The call for internal audits and policy improvements comes as the organization emphasizes the critical need for institutions to prioritize child protection above organizational reputation.

Youth-serving organizations bear a legal and moral responsibility to report suspected abuse immediately, cooperate with investigations, and enforce child-protection policies with consistent oversight. True accountability demands that institutions place the safety and well-being of children at the forefront, ensuring survivors receive trauma-informed care tailored to their unique needs.

Children’s Cove and its statewide partner, the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, stand in solidarity with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, their families, and affected communities. While the release of these findings offers vital validation, it also reopens deep emotional wounds. Survivors deserve compassion, autonomy, and access to support, regardless of whether they choose to share their experiences.

Thomas King, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, emphasized the importance of advancing community awareness, response, and care for children impacted by abuse. “Protecting children requires institutions to strictly enforce their protection policies and policymakers to sustain the community-based services that children and families depend on,” he said.

Stacy Gallagher, Director of Children’s Cove, affirmed the organization’s commitment to providing a compassionate, coordinated, and trauma-informed response to children affected by abuse. “We are here for every community member to ensure they are heard in a safe, supportive environment,” she said. “We also stand ready to assist any youth-serving organization seeking to review its safety protocols and embed child safety as a non-negotiable core value.”

The report underscores the necessity for organizations to systematically update and test their protection policies. When institutions fail to do so, vulnerabilities persist, and children remain at risk. Children’s Cove continues to advocate for policies that reflect the biblical call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8), ensuring that the safety and dignity of children are upheld with integrity and care.

Source: Read the original report