In recent months, the JECSE network has been actively engaged in piloting the course ‘Safeguarding from an Ignatian Perspective: Theology Meets the Science of Abuse Prevention to Protect All”, an online training programme developed as part of the Society of Jesus’ Promoting a Consistent Culture of Protection (PCCP) initiative. The initiative aims to help Jesuit institutions foster a proactive, values-based culture of safeguarding and child protection.
The course forms part of a broader safeguarding training strategy designed to create a positive social impact, which was launched by Fr General Arturo Sosa in December 2023. Additional courses in this series are planned for the future, contributing to a more comprehensive training pathway.
Hosted on the Educate Magis platform, the course combines self-paced online learning with pedagogical conversations, ideally held within school communities but, in our case, delivered online. Developed by PCCP Coordinators Fr. John Guiney SJ and Dr. Sandra Racionero-Plaza, it brings together scientific research on abuse prevention with insights from Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy.
A total of 46 educators from across Europe participated in the pilot phase, including Education and Safeguarding Delegates, school leaders, safeguarding coordinators and teachers. The course offered participants a deep and reflective exploration of safeguarding principles framed within the Ignatian tradition and tailored to the educational context of Jesuit schools.
We are sincerely grateful to all who joined this important endeavour, and for their generous and constructive feedback. Based on the pilot experience, we believe it has strong potential to become a valuable complementary resource in our schools, strengthening our shared culture of care, awareness, and responsibility. We look forward to the next step.