Faith, Leadership, and Safeguarding. Claire Pirola – new Safeguarding role for De La Salle

Claire Pirola has been appointed as the new Safeguarding Officer for the De La Salle Brothers, having taken up the position on 17 March 2025.

Claire has extensive experience in developing, implementing, and overseeing safeguarding frameworks having worked with government, in private practice and with state and national not-for-profit organisations, including Catholic religious congregations, with a focus on safeguarding within workplaces and communities to build cultures of safety. She demonstrates a unique blend of hands-on expertise, social welfare insight, legal knowledge, and a firm commitment to faith-based values. She has contributed to various government and Church safeguarding initiatives including the New South Wales Children’s Guardian’s development of resources for faith-based organisations on interacting sensitively with survivors of abuse

In these early days, Claire is being introduced to the Lasaliian Family across the ANZPPNG District and working closely with Br Ambrose Payne in his Professional Standards work for De La Salle.

The primary focus of the new role is to enhance a sustainable and vigilant safeguarding culture across all De La Salle ministries and services that complies with the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards and relevant civil laws. Claire’s initial priorities will focus on providing safeguarding advice, policy review and implementation, training for adults across diverse cultures and management of audit outcomes to embed a practice of risk assessment and continuous improvement to mitigate safeguarding risks into the future. She currently reports to the Brother Visitor and a member of the District Safeguarding Committee.

Central to Claire’s philosophy is the belief that safeguarding is both a moral and legal imperative, woven into the mission of the Church, and in this regard, it must be informed by the voice of children and those of lived experience. She speaks of safeguarding as an area that continues to evolve, the importance of listening and questioning to remain vigilant, an accountability that is action driven, and the necessity of a culture that enables continuous learning and improvements.

Claire looks forward to working with the many members of the Lasallian Family in the District to support them in their commitment to deepen the protective practices that are already part of their identity, ensuring the most vulnerable are protected, respected, and enabled to flourish in every corner of the District.