In 2000 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor invited Lord Nolan to set a framework for the Catholic Church in Britain for best practice in the prevention of abuse and in responding to it. Lord Nolan's final recommendation was that his report, A Programme for Action, published in 2001, should be reviewed in five years' time.
The task of the Cumberlege Commission has been to carry out this review, and Safeguarding with Confidence is the report that results from it. The Commission believes that much progress has been made since Lord Nolan reported, and that the Church is now a safer place; however, it states that there remains room for improvement, and this report makes a number of recommendations in this regard. This is especially important in parishes, for it is here where children, young people and vulnerable adults live.