Beyond the Screen: Understanding Digital Risk, Grooming and Safeguarding in Faith Communities - Session 4

NATIONAL BOARD ONLINE TRAINING SERIES

A four‑part online training series designed to equip Church personnel with the skills, confidence, and clarity needed to safeguard well in today’s digital world. Each session can be attended as a standalone or as a series of 4 interconnected sessions. 

Beyond the Screens is a 4 part program delivered by Eileen Finnegan of F.S.P.S. (Finnegan Specialist Psychotherapy Service). FPS is a specialist therapeutic and forensic intervention service founded by Eileen Finnegan, an extensively trained and highly accredited psychotherapist and supervisor (MIACP, MIAHIP, MEAP, ICP, FTAI). With over thirty years of study and practice, Eileen holds advanced qualifications across systemic/family therapy, humanistic and integrative psychotherapy, gestalt, child and adolescent psychotherapy, sensory‑motor trauma therapy, attachment, and forensic assessment, including a Postgraduate Certificate in A.T.S.O. She is licensed in a wide range of specialist risk‑assessment tools, is a former chair of NOTA Ireland, sits on national boards, and lectures at IICP College and UCD.

The sessions are delivered via Zoom

• On the 4^th of November 2026, 3pm to 4pm - SESSION 1
• On the 9^th of November 2026, 3pm to 4pm - SESSION 2
• On the 18^th of November 2026, 3pm to 4pm - SESSION 3
• On the 9^th of December 2026, 3pm to 4pm - SESSION 4

Each of the above sessions costs €20.

The Zoom link will be forwarded in the days before the session.

The training aims to support clergy, religious, safeguarding personnel, youth workers, volunteers and others working within faith and community settings.

Session 4: 9^th of December: Building a Safe Digital Culture Across Our Church

The final session moves from compliance to culture. Participants explore how parishes, religious communities, and ministries can model safe digital engagement — from communication guidelines to online meeting etiquette, digital record‑keeping, and values‑based leadership. The session supports teams to embed safeguarding into everyday digital practice.

Content

Participants will consider:

• Private messaging.
• Personal social media.
• Personal devices.
• One-to-one digital relationships.
• Secrecy.
• Exclusivity.
• Emotional dependency.
• Blurring of pastoral, personal and professional relationships.
• Repeated exceptions to expected practice.

The cost for this training is 20 euro per person.