Transcript Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Procedures for the

Safe Sanctuaries®
Policies and Procedures for the
Prevention of Abuse
Scripture: Luke 18:15-17
People were bringing even infants to him
that he might touch them; and when the
disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them
not to do it. But Jesus called for them and
said, “Let the little children come to me,
and do not stop them; for it is to such as
these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God as a little child will never enter
it.”
As we begin to consider Safe Sanctuaries, we begin
with scripture that will guide us in our thoughts.
Luke 18:15-17 (read the scripture) gives us a basis
for our understanding that we must protect our
children. Yet, Safe Sanctuaries is more than just
protecting children, it is about protecting the
youth and the vulnerable adults as well.
History of Safe Sanctuaries®
The short answer … 1996
Since 1996 there has been a push to encourage every
church to have a Safe Sanctuaries policy and
procedure.
The United Methodist Church is the leader across all
denominations in Safe Sanctuaries. Other churches
are coming to The UMC for policies and procedures as
well as training
Why do all churches need a policy?
If every church has a policy and procedures that will
protect their children, youth, and vulnerable adults
then the church will be protected.
Each church needs to honor their children, youth, and
vulnerable adults enough to protect them.
You are protecting them from bodily harm, emotional
damage, and spiritual destruction.
Even if your Annual Conference has a policy that will over
arch and cover the local congregation, each congregation
needs to take the responsibility to have a policy and
procedure for the protection of all children, youth and
vulnerable adults. It is our Christian responsibility to
make sure we actively provide the resources and the
guidance for the protection of all in the church. Most
importantly, if we the church do not take this
responsibility then we are increasing the risk of bodily
harm, emotional damage, and especially spiritual
destruction of a child, youth, or vulnerable adults. If we
could have prevented any of this we will be held
accountable by our God.
Does abuse really happen in the church?
Yes, abuse really does happen in the church. Abuse
happens in churches of all sizes and in all areas.
We can help prevent most of the abuse that happens in
a church with a set of procedures.
We will not eliminate 100% of abuse, but by having
procedures in place within a local congregation,
predators will be deterred.
Churches who do not follow Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Procedures
are exposed to those people who wish to do hard to our children,
youth, and vulnerable adults. For our small and mid-size churches
this is important to understand. The large churches have the
resources to put into place the monitoring systems and paid staff to
protect our children, youth, and vulnerable adults. The small and
mid-size churches then are the most susceptible to predators. The
predators are looking for easy access to what they want, our children,
youth, and those vulnerable adults.
We are the church, which means we want to offer grace and peace
and acceptance to all people. It is not our nature to be suspicious of
people and to want to hold people at an arms length until we have
gotten to know them.
Even though we put policies and procedures into place to protect our
children, youth, and vulnerable adults we will not eliminate 100% of
the abuse within the church. Not putting these policies and
procedures in place allows for the risks of abuse to increase. With
policies and procedures in place within the church our children,
youth, and vulnerable adults will be more protected and predators
will seek to find other places where they have easy access to those they
wish to victimize.
Who are children, youth, and vulnerable adults?
Children are birth through about 6th grade depending
on the school system you follow
Youth are about 7th grade through 12th graders
Vulnerable adults are two groups
Those who are mentally and / or physically disabled
Those adults who volunteer under the assumption that
the church is protecting them -- all of our Sunday
School teachers and other volunteers
The UMC defines youth as those who have entered into the
Middle School through those who are self-sufficient. For
Safe Sanctuaries purposes we define youth as ending at
graduating high school or 18 years of age. If a youth is 18
but has not graduated high school they are still a youth. If
they are 18 and have graduated high school they can serve as
assistants and can have a background check run.
It is important to think of our vulnerable adults as those
with special needs and those who need for the church to
speak on their behalf. Additionally vulnerable adults are
those who volunteer. Our adult volunteers go into a
classroom assuming that we the church are protecting them.
Therefore, we must make all efforts to protect them.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policy and Procedures
At least 2 adults in classrooms who are not related
Windows in the doors of classrooms or open doors
There should be at least 2 adults in a classroom or educational environment
with children, youth, and vulnerable adults. It is best if these 2 people are not
related. If 2 people cannot be installed in this setting then there should
always be an open door and a monitor floating up and down the hallway
keeping an eye on what is happening in each classroom. The goal should
always be to have 2 non-related persons in leadership in classrooms and other
educations settings with children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
All doors to classrooms and offices and supply closets should have windows in
the doors. These windows need to be large enough to allow for full visibility
of the classroom or office or supply closet. Windows in doors allow for
accountability of all that is happening in the classroom or office. Yes, there
are times when privacy is needed, but the safety and protection of all involved
should take priority.
Children should not be left alone and equally as important, children should
not be left alone with 1 person.
No person in authority should be less than 18 years of age. There should
always be 5 years of more between the oldest child or youth and the leader or
helper. Those who desire to be assistants need to be at least 12 when working
with toddler or preschool children and 16 when working with older
elementary children.
For all activities or ministries for children there should be sign-in and sing-out
procedures. Procedures for youth to sign-in and sign-out of ministries are
recommended.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
No child left alone with just 1 adult
No authority person younger than 18 years of age
There should always be 2 adults when children, youth, and
vulnerable adults are present. Therefore, stating that no
child should be left alone with 1 adult would seem
redundant. Unfortunately, this must be stated. In addition, it
must be stated that no child, youth, or vulnerable adult
should be left alone.
This is important information and warrants repeating.
Those adults in leadership should be at least 18 years of age
and at least 5 years older than the older child or youth in
the care of the adult. Younger persons may volunteer to be
helpers or assistants, but they do not count as adults in the
adult to child ratios. In addition those who are assistants
need to be at least 5 years older than the oldest child in the
room in which they are volunteering. This means that a 12
year old may be a helper in a 5 year old classroom but is not
counted as an adult but is counted as a child helping.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
Sign in and sign out procedures for children so you know
that the right adult has the child
All children should be signed-in by a parent or guardian and
signed-out by the same or other authorized adult. Children
should not be picking children up from the nursery and the
children in a ministry program need to be matched up with the
authorized adult at sign-out. These procedures can be simple
paper sign-in and sign-out with the parent/guardian being given a
tag to return when they sign-out the child or an electronic sign-in
and sign-out process. No matter the process, it is important to
make sure that children and their parent/guardian are matched
upon sign-out.
Youth should go through a sign-in and sign-out process so there is
accountability of their presence within the ministry of the church
and acknowledgement of their participating within the ministry.
This process may seem tedious and cumbersome for youth
programs but it is important to know who are participating and
where they are in the ministry program.
Vulnerable adults within a ministry should be treated as youth
allowing for accountability of their presence within the ministry.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
6 month rule for new attenders – 6 months active
within the congregation before volunteering with
children, youth, or vulnerable adults
Checking references for both volunteers and new hire
employees
Doing a background check on those who work with
children, youth, and vulnerable adults either as a
volunteer or a hired capacity
Training in what is abuse and how to report abuse
Those who wish to serve in ministries with children, youth, and vulnerable
adults need to have been active in the congregation for at least 6 months.
Sitting on the back pew for six months is not active. They need to have been
involved in Bible Studies, worship, Sunday School, and other ministries for at
least 6 months. This does not mean they have become members, but that the
people serving with our children, youth, and vulnerable adults are known in
the congregation.
Check the references for those who wish to serve in the ministries with
children, youth, and vulnerable adults. This is for those who are paid and
those who are unpaid. Reference checks give the leadership the opportunity
to know more about those who wish to serve such as their strengths, creativity,
and the places they do not need to be serving. Beware of the questions asked.
You may not be able to ask why an employee was let go from a position, but
you can ask if the employee would leave their own children in the care of the
person.
Background checks for paid and unpaid persons are a must. There is more
about background checks in the following slides.
Volunteers and paid persons need to be trained on what abuse is, how to
identify abuse, and report abuse, especially within the church procedures.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
Adults should not be sleeping in rooms with children
when traveling – if must sleep in same room not
sharing a bed with a child or youth
2 adults in vehicle when transporting children and
youth
When youth, children, and vulnerable adults are traveling away from the church or
having lock-ins at the church, no child should be in the same bed as an adult. Even if
that adult is the parent of the child, on church trips children, youth, and vulnerable
adults should never sleep with an adults. The parent and child are participating in a
church ministry and should follow all procedures even though they are related. It is
about procedure and due diligence.
It is preferable that adults sleep in separate rooms from children, youth, and vulnerable
adults. When this is not possible or safe, there should be at least two children in the
room with the adult, never an adult alone with a child, youth, or vulnerable adult.
When transporting children, youth, or vulnerable adults for a church ministry, there
should always be 2 persons in the vehicle for two reasons. Driving is a full time job
when you are driving for a church ministry. The other person is to watch the children.
Secondly, there is a requirement that there be two adults for ministries with children,
youth, and vulnerable adults. Note that even and especially if there is only one child in
the vehicle, two adults should be present. Example, if an adult is transporting a youth
from the football game to the church for a “Fifth Quarter” without another adult, the
adult has the opportunity to abuse the child, the child has the opportunity to say the
adult abused them and there is no accountability, or the parent of the child is able to
accuse the adult of abuse and there would be no other person to discount the claim.
Understand that children, youth, and vulnerable adults have personal space and we as
adults need to respect that space. Adults should never be the initiator of a hug. If a
child or youth wants a hug and asks for one, the hug should be a side hug allow for
accountability of space and respect of the child or youth’s space. No children under age
3 should be sitting in the laps of adults riding “piggy back”, or being carried unless there
is a physical need to be carried.
Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
Understanding personal space
boundaries and not invading
the child’s or youth’s space
Personal space is important. Always ask permission to give a
child or youth or vulnerable adult a hug… we need to respect
their answer and respect their space. My example here is from
Dirty Dancing… my space, your space. Yes, I know, I am
showing my age here. But remember we all have our own space
boundaries and should respect each others boundaries.
When giving hugs, adults should give a “side hug” allowing the
child to maintain space and respecting the child.
In respecting personal boundaries and space, children should
not be sitting the laps of adults after the age of 3. Children
need to sit beside the adults. Children do not need to be
carried on the backs of adults either.
Personal space is an important aspect of Safe Sanctuaries.
Adults should always respect that space of children, youth, and
vulnerable adults.
Background Checks
Need and Necessity
Background Checks
Background checks are needed for those who are hired
to work with children, youth, or vulnerable adults. If
these persons will be transporting children, they need a
Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) as well.
Background checks are needed for adults volunteering
with children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
Background checks are needed for all persons who
serve in ministry with children, youth, and vulnerable
adults. This includes all volunteers and paid staff.
Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) checks are needed
for those who will be transporting children, youth, and
vulnerable adults.
Background checks include but are not limited to
criminal record checks, sexual predatory list checks,
social security number check, address history check,
and employment history check. If a MVR is done it
will extend the background check to include checking
for vehicle registration and history check picking up on
all tickets registered to the person.
Background Checks
Background checks allow us to
know who is working with our
children, youth, and vulnerable
adults.
Background checks also deter
predators.
Background checks do not deter 100% of the predators but
will deter the majority. The term here is due diligence.
When we do due diligence then we are making all efforts
to protect those we need to protect. Those who wish to do
harm and abuse to our children, youth, and vulnerable
adults want to have immediate access to their prey with no
limitations. If churches require that those who serve with
children, youth, and vulnerable adults to have participated
in the church ministries for at least 6 months and to have a
clear background check then the majority of the predators
will move on to other locations. It is my prayer that the
next location will have a Safe Sanctuaries policy and
procedure and will continue to deter them from their
actions.
Background Checks
Background checks are technically good for 5 years. We
recommend that background checks be redone at least
every 2 years or when a physical move of address
happens.
Affidavits of Background Check can be used from
other places that hold your background check if they
are done every 2 years and are up-to-date.
The courts are saying in the midst of lawsuits that 5 years is too long
between background checks due to the mobile nature of our society.
Therefore it is recommended that background checks be run at least
every 2 years if not every year. Each time a background check is run, a
new authorization for background should be completed. This allows
for confession by the person whose background or MVR is being
checked.
For churches who do background checks on a regular basis on those
who serve with children, youth, and vulnerable adults, if there are
those few volunteers who occasionally volunteer while not being
active in the congregation it is imperative that a background check be
done on them annually. This is due to a lack of relationship with the
person. An example would be a grandchild of one of the church
matriarchs coming into the congregation every summer to volunteer
for Vacation Bible School.
Affidavits are useful tools for background checks if the place of
business does background checks as regularly as the church requires.
Note that there are businesses and organizations who do an initial
background check upon hire but do not do another one unless they
feel there is an issue with the employee.
Background Checks
We recommend
United Methodist Insurance http://bit.ly/PH7SzF
When Safe Sanctuaries was first introduced to our
churches, fingerprint background checks were
recommended. At this time, in order to run a fingerprint
background check there is a 6 or 8 month lag time between
submitting the fingerprints and getting a report.
Therefore, the appropriate trend at this time is to do a
social security number check through an organization or
company that maintains a database. Such organizations
and companies charge the church according to the
background check run and the type of check. The United
Methodist Insurance company resources Trak-1 for
background checks. Trak-1 has a strong relationship with
UM Insurance and strives to make sure their databases are
kept up-to-date and to work with local churches to make
sure the background checks are accurate and affordable.
Protecting
Children and Youth
Protecting Children and Youth
What happens if you do not have a policy and
procedure and an incident happens?
Without a policy and procedure, if there is an incident,
you are liable. A church that has even an accusation
can find itself in spiritual ruin, emotional ruin, and
financial ruin. If you do not have a policy and you are
sued you will find that there is not much leg to stand
on. If you have a policy and have not followed your
procedures you are in as bad a place.
For many of our congregations, they understand that they
must protect our children, youth, and vulnerable adults, but
they do not believe they need to have a policy and procedure
in place because it won’t happen in their church. Churches
who choose not to implement a policy and procedure are
putting their children, youth, and vulnerable adults at risk.
In today’s time, our churches have to make all efforts to
protect the children, youth, and vulnerable adults. It is our
responsibility and our spiritual imperative. If there is an
incident in the church, the victim and their family are
physically harmed, emotionally hurt, and can and most
likely will be spiritually devastated. No we cannot prevent
100% but if we as the church do not make any effort to
prevent abuse then we are breaking our covenant with each
other in the sight of God.
Equally, if you have a policy and procedure in place and
choose not to follow it, you are putting all the children,
youth, and vulnerable adults at risk.
Protecting Children and Youth
If you have a policy and procedure and you have been
following it and there is an incident
One - You know what to do
Two - You have done due diligence to protect the children,
youth, and vulnerable adults
Three - You have a higher chance of not being found at fault
in a law suit
Following your policy and procedure will enable you to
know what to do at any time. When a church practices their
policies and procedures then they are doing due diligence
and any court will see that as a positive.
Adopting Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
Several options are available to local congregations for
adopting policies and procedures
Adopt the Annual Conference policies and procedures
and begin to follow them
Adjust the policies and procedures from other churches
or annual conferences adding to make the policies work
for your congregation and begin to follow them
check for already approved policies is the conference
website and the General Board of Discipleship [GBOD]
website
Talk with other churches in your area about their
policies
Adopting Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
Prepare the policies as a subcommittee of the Trustees
Trustees must approve of the policies and procedures
Trustees take policies to Administrative Council or
Administrative Board depending on organizational model
your church uses
Administrative Council adopts
Trustees are the administrators of the policies and
procedures
They can then establish a subcommittee to oversee the
policies and procedures and to update regularly and begin
the process over
Updating Safe Sanctuaries® Policies and Procedures
At least every 2 years
The Safe Sanctuaries Policies and Procedures need to
be read through carefully at least every 2 years to make
sure they meet the ministries of the church and that
the laws have not changed.
These policies do not need to gather DUST.
Safe Sanctuaries policies and procedures are not a one time
done and never look at again policy and procedures.
These policies and procedures must be used daily within
the life of the congregation. Additionally, these policies
and procedures need to be examined for updates at least
every 2 years. Laws change, predators change, and
ministries change. All of that has to be taken into account
as policies and procedures are examined. Remember that
when changes are made, if the group examining the
policies and procedures are not the trustees, then changes
must be taken to the trustees for approval and then on to
the Administrative Council for approval.
Closing Thoughts
Safe Sanctuaries policies and procedures are necessary within the church to
protect our children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Safe Sanctuaries may be a
policy and procedure that is difficult at first, as you live into it the processes
become more natural. There are also people available to assist in the process
of developing, approving, and implementing policies and procedures.
Gracious God, we ask your blessings on our churches who seek to protect our children,
youth, and vulnerable adults. May they have your guidance through the process.
In the name of Christ. AMEN.
Resources
For additional information and resources on
Safe Sanctuaries®, go to:
http://bit.ly/T540Ja
Contact Information
Toll Free Number: 1-877-899-2780
Melanie C. Gordon
Ministry with Children,
GBOD Telephone: 615-340-1762 E-mail: [email protected]
Chris Wilterdink
Young People's Ministry, GBOD
Telephone: 303-260-8221 E-mail: [email protected]
Out thanks to Reverend Leigh Meekins for compiling the
content of this PowerPoint.
For Webinars on Safe Sanctuaries®, go to:
http://bit.ly/SOk4Pq