SAFE SANCTUARIES
Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church
JOURNEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH POLICY
FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND VULNERABLE ADULTS As a Christian community of faith and a United Methodist congregation be it known that we will not tolerate violence (physical, emotional, or verbal) in any form within our church. This includes the use of any corporal punishment by volunteers as a form of discipline. · We pledge to conduct the ministry of the gospel in ways that assure the safety and spiritual growth of all of our children and youth as well as all of the workers with children and youth. · We will follow reasonable safety measures in the selection and recruitment of volunteers and employees. Any materials gathered during the selection process and screening will be confidential and only selected persons of a set number will have access to this information for the sole use of safeguarding our church and congregation. · We will not permit any adult who has been convicted of child abuse (as far as we have knowledge thereof) to work with children or youth in any church-sponsored activity. · We will provide adult survivors of child abuse the love and support of our congregation. · We will implement prudent operational procedures in all programs and events. · We will educate all of our volunteers and employees with children and youth regarding the use of appropriate policies and procedures. · We will have a clearly defined procedure for reporting a suspected incident of abuse that conforms to the requirements of state law. · We will be prepared to respond to media inquiries if an incident occurs. · We commit ourselves to education, to ongoing assessment of church ministry environment and continuous evaluation of policy and procedures. Preamble: When the disciples tried to keep the children away from Jesus, he was quick to respond, “Let the children come to me.” Jesus taught that children were to be included and provided for within the community of faith. Today, the church may be the only place where some children find the unconditional love and care they so desperately need to grow and thrive. As Christians, we must take our responsibilities to our children very seriously. We fail in our responsibilities if we neglect to take adequate precautions against abuse in our churches. It is unlikely that we can completely prevent child abuse in every situation, but it is possible for us to greatly reduce the risk by following a thorough practical policy of prevention. This policy attempts to do just that for local church. It is based on our understanding of the widespread problem of abuse throughout our country. Every 15 seconds a child is abused or neglected. Often abuse occurs in settings where children, youth or vulnerable adults should have been able to feel safe -- homes, schools, camps, and most sadly the church. In more than three quarters of the reported incidents of child abuse, the victim was related to or acquainted with the abuser. The purpose of this policy is to protect all the children that come to us, to protect both our paid and volunteer staff from potential false allegations of abuse and to limit the extent of legal liability of local church. Presented herein is a comprehensive plan that will include all the areas of the issue: Screening, Supervision, Reporting Procedures and a Response Plan. . These delineated policies are the MINIMUM necessary precautions for protecting children. Journey Church will endeavor to monitor updates and recommendations by The United Methodist Church and may modify these procedures. Definitions: “Adult” means a person over 18 years of age or older. “Child” means any person under the age of 18. “Child abuse” as defined as any of the following: (i) Any recent act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes non- accidental serious physical injury to a child under 18 years of age. (ii) An act or failure to act by a perpetrator, which causes non- accidental serious mental injury to or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation (iii) Any recent act, failure to act or series of acts or failures to act by a (iv) Serious physical neglect by a perpetrator constituting prolonged or · No child shall be deemed to be physically or mentally abused based on injuries that result solely from environmental factors that are beyond the control of the parent or person responsible for the child’s welfare, such as inadequate housing, furnishings, income, clothing and medical care. “Children’s activities” means any activity or program in which children are under supervision of staff persons or volunteers. “Helper” means anyone who aids in ministry and is not counted in the 2-adult rule including a youth ages 14 - 18. “ Ministry Team Leader” means any person who supervises a children’s activity. This person has regular and direct contact with children, must be 21 years or older and is counted in the 2-adult rule. “Persons required to report child abuse” means persons, who, in the course of their employment, occupation, or practice of their profession, come into contact with children. Such persons include, but are not limited to, medical professionals, school administrators, teachers and nurses, social services workers, day-care center workers, mental health professionals, peace and law enforcement officers. “Staff person” means any person employed by Local church or programs using its facilities who is responsible for children’s activities. This person has regular and direct contact with children, must be 21 years or older and is counted in the 2-adult rule. “Staff person in charge of a children’s activity” means the church employee responsible for the conduct of this activity. In the case of non-local church programs operating on church property, the duties of the “staff person in charge of the children’s activity” shall be carried out by the non-local church lead staff or volunteer. “Volunteer” means any adult, who assists in conducting children’s activities under the supervision of a staff person and/or Ministry Team Leader, has regular and direct contact with children and is counted in the 2-adult rule. “Vulnerable adults” for the purposes of this policy will be adults whose mental or physical condition makes them susceptible to abuse. “We” means local church. Definitions of Abuse: Clergy/Ministerial Misconduct is a betrayal of sacred trust by an ordained minister, local pastor, or lay minister. When this violation involves sexual contact or “sexualized behavior”, it may be called clergy sexual misconduct. Clergy sexual misconduct or sexual abuse within the ministerial relationship occurs, when a person in a ministerial role of leadership (pastor, educator, counselor, youth leader or other position of leadership) engages in sexual contact or sexualized behavior with a congregant, client, employee, student, staff member, co-worker, or volunteer. Some relationships between so-called “consenting adults” within the context of the Church may be clergy/ministerial misconduct. Emotional Abuse is abuse by an individual exposing another person to spoken or unspoken violence or emotional cruelty. Neglect is abuse by an individual endangering a person’s health, safety, or welfare through negligence. Ritual Abuse is abuse in which an individual responsible for the welfare of another person inflicts physical, sexual, or psychological violations regularly, intentionally, and in a stylized way. The abuser may appeal to a higher authority to justify the abuse. Physical Abuse is abuse by an individual deliberately and intentionally causing bodily harm. Sexual Abuse is a sexual invasion of the body by lack of consent. Sexual abuse may be: rape, sexual assault, incest, indecent exposure, statutory rape, involuntary or voluntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, promotion of prostitution, pornography with children, indecent assault, and aggravated indecent assault. Sexual abuse is also an internal assault, a deliberate violation of emotional integrity; a hostile, degrading act of violence. Sexual Assault is a sexual act against one’s will. Sexual Exploitation refers to unethical behavior by clergy, staff, or volunteers in a leadership role through sexual contact with another person. Any sexual contact made by clergy, staff or volunteers is considered an exploitation of their role and responsibility to others attending the church and church activities. Consent by the person/s involved is not a legal defense for sexual exploitation. Sexual Misconduct is sexual behavior, which includes sexual exploitation, clergy/ministerial sexual misconduct, any form of criminal sexual conduct and sexual harassment. Screening Procedures: Careful screening is one way to prevent the abuse of children and vulnerable adults. It can be time consuming and expensive, but well worth the effort in peace of mind that the most reliable, committed and experienced staff and volunteers are in place for every program that involves children. 1. All Staff, Ministry Team Leaders and volunteers who have regular and a. Standard contact information. b. Experience and qualifications for the position. c. Voluntary disclosure of past criminal history and allegations of d. Waiver of confidentiality allowing the church or non-church e. Listing of 3 non-related references. This list shall have complete f. All Ministry Team Leaders and Volunteers serving in children’s 2. Persons who have a break in service of one or more years shall submit to 3. All forms and reference reports shall be kept as a part of an applicant’s 4. Non-local church programs shall maintain their own personnel files. The l record-keeping process and, upon written request of the Lead Pastor, to be 5. The staff person in charge of the children’s activity(ies) is responsible for Supervision: Supervision procedures are designed to reduce the possibility of abuse to the children or vulnerable adults and to protect staff persons and volunteers from unwarranted accusations. Again, these are MINIMUM standards and each children and youth activity may adopt more stringent requirements as necessary 3. No child will be left unsupervised while attending a local church children’s activity. 4. Each room or space where children are being cared for shall have a window in the door or the door shall be left open such as a restroom. All activities should occur in open view. 5. Should the children’s activity be an outdoor program or occur in a setting which makes it difficult to comply with this Policy, the staff person in charge of the activity shall take appropriate measures to make sure that the setting suits the activity, and the children are properly supervised. 6. Registration materials for activities in which children are outside of the direct supervision of their parents/guardians shall require signed written permission forms. 7. All participants who can understand a covenant shall sign a participation covenant. This covenant can be in the form of clear, posted or printed rules that are explained to the participants at the outset of the program. 8. No person shall supervise an age group unless he/she is AT LEAST 18 years of age or older and is 5 years older than the children being supervised. 9. Accurate participation records shall be maintained for all children’s activities. At a minimum, these records should list the date and hours of the activity, its location, the names of the children participating (including whether any were dismissed early and the times of such dismissals), and the names of the adults involved directly in the activity and other supervisors on site that day. Reporting: Once an incident of child abuse occurs or allegation of an incident is made, it is crucial that it be dealt with speedily and in a clearly outlined manner. 2. The staff person in charge of the children’s activity in which the alleged abuse was observed or disclosed shall immediately attempt to obtain necessary information such as: · Name, age and sex of child; · Name of alleged perpetrator if known by the child; · Relationship of the alleged perpetrator to the child; · Summary of the allegations made by the child; · Approximate date and location of the incidents if known; and, · Date the incident was shared with you. 3. Upon receiving such information, the staff person in charge of the children’s activity will call Child Protection Services. If a child’s immediate safety is a concern, the staff person will contact law enforcement. This line of reporting shall be followed in all such incidents. 4. The Lead Pastor is to be informed immediately before or subsequent to the making of a report. 5. Any person who is the object of the report will be required to refrain from all children’s activities until the incident report is resolved. 6. In any removal of a person from any children’s activities, care should be taken to handle this in a discreet manner, recognizing that an investigation is still being conducted. 7. If the Lead Pastor is the alleged perpetrator than the Staff Person in Charge, Ministry Team Leader, Volunteer or Helper will immediately contact the District Superintendent or Bishop. The Bishop or District Superintendent will then take appropriate actions according to Conference Policy. Response Plan: A quick, compassionate and unified response to an alleged incident of child abuse is expected. All allegations will be taken seriously. In all cases of reported or observed abuse in a children’s activity, the entire staff of that activity shall be at the service of all official investigating agencies. 2. Training in how to handle media requests should be a regular part of staff training. A spirit of cooperation in helping the media find the “official spokesperson” is often helpful. 3. In response to all allegations of child abuse, the staff person in charge of the children’s activity shall make the initial contact with the Child Protection Services. 4. If the allegation is against a Journey Church staff person, Ministry Team Leader, Volunteer or Helper or if it occurred in the course of a children’s activity, the staff person in charge of the children’s activity and the Lead Pastor shall be contacted immediately. 5. If the allegation is against a staff person, Ministry Team Leader, Volunteer or Helper, the custodial parent will be notified immediately and a face-to-face meeting with the parent will be scheduled by the Lead Pastor. 6. In either case, pastoral support will be available to all persons involved with the incident as indicated. Transportation Safety Procedures: Journey UMC is committed to providing safe programs for all people who participate in our ministries. The following procedures must be followed when transportation is involved in any church sponsored activity. Drivers are expected to know and abide by the official rules of the road. 1. Drivers are expected to refrain from transporting any passenger on church sponsored activities if drivers have any medical or physical condition which may hinder their ability to provide safe passages for their passengers. Any driver who has been convicted of DUI within the last five years or has multiple speeding tickets/accidents may not drive our youth or children. 2. Drivers must submit a copy of their driver’s license to the church office prior to transporting passengers in any church owned vehicle. 3. A report of driving records may be requested from the State Department of Transportation by our insurance carrier. 4. Drivers who will be using a personally owned vehicle to transport Passengers on any church sponsored activity must present a copy of their driver’s license and proof of insurance on the vehicle which they will be driving. These forms will be photo copied by the person in charge of the event before the transporting of passengers occurs. When driving a personally owned vehicle, the liability insurance on that vehicle will be the primary insurance in case of an accident. 5. Medical and parental consent forms for every child being transported must be in the possession of the driver. 6. Drivers are responsible for any traffic tickets issued to them while they are driving a church owned vehicle or a personally owned vehicle during a church sponsored event. 7. All drivers of church owned vehicles must be 25 years of age. 8. Transportation of passengers leaving from and/or returning to the church on a church sponsored activity will be provided by an approved adult (21 years of age or older) driver. 9. 2 adults must be present in a vehicle when transporting children/youth when leaving from and/or returning to the church on a church sponsored activity. Conclusion: We believe that children are God’s gift and we are to be stewards of this gift through responsible action. This plan that we have outlined is our effort to be stewards of the vulnerable children, youth and adults in our faith community who place their trust in us to keep them safe.
Statement of Covenant
of a child under 18 years of age.
perpetrator, which creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to
or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age.
repeated lack of supervision or the failure to provide essentials of life, including
adequate medical care, which endangers a child’s life or development
or impairs the child’s functioning.
direct contact with children shall be required to fill out a Volunteer Screening
Form that shall include but is not limited to:
criminal history.
organization to secure the background checks necessary for the position
being applied for.
contact information for all references. This portion of the application
process is considered incomplete if full contact information for the
references is not provided.
ministries shall demonstrate an active relationship with Journey church
for at least six months before being allowed to be in a supervisory role in
children’s activities.
screening procedures. The local church reserves the option to repeat
background checks of persons who have had 5 or more years of service.
confidential personnel file. All forms shall be kept in a locked file on church
premise. Detailed notes on a designated form shall be for all reference checks,
which shall also be included in the personnel file. All applications and
related forms must be completed.
Local church reserves the right to obtain an explanation of the non-local church’s
given copies of documents applicable to programs conducted at the
local church.
reviewing this policy with each applicant during an interview prior to service.
1. Training is a requirement for all Staff persons, Ministry Team Leader and Volunteers working with children in church children’s activities. An educational component of the Safe Sanctuaries Program will be part of the Application Packet and Interview. Thereafter, the minimum training would be an annual orientation that includes information regarding this Policy, procedures for supervision, as well as information on how to identify and report child abuse.
2. Minimum supervisory standards will include the “two-adult rule”. The two- adult rule requires that no matter the size of the group, there will always be two unrelated adults present. This may include the presence of an adult “roamer” who moves in and out of rooms.
1. The Staff person, Ministry Team Leader, Volunteer or Helper who observes alleged abuse or to whom such alleged abuse is reported is required to report the incident immediately to the staff person in charge of the children’s activity.
1. The Lead Pastor or District Superintendent or his/her designee, is the only person/s authorized to make statements to representatives of the media. All requests for statements should be directed to the Lead Pastor.
