Responsible Ministry Screening in Faith Welcome you and thank you for coming to our workshops—Responsible Ministry: Screening in Faith. Our purpose tonight is to present to you both this Diocesan Policy and to help you plan for its implementation. I believe you are engaged in very important work. Work that God calls us to do. The Diocese recognizes that this initiative requires commitment from individuals and parishes to ensure the safety of all vulnerable people but much preliminary work has been done to assist you. Find a friendly face of someone you haven’t met before. I will ask you to introduce yourself to them, to explain why you’ve come tonight and what your experience is working with vulnerable people in your parish. We’ll have about 5 minutes.

Responsible Ministry Key Principles Ministry is a privilege not a right Children and vulnerable adults must be protected from harm People who offer themselves for ministry must be prepared to be screened, trained and mentored Privacy of individuals is to be respected and confidentiality is maintained When in doubt, err on the side of safety The overarching principles of this policy are worth noting. Perhaps in the past, we were just so glad that someone ( anyone) offered to help with Ministry– that we welcomed them- no questions asked. Today we recognize that although everyone has unique gifts to share in some aspect of ministry, not everyone is suited to working with the most vulnerable of parishioners. This Responsible Ministry: Screening in Faith- calls us discern gifts and to determine a person’s suitability to a ministry position. The Diocese states that our church is a holy place and that we have a holy obligation to look after the welfare of all members of our community but especially those who are vulnerable through age, infirmity or particular circumstances of dependency. People come to us looking for “sanctuary”- an island of safety in a turbulent, and sometimes frightening world. We must be assured that safety- dignity, freedom, respect and independence is what they find. When we appoint people to positions of trust and authority within the church, we need to be confident that these people will act in way that is supportive and affirming. This is our “duty of care”– a legal term referring to a general obligation of everyone not to cause damage to individuals or property. I can feel your cries of concern already– we had trouble getting people before and now you’re going to make it tougher! The Diocese of Toronto is blessed with gifted and committed clergy, employees and volunteers who offer their talents to the church. My parish couldn’t exist without their work. The good news is that today volunteers are drawn to ministry that uses their skills appropriately, that prepares them to work in their chosen assignment, that gives them feedback about how they are doing, that helps them be successful. The policy outlines just how we can do that. We recognize that screening and interviewing may give us access to very private and personal information that the applicant does not want widely shared in the parish. It is our obligation to act in a confidential manner- to treat all information written and verbally shared as confidential. All records are to be kept in a locked file and you will need to be circumspect about what information you share with others.

Understanding the Context Prior to 1980: child abuse rarely acknowledged, poorly understood Late 1980’s: Mount Cashel 1991: Diocese of Toronto Sexual Misconduct Policy (revised 2001) June 2000- principle of vicarious liability- the employer is held responsible for the acts of his employees Insurance difficult to obtain 1991- The Diocese was in the vanguard, developing a policy that was used by many denominations as a template for action. It was a step by step process for dealing with complaints. Prior to this, we weren’t able to respond to situation. The topic was horrendous, unfathomable. We just couldn’t accept that trusted clergy, respected staff and youth leaders would so violate children under their care, from their positions of power and authority.

The Scope of the Problem In the past 10 years in the Diocese of Toronto: 60 reported cases of sexual misconduct sexual harassment sexual abuse of children exploitation 50% involve laity with access to children The concern is real, is among us and must be acknowledged. Sexual Misconduct Policy deals with situations when an offense has been committed Responsible Ministry: Screening in Faith sets out to PREVENT harm from happening in the first place While insurance concerns and legal advice have lobbied hard for preventive action by our Church, we as caring and committed Christians knew that the protection of the vulnerable- and very especially children was the right thing to do. We were influenced by community standards too– organizations that work with children and the frail elderly were instituting tougher policies that sought to screen out child abusers and to reduce the opportunities for abuse to occur.

Highlights of the Policy 1.1 Theological Foundation 1.2 Rationale 1.3 Application 1.4 Responsibilities (organizational leadership) 1.1 What our teachings tell us about protection of the vulnerable. About our church’s concern for the welfare of all. 1.2 The belief that the recipient of ministry, the individual called to ministry and the church must be protected from harm. The policy applies to everyone- clergy, church wardens, Bishops, Directors, paid and volunteer staff. It applies to those just starting out and those who have been in their positions for a long time. The policy sets out a minimum standard which must be followed. Each parish can choose to screen at a higher level if it wishes. It is the responsibility of the organizational leadership (bishop, churchwardens, director, incumbent) to ensure that the policy is followed. Failure to implement the policy may result in loss of insurance coverage and possible disciplinary proceedings. 1.5 Vulnerable persons is a wide definition- not just children, youth, frail elderly, hospital patients or mentally ill but includes those undergoing a wide range of life experiences- death of a spouse, divorce, job loss, other uncertainties that make them vulnerable.

The Screening Steps Where the Rubber Hits the Road! 1. List all ministry activities and positions 2. List all duties and responsibilities for each ministry activity or position 3. Assess the risk for harm 4. Reduce risk 5. Assign appropriate screening standards for each ministry Step by step approach. How many already have a list? Help is at hand. Look with me at Appendix A as a sample list. You will probably need to add others that are particular to your church. If you download from the Website you can add your own letterhead, parish name and address. 2. List all duties etc.– Some great work is already done here in Appendix C.- Again you need to read the description carefully and modify to reflect your parishes particular expectations. Let’s look together at: Parish Visitor- how it is designed- special emphasis on who is the supervisor, the purpose of the position, a clear description of duties and responsibilities, skills, qualifications and limits of the position. If you have a position that is not described in Appendix c, use template provided in B. I find it helpful to be in touch with people already doing the job to confirm that I really know what is involved– for example, bring a group of SS Teachers together to help you write this ministry description or to revise it. Assess the risk- see next slides. Reduce the risk– you may be able to change the environment. For example, keep doors open during one-to-one discussions, meet always in a public place, implement team teaching, involve teaching assistants. You’ll want to ensure that you have adequate adult support for camping ,and outings to reduce the risks of abuse. There may be some practices that you will need to eliminate– I know I often used to give children in my SS class a ride home if parents didn’t arrive. I’d be very reluctant to do that now, unless there were two adults. I wouldn’t invite a child to come to my home alone to work on a project but would do it at the church with a group. 5. Assign appropriate screening– there are guidelines for appropriate screening of low and medium risk ministries. At this time, we want you to focus on implementing all the elements of a high risk ministry. We know this will involve time, effort and organization to make this happen- it is a significant commitment.

Screening Steps cont’d. 6. Finalize ministry descriptions. 7. Establish training and supervision appropriate for each position. 8. Apply screening standards with individual applicants. (High risk ministries) 9. Make a selection decision based on the screening information. 10. Evaluate and enforce the screening standards. Apply standards fairly and equitably across all those applying for ministry. Don’t lower or skip steps. When in doubt, err on the side of safety. Nature of the position determines the standard not the person holding it.

Policy- Section 3 3.1 Police Records Checks Process for High Risk Positions 3.2 Record Keeping 3.4 Elections 3.7 Compliance For high risk. Includes all employees, clergy, churchwardens, and the organist. The police records check is required at the beginning of ministry and every 3 years thereafter through the Diocesan approved process. The decision about how these costs are to be covered is left up to the Parish. Let’s review this brochure Understanding Police Records Checks together. Now let’s look at the Police Records Check Process. The process includes: individual fills out an application form, includes a photocopy of identification, has it signed by the clergy or churchwardens, sends the completed forms to TSM with payment. TSM then sends an email to the Diocesan Centre, Human Resources verifying that the police record check is clear or not. Diocese will send a letter of confirmation of their suitability for ministry or a rejection and informs the Parish of the result. Parishes will not be informed of the actual content, or detailed information in the Police Records Check. Certain convictions will eliminate a person from filling a ministry that involves work with children or vulnerable adults. People with criminal records may be involved in Ministry that is not related to their offense. Record Keeping: Locked filing cabinet with limited access. There is an obligation to maintain confidentiality. Files should not be left in the open, or in a readily accessible location for those not permitted to access them.

Screening Compliance Indicators List and Assess all positions Sexual Misconduct Policy training (medium and high risk positions) Police Records Checks (high risk positions) These 3 indicators are simply that. Screening involves more than these items, but they provide the Diocesan Centre with an indication of your parish’s screening compliance level. Use appendices A and D to assist with this. In most parishes this will take very little time to do. It is an important step, because you need to know which positions are medium and high risk before you can verify that the next two steps are complete. Must be completed at the beginning of the ministry (within 6 months) and every 3 years thereafter for all individuals serving in medium and high risk positions. There are training resources on the Diocesan website: www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-administration/sexual-misconduct-policy Must be completed at the beginning of the ministry (ideally before the person starts) and every 3 years thereafter for all individuals serving in high risk positions. Must use the Diocesan approved process.

Next Steps Read policy and appendices carefully Examine the website: www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-administration/screening/ Post website and phone number on the Board