Your Church Name Here Date here

Why Needed 1.Biblical Mandate Mark 9: Then Jesus took a small child and stood the child in front of the followers. He held the child in his arms and said, 37 “Whoever accepts children like these in my name is accepting me. And anyone who accepts me is also accepting the one who sent me.” Matt. 18:6 “If one of these little children believes in me, and someone causes that child to sin, it will be very bad for that person. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the deep sea. 2. Conference Mandate (1996) Delegates to this conference approved a resolution that called upon each UM congregation to accept the challenge of writing and implementing a child protection policy. 3. Open hearts, open doors But we also need such a policy because the church is one institution that behaves in a relatively trusting manner. We open our doors to everyone, as we should, but sometimes that puts children and ministries at risk.

Purpose Protect children Protect volunteers Protect the ministry So the purpose of being a Safe Sanctuary is three-fold. We want to protect children from a faith shattering experience like abuse, as well as, protect our church members from erroneous litigation that could damage our ministry in the community. So…having a written policy fulfills our Biblical mandate, our conference mandate, and it’s like putting a sign in our front yard that says, “This house protected by ADT.” It proves that the church is serious about providing a safe place for minors and vulnerable adults.

Definitions 1.Child/minor A child/minor is anyone under the age of Employee An employee is anyone you pay. 3. Volunteer A volunteer is anyone not paid but serves in any position involving the care, custody, or supervision of minors. 4. Child abuse Child abuse is harm or threatened harm to a child’s health or welfare. 5. Sexual abuse (see next slide)

Sexual Abuse any touching of the sexual or intimate parts of a child or any other conduct done for the purpose of gratifying the sexual desire of either party through physical force or a threat, express or implied, that places a child in fear of immediate death or of physical injury by a person 18 years old or older against another who is less than 16 years old, or by a person four or more years older than the victim.. In the state of Alabama, an 8 year old child can be charged with a sexual offense if the other child involved is 4 years or younger.

Statistics 3 million reported cases a year 8,219 a day 342 per hour > 8 per minute > 1 every 15 seconds Source: National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect The sad statistics are that 3 million cases of child-abuse (not just sexual abuse) are reported annually. Which means in the hour we spend here tonight, 342 children will be abused.

Rates By age 18 1 in every 3 girls, 1 in every 7 boys is sexually abused. Statistics further tell us that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys will have been sexually abused by the age of 18. Source: National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect

POLICY GUIDELINES

Minimum Age Youth Leaders: at least 19 yrs old > 5 years older Children’s Leaders: at least 18 yrs. old

Minimum Age Youth and Children’s Helpers: at least 12 yrs old. >5 yrs older

Two Adult Rule 2 non-related leaders in a room Use floater if needed For your safety, there should always be 2 non- related adults in a room. Husband-wife teams are encouraged to teach together but they only count as one adult. When it is not possible to place two non-related adults in a room, as in some of our smaller churches, a floater is used to “wander” the hallway and provide assistance as needed.

Doors and Windows There must be windows in all the rooms where children will meet. Anyone passing should be able to peek in and observe the class at will. An open-door policy for parents is also good. Ministry directors, pastors, and other church leaders should be able to visit any classroom at anytime. When windows are NOT provided, doors must remain open at all times that children occupy the space

Sign in – Sign out Procedures Our Church now uses Kid Check system.

6 Month Rule It is expected that volunteers demonstrate an active relationship in good standing with your local congregation for at least 6 months before being allowed to work closely with children. Some churches allow for 6 months of attendance. Others require 6 months of full membership.

Exceptions to the Rule helper with a “cleared” volunteer in leadership non-child contact job “quick-cleared” A volunteer who has not met the 6 month rule, may offer assistance to another leader who has been cleared or they can work in a position that does not involve contact with children. If someone new to town decides this is the church for them, the Safe Sanctuary team can “quick–clear” that person through references at the previous church.

Alabama Guidelines for Teacher: Student Ratios Birth to 18 months 1 : 5 18 mons. to 2 ½ yrs1 : 7 2 ½ yrs to 4 yrs1 : 11 4 yrs to school age 1 : 18 School age to 8 yrs1 : 21 8 yrs and older 1 : 28 These teacher: student ratios are taken from the Alabama State Code for childcare. They are a good guideline for Sunday school and other ministries for children. Always remember the 2-adult rule.

Potty Policy Diapering – open, visible area Supervised Independence – let them ask Complete privacy – unless an emergency; get parents if needed Check the bathroom first! – When changing the diaper of a child who is not your own, do it in an open, visible area. – Preschoolers should be supervised but always allow them as much privacy as possible. If there is an accident that requires clean up, remember the two adult rule. – School-age children should have complete privacy. Only assist them in case of an emergency. If a school age child has an accident requiring physical clean up and a change of clothes, you may want to get the parents to come handle the situation. – And always…check the bathroom first!

Overnight Never share a bed with a child Never be alone in a room with a child Adults must be of the same gender as the students they are chaperoning.

Hotel Settings Adults should never be in a room with just one child. Doors should open to a hallway Adjoining rooms are best An adult can stay in the same room with multiple children but should never be alone in the room with just one child at a time. Be sure your hotel rooms open to a hallway rather than a parking lot. Reserve adjoining rooms as much as possible.

Cabin Setting 2 adults in a large room with multiple bunk beds In a cabin setting with multiple beds in an open space, there should be at least two same gender adults bunking with the students.

Church-Owned Vehicles Screening and training of drivers Proper insurance 2 adult rule Keep passenger records on board All drivers should be screened and trained in the same manner as other leadership and volunteers. Besides the regular criminal background check, a motor vehicles record check should be kept on file in the church office along with proof of personal insurance. Again, be sure to observe the two adult rule, especially in a large bus. One is the driver and one is the enforcer! On lengthy trips, it is advisable that two licensed drivers are available in the event one falls ill or become tired. It is very important to keep passenger records on board the bus. In the event of an accident, first responders need to know how many people they are looking for.

Personal Vehicles 2 adult rule exception: Caravan Youth driving other youth Youth driving themselves

The Obvious Never counsel the opposite sex behind closed doors. Never visit children and youth home alone Watch your dress, language, ATF activities

Recruiting/Screening For Staff AND Volunteers : Application Three references Criminal background check Safe Sanctuary training

Background Checks Criminal & sex offender, not credit Employment Screening Services tuary tuary

Reporting Voluntary for faith based ministry volunteers but highly encouraged by the Conference Mandatory for Pastors so alert those you counsel of your obligation

Reporting Rubric Secure safety of victim Report to immediate director or pastor (SPRC Chair) Pray and set a guard over your lips What do you need to do if abuse is observed by you or reported to you during a church event? 1. Secure the safety of the victim, first 2. Report the incident immediately to the event “director.” i.e. If it is a youth event, report to youth pastor. If it is a children’s event, report to children’s director. If you are unsure who to tell, tell the Sr. pastor. (In the most horrible event that your pastor is the accused, speak ONLY to the SPRC chairperson!) 3. You’re done! Do not discuss the event with anyone else. 4. Do not investigate on your own but be available to those who are investigating. However, under NO circumstances should you make a statement to the press. You have done your duty. Now you can trust your pastor and other leadership to follow the right channels and take care of the situation.