Safe Sanctuaries Policy
Passed by congregational vote on May 2, 2004
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs.” (Matthew 19:14)
We at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ believe that our church should be a safe sanctuary for all those who come in good faith. Most importantly, it should be a safe sanctuary for the children and youth who are entrusted to us.
The physical or sexual abuse of a child is a tragedy no matter where it occurs; it is especially so when it takes place in a house of God. Abuse in a church is the ultimate violation of a sacred trust.
We also acknowledge that the abuse of children is a reality, and that no church is immune from that reality.
We therefore enact this policy to establish and enforce rules and procedures to eliminate, as much as possible, the risk of abuse in our children and youth programs and activities.
To that end, this policy:
* Requires that classes and classrooms be configured to eliminate the possibility of children being isolated; mandates specific rules for each program and activity for children and youth, inside and outside the church building, to ensure safety;
* Provides a systematic, regular program of education about child abuse for the congregation, parents, youth volunteers and staff, children, visitors and others who use the church for their activities;
* Requires that those who work with children and youth, paid staff or volunteer, be carefully selected and screened, educated about the issue of abuse and trained to recognize signs of abuse; and
* Establishes a procedure to ensure that all allegations of physical or sexual abuse against a child, by an adult or another child, be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and appropriately, and that victims and their families be supported and treated with respect and compassion.
Children and Youth Ministries Policy
* Maintaining child and youth safety within our church and understanding our practices is a matter for covenant within our congregation.
* Whenever possible, at least two non-related (for the purposes of this policy “related†means spouses, partners, intimates, family members) adults should be involved in any youth activity.
* When two adults cannot be present in a youth activity, random checks by another unrelated adult should be employed.
* These guidelines and policies should be clearly posted in all classrooms and in the Friendship Hall.
* For the purposes of our Safe Sanctuaries policies, youth will be considered to be any individual who participates in a church sponsored youth ministry program. Adult leaders will be clearly identified beforehand.
* No one under the age of 25 will be allowed to drive other participants in any church sponsored activity or event that requires the group to travel together to a destination outside the church building.
Procedures
General Ministries
Sunday School
1. Windows are required in all classroom doors.
2. Education and screening is required for all prospective teachers and other volunteers.
3. All activities will be kept in plain view.
4. Acceptable supervisory methods include the following:
a. Two roaming superintendents + one teacher per class.
b. Two roaming superintendents + one teacher per class + recruit 1 parent volunteer, when possible.
c. Two teachers per class, always.
d. One teacher per class, a roaming superintendent, and an on-call volunteer parent.
e. Other methods may be used with approval of the Board of Christian Education.
5. If a child needs assistance in a bathroom for whatever reason, the child’s parent will be asked to provide that assistance.
Nursery care
1. Absent a window in the nursery door, the top half of the door should be open at all times children are in the nursery.
2. Education and screening is required for volunteers and paid workers.
3. Volunteers must be at least eighteen years of age.
4. All activities will be kept in plain view.
5. If a child out of diapers needs assistance in the bathroom, the child’s parent will be asked to provide that assistance.
6. If there is one or more children, two adults not related to each other will be present in nursery at all times.
Youth Programming
1. Open spaces or rooms with windows in their doors should be used.
2. A minimum of two adults must be present for all activities. Parent volunteers may fill in. If two adults cannot supervise, then the activity must be cancelled.
3. Education and screening will be required for all adult volunteers
4. All volunteers must be adults.
5. Education (implied through Our Whole Lives Sexuality [OWL] program) is required for all youth. For those youth not yet enrolled in OWL, participation in an educational session within the past year will qualify.
6. All participants must sign an appropriate child and youth safety covenant.
7. All activities must be kept in plain view.
8. Lights must be kept on.
Specific Ministries
Overnights
1. Open spaces or rooms with windows in their doors should be used.
2. Education and screening is required for all adult volunteers.
3. Multiple adult volunteers will be required for all activities.
4. All volunteers must be adults.
5. All youth participants (whose parents are members of ORUCC) must have attended an education session within the past year. OWL participation will meet this requirement, and in fact should be encouraged.
6. All participants must sign an appropriate child and youth safety covenant.
7. All youth participants must have a signed permission slip from a parent or legal guardian.
8. All activities must be kept in plain view.
9. Lights must be kept on except during specified sleeping hours.
10. Overnights must have a designated lock time.
11. Adult supervisors must actively seek to prevent inappropriate or abusive youth/youth behavior.
Confirmation
1. Open spaces or rooms with windows in their doors should be used.
2. All one-to-one meetings between confirmand and mentor at church will be visible and subject to supervision
3. Education and screening will be required for all mentors.
4. Education within the past year is required for all youth and their parents.
5. All activities must be kept in plain view.
6. All off-site activities require a minimum of two mentors and two confirmands present.
7. All youth participants must sign an appropriate child and youth safety covenant.
Out of Town Trips
1. We recommend one adult for every five kids.
2. At least two adults must be present for all activities.
3. Host organizations must be notified of our rules and procedures and agree to cooperate with them.
4. Education and screening will be required for all adults.
5. All youth participants and a parent or guardian must have attended an education session within the past year. OWL participation will meet this requirement for youth.
6. All activities must be kept in plain view.
7. All participants must sign an appropriate child and youth safety covenant.
Pastoral Counseling for Youth and Adults
1. This policy and appropriate codes of ethics will be clearly posted.
2. Continuing education of appropriate and ethical boundaries is required of the pastors.
Rides for Children and Youth
1. Education and screening is required of all drivers for official youth outings.
2. Parents and youth are to be educated concerning:
a. The risks of rides.
b. The importance of meeting designated pick-up times.
3. Require a minimum of two non-related adults in a car if any youth are present.
4. Require that two screened non-related adults be present at the church until all youth have been picked up.
5. ORUCC is not responsible for any ride arrangements to and from activity site.
Outside Groups Using Our Facilities
1. Must be provided with a copy of our policies and sign that they have read and understand our policies.
2. Must sign a liability release form to release ORUCC from any potential legal action that may result from an accusation from within their outside program or activity, even if the incident was on ORUCC property.
Recurring and Continuing Education about Child Abuse
An important component of a Safe Sanctuaries policy is recurring and age appropriate education about child safety/child abuse prevention and the ORUCC’s Safe Sanctuary policies and procedures. Consistent and routine education will be provided to the congregation including to our children and youth.
Policy
* Adult volunteers with children and youth will need to be educated about child safety prior to beginning their ministries.
* Education and training about child abuse will take place on a regular and systematic basis within the church and its programs. There will be annual review of the education and training component of this policy by an education subgroup of the Safe Sanctuary Team.
* More extensive educational opportunities might need to be developed for different adult and youth in the congregation who will be engaging in more broad and potentially risky ministries, such as a youth mission trip or being a Confirmation mentor.
* The Safe Sanctuaries Team will work on informing the congregation about mandated reporting laws for the State of Wisconsin and Dane County.
Procedures
The education and training component will include the following:
1. An annual summary of the Safe Sanctuary policy will be distributed to the entire congregation.
2. There will be annual training on child abuse for the pastoral staff, the church moderator and the moderator-elect.
3. There will be annual education of all children in Sunday School about the issue of safety, with appropriate age level content, at or near the beginning of the fall term. The process should include notification to parents and/or guardians of Sunday School children that the safety education is taking place, with a description of what the education entails.
4. There will be a review of the Safe Sanctuary policy for all Sunday School teachers and volunteers for all child and youth activities, as part of the regular recruitment process. The review should familiarize teachers and volunteers with the church’s Safe Sanctuary policy and their responsibilities in interactions with children and youth, and include information to help them recognize and report suspicions of abuse.
5. There will be information about the Safe Sanctuary policy provided to new members as part of their new member classes.
6. There will be a summary of the Safe Sanctuary policy posted in the church.
7. There will be consideration of the fact that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with the possibility of including some educational materials and sexual assault awareness activities in the church newsletter or in congregational events.
Volunteer and Paid Staff Screening
All volunteers and staff will be carefully screened and educated before beginning their ministry with children and youth at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ. A Safe Sanctuaries Team will be established to facilitate the screening process to ensure 1) that the screening of volunteers and paid staff is adequate and complete, 2) that the privacy of the volunteers is protected, 3) and that recurring and continuing education is available to volunteers, children, youth and other members of our congregation. The following policy statements reflect our congregation’s commitment to preserving our church as a place of safety and protection.
Policy
* No adult who has been convicted of child abuse (that is, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or physical abuse) will be accepted as a volunteer to work with children and youth for any church-sponsored activity.
* The Safe Sanctuaries Team will receive training about screening of volunteers and staff from an outside expert in the field.
* Frequent and long-term volunteers will have an annual background check to keep our screening as up to date as possible.
* All adult volunteers must have been a member of ORUCC for at least six months or a regular worship attendee for one year prior to volunteering in children and youth ministries.
* Adult volunteers with children and youth and paid staff shall attend regular training and educational events provided by the church to be informed of the church policies and state laws regarding child abuse.
Procedure
1. The Safe Sanctuaries Team will create a screening process based on criminal justice protocols and the latest research in the field of child abuse prevention.
2. All adult volunteers will fill out an volunteer application before beginning their ministry with children and youth. Applications may vary based on the length of time for the ministry, role in ministry and potential risk of child abuse in the ministry.
3. Background checks will be required for all applications.
4. The Safe Sanctuaries Team will review applications and call references. All applications and background checks will remain confidential to protect the privacy of our members, including keeping the files in a locked cabinet in the church office.
Allegations of Abuse and Congregational Response
Policy
It is the policy of Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ that allegations of physical and sexual abuse of children and youth are to be taken seriously and resolved fully and responsibly.
* Volunteers, clergy and paid staff members who have knowledge of or suspicions of abuse of children must immediately report that knowledge or suspicion to an Abuse Response Team within the church designated to deal with such incidents. All other members of the congregation are also encouraged to report their knowledge or suspicions about such incidents.
* The Abuse Response Team will in turn report any incidents immediately to the local authorities (as detailed in the procedures section below), to the ORUCC Leadership Team (or governing board) and to appropriate officials at the Southwest Association of the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ.
* The Leadership Team and the Abuse Response Team will cooperate with all aspects of the investigation and will share information with the congregation when possible.
* Church staff will offer support and counsel to alleged abuse victims and their families.
* No individual who poses a known threat to children and youth because of past actions or actions within the church or its programs shall be allowed to work in child or youth programs at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ. All applicants for such positions will be carefully screened.
* Church staff will offer counsel to alleged perpetrators of abuse and their families, if appropriate.
Procedures
1. All allegations of abuse shall be regarded seriously, and alleged victims will be treated with respect and courtesy. Concerns will be reported immediately to the police and to child protection officials and alleged victims or alleged perpetrators will not be interviewed by church personnel.
2. All childcare or youth workers are mandated to report any suspected or known child abuse immediately to proper church authorities. These authorities will be the pastoral staff, the church moderator and the moderator-elect who will function as the Abuse Response Team. If a youth worker cannot follow the normal procedure of reporting an incident to a member of the Abuse Response Team for any reason, he or she should immediately contact the local police department, for example, if a group is on a mission trip or other out of town youth event.
3. If the alleged perpetrator is a member of the pastoral staff or is the moderator, the church youth worker will inform the non-accused members of the Response Team and UCC leaders outside of the church, in this case to the association minister of the Southwest Association of the Wisconsin Conference at phone number 244-3350.
4. The Abuse Response Team will immediately contact the Dane County Department of Human Services Child Protection Line, 261-5437, and the Madison Police Department at 911.
5. In consultation with the Department of Human Services and local law enforcement, a decision will be made as to whether the Response Team will talk with the person or persons reporting the allegations.
6. When an allegation of abuse is made, the recipient of the report should write down what has been alleged using the child’s/reporter’s words. The reporter is to take down the information without asking investigative or leading questions to the child. This can hurt the investigation. This report should be made available to the investigating authorities.
7. The Police Department/Department of Human Services will be the investigative body and deal with the alleged perpetrator.
8. The Response Team will report any allegation to the UCC Southwest Wisconsin Association minister.
9. In consultation with the appropriate legal authorities and in a timely manner, the Response Team will notify the Leadership Team of the church (or governing board) of the incident, respecting all privacy issues as appropriate to the situation.
10. The Leadership Team, in consultation with the Response Team and the investigative authorities, will determine when and how to best communicate the situation with the congregation.
11. The moderator is designated as the only spokesperson for communication with the media, if there are media requests for comment or information. During the investigative stage of any allegation, the church spokesperson should limit statements to the fact that the church takes any allegation seriously and is fully cooperating with authorities. Under no circumstances should a spokesperson discuss any aspect of a case. When an allegation is resolved, members of the pastoral staff or the moderator should consult with the Leadership Team before issuing any statement or making any comment.
12. After all the necessary investigative avenues have been followed through, the church leadership and the pastoral staff will work to facilitate a healing process and foster a safe and affirming environment for the victims of the abuse and for the entire congregation.
The Safe Sanctuary Team
As part of this policy, a Safe Sanctuary Team will be established to provide ongoing review and implementation of the policy. Team members will undergo thorough screening, background checks and education on the issue of child abuse before being allowed to serve. The team will include a subgroup that will conduct screening of staff, teachers and volunteers who work with children and youth; a subgroup to oversee the educational component of the policy; and the members of the abuse response team, which has the responsibility of receiving and acting on allegations of abuse and providing healing for victims, families and the congregation.
The Safe Sanctuary Team’s screening subgroup will include at least three members, including one member of the pastoral staff. It is preferred that other members of the screening subgroup have expertise in personnel and/or child abuse issues. It is suggested that the term of the lay members of the screening team will commit to a three year term or longer. To ensure the confidentiality of potential volunteers, this subgroup will develop procedures for processing and maintaining the screening files.
Screening of prospective pastoral staff will be done by a search committee, which will include one member of the Safe Sanctuary Team screening subgroup. The screening subgroup will be available to the search committee for information and training.
The education subgroup will include at least two members, and will be responsible for organizing and scheduling education and training sessions, providing educators to conduct sessions, providing educational materials, and informing members of the congregation about educational and training sessions and materials available.
The response team will consist of members of the pastoral staff, the church moderator, and the moderator-elect. Its responsibilities are spelled out in detail in the Allegations of Abuse and Congregational Response section of the policy.
The Safe Sanctuary Team will review these policies and procedures on a triennial basis and will take any suggested changes to the Leadership Team for approval. If changes are needed before the triennial review, those changes will also be approved by the Leadership Team.
