CHURCH EXECUTIVE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION FORUM | Page 18

4 action steps for effective child safety policies and procedures

How to create a successful abuse prevention program

Setting child safety policies and procedures is one of the most practical , and effective , ways to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse in your ministry — and that ’ s why it ’ s a priority for us at GuideStone ^® . Our strategic alliance with Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company ^® and partnership with MinistrySafe ^® uniquely position us to help your church put a plan in place to protect those you serve in children ’ s and youth ministry . We have compiled four action steps for your ministry to take that are essential in creating a successful child abuse prevention program .

Appoint A culture of safety requires leadership . So your first step toward child protection is to appoint a Child Safety Team . Team members should understand and value child safety , be completely background checked and screened as well as be familiar with the church ’ s mission and programs . Brotherhood Mutual , a company that has been insuring churches for more than 100 years and understands the unique needs of ministry , recommends your team develop a written Child Safety Plan . This plan should include safety policies and procedures for your church with the goal of making child safety an integral part of the church ’ s ministry . Your team should also create a strategy for implementing the plan within a reasonable amount of time . As the leaders of this important piece of your ministry , the team should appoint a central representative from the team — a pastor , staff member or member — as safety coordinator to report regularly to the staff and administrative body with updates , issues , concerns and needs . This person may also provide leadership for congregational education in safety , security and risk issues . Of prominent importance , this team should embody and create a culture of caring well for victims . The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention recently released great resources via their Caring Well program . We recommend these resources to you and your church or ministry .

Train Training your employees and volunteers is one of the best ways to safeguard your ministry and those you serve . Yearly or bi-yearly training sessions will keep your team well informed on how to identify potential misconduct , updates in policies and procedures as well as the latest developments in reporting . Make sure your Child Safety Team keeps updated records of who has completed training and who needs to renew . Additionally , consider specific screening training for staff members in charge of hiring or volunteer coordinators in charge of onboarding and assigning volunteers . Your staff and volunteers are your eyes and ears on the ground and are often the first to sound the alarm should something be amiss , so putting in the effort to keep them up-to-date on what to do and how to do it is paramount . If you are looking for a training partner , we recommend you check out MinistrySafe . MinistrySafe is an organization focused on helping churches and ministries understand and address the risks of sexual abuse . They can provide your church with direct access to abuse prevention training and program assessment to help you recognize , prevent and respond to sexual abuse . They offer both in-person and video options depending on what works best for you .

Screen As part of your Child Safety Plan , you should carefully craft a screening process that includes high-risk response questions for both staff and volunteer position applications . Your church should also conduct an up-to-date criminal background check for these positions — as it can provide information about an individual ’ s past pattern of lawful and ethical behavior . However , background checks don ’ t always provide a complete picture . This can lead to a false sense of security when considering a candidate . More than 90 % of sexual abusers have no criminal record , and , if they do , their record may show a “ plea down ” to a lesser offense . If your church is looking for help with a screening process , we again recommend MinistrySafe . They provide guidelines for effective criminal background checks and sample application questions that will help you screen successfully . Caring Well just released the Caring Well Hiring Guide , which can also provide guidance in this area .

Monitor Once you have a team , a training program and a screening process set in place , the final step is to remain vigilant . Just because these policies and procedures have been set in motion doesn ’ t mean it ’ s time to relax . Make sure your church :

• Continues to set regular meetings with your Child Safety Team to monitor progress and review the effectiveness of your plan .

• Encourages open and honest communication within your team , staff , volunteers and the congregation as a whole .

• Seeks professional legal advice on how to best comply with state and local requirements . All reporting to the proper authorities must be made by the church , and in many cases by the witness , in a swift and timely manner . Governmental requirements on reporting can change quickly , so take advantage of this helpful guide from Brotherhood Mutual with state-by-state guidelines on mandatory reporting .

As perpetrators adapt and circumstances change , it ’ s important that your church never gets too comfortable . Check out GuideStone ’ s most recent Risk Management Review for additional tips on how to safeguard your ministry and those you serve . We ’ ve said it before , but it ’ s worth repeating — you ’ ll never regret taking extra steps to protect your people . And GuideStone wants to help . We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your church ’ s specific needs and provide guidance for your church or ministry ’ s prevention policies , procedures and coverage . Visit GuideStonePropertyCasualty . org to learn more .

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