physical, emotional or neglect. In
other states, clergy, camp personnel,
teachers and medical professionals
are required by law to report, among
other professionals.
The trend in state reporting require-
ments is toward more inclusive
reporting, broader reporting require-
ments and more aggressive penalties
for failing to report. In all 50 states,
“suspicions of abuse” may, should or
must be reported under state law.
The best practice? When in
doubt, report. Don’t undertake an
investigation to determine if alleged
abuse did or did not occur as a
condition of reporting. If you do, those
outside your ministry may interpret this
as cover-up after the fact.
Misconception 5: We have policies
and procedures in place.
While many ministries implement
policies as a stand-alone solution,
policies alone do not adequately
address the risk of child sexual abuse.
This is commonly the case when no
one knows the policies exist, they are
generic, ignored, or not specifically
tailored to a ministry’s activities.
Without effective implementation,
a written policy is worse than useless—
it can be harmful. From a legal
standpoint, a written policy creates
an internal standard that must be
followed. When not followed, written
policies can create more problems
than no policy at all. The solution is
14 Solutions
to adopt written policies that fit and
reflect staff training.
Where written policy is concerned,
one size does not fit all. Policy cobbled
together from the Interne t or borrowed
from an organization down the street is
destined to fail. When policy does not
fit programming, staff members and
volunteers are unlikely to comply.
The single most important step a
church can take to prevent child
sexual abuse is to train your people
to understand the problem. When
staff members and volunteers
have an awareness of the basic
characteristics of the sexual abuser,
the process by which an abuser
picks and prepares a child for abuse,
and key indicators of child sexual
abuse, they are better equipped
to recognize and prevent abuse in
church programs.
Kimberlee D. Norris and Gregory S. Love
are partners at the law firm of Love &
Norris, a national sexual abuse litigation
practice, representing hundreds of victims
of child sexual abuse, and co-founders
of MinistrySafe, a consulting organization
designed to help churches and Christian
ministries understand and address the risk of
child sexual abuse.