Church background checks are a critical part of reducing risk for faith based organizations, the second most important thing a church can do is create a church child safety policy. Why should you create a child safety policy for church? The first reason is that there is obviously an increased instance of child abuse in the church setting. Headlines have demonstrated again and again that children are at risk at church. Children, staff, volunteers and paid clergy are all at risk without clear guidelines for behavior.
Policy provides a guideline for appropriate behavior over sight of children and the ministry that serves them and reporting of improper behavior. The start of all child safety policies and procedures should begin with a code of conduct. Church staff and volunteers should be required to agree to prevent abuse, and neglect of children and youth in all church sponsored activities. They should agree to not physically, sexually, or emotionally harm children; agree to comply with all church policies and to report all violations of church policy. And lastly, they should always act upon all reports of a church child safety policy and procedure violation.
What should a child safety policy include? Well first, define who is involved. Who are those people working with kids? Paid employees, paid staff and children’s workers; volunteers which may include contractors, drivers, teachers or councilors— really anyone who regularly works with or around children and youth. Children can be defined as children between the ages of infant to 12 years old. Youth may be defined as those children who are 13 to 18 years old. Those who work with children and youth are all staff, board, elder, deacons, who have decision making authority over children.
All paid or volunteer personnel who regularly work with children and all who supervise or assist children or youth or anyone who transports children or youth. A policy declaration for types of abuse. It’s important to know what your church is standing up against. First, there is physical abuse, which is intentional injury of a physical nature. Secondly, sexual abuse by an adult, defined as contact of a sexual nature occurring through the child or youth and an adult. And then sexual abuse by a child or youth, contact of a sexual nature between children or youth without consent or the child or youth has power over the victim, child or youth. There’s also emotional abuse which is emotional or mental injury that results impairment of the child’s development. And lastly, there’s neglect, a failure to provide for a child’s basic needs or failure to protect from harm.
Screening and selection, at a minimum, there should be a standard application which is an authorized release of information for background checks. There should be a criminal record’s check where the applicant has lived the past seven years and their criminal records has been screened and checked. A sexual offender registry check where the applicant has lived again for the past seven years. You should interview the applicant, you should utilize reference checks and you want to look at doing at driver’s records check as well.
Protect my ministry is one company that provides guidance and tools to help churches complete the screening process easily. You can discover the best checks to perform by individual state and you can learn how to complete background checks easily and affordably with internet based software. Now, for education and training, you want to provide child abuse prevention education for those people who work regularly with children or youth. And you want to delineate who will oversee the program. You want to know who is going to be taking care of all aspects of your child safety policy. Who is responsible for the screening, who is responsible for implementation. You want to know who is responsible for oversight and who is responsible for reported actions. There should also be appropriate behavior guideline
All personnel must agree to the guidelines and policy before they can begin being used as paid staff or volunteer. Persons working with children or youth must be known by the church clergy and congregation for at least six months preferably more. Child release policies and procedure should be included. There should be volunteer substance abuse policy, counseling whether done by clergy or volunteer should be done in open view and preferably with a witness. There should be no dating or sexual contact rule. No pornography rule and there should be an appropriate internet use rule. Sleeping and lodging guidelines are mandatory and there should be an anti-hazing rule.
Reporting guidelines are important because once someone sees something occur, they need to know who to tell. Policy should direct church employees and volunteers how to report violations of policies. For instance, some violations would be using on screen personnel, placing he child in an unsafe situation. Inappropriate behavior towards the child. Reporting to church boards who have oversight over children’s ministry and most states require abusive children be reported to government authorities like the police so make sure that your policy includes this.
And then there should be appropriate touching guidelines. Examples of appropriate behavior are brief hugs such as also pats on the shoulder or back, handshakes, high-fives and hand slapping, verbal praise, touching hands, faces, shoulders and arms of children or youth. Arms around the shoulders, holding hands while walking with smaller children. Sitting beside smaller children, kneeling or bending down for hugs with smaller children. Holding hands during prayer and pats on the head when culturally appropriate.
Some appropriate touching guidelines for inappropriate behavior would be inappropriate or lengthy embraces, kisses on the mouth. Holding children over three years old on the lap, touching bottoms, chest or genital areas other than for appropriate diapering or toileting of infants and children. Showing affection in isolated areas such as bedrooms, closet, staff only areas, or other private rooms. Also, occupying a bed with a—some additional inappropriate affection guidelines are wrestling with children or youth, tickling children or youth, piggy back rides, any type of massage given by a child or youth to an adult.
Secondly, any type of massage given by an adult to a child or youth. Any form of unwanted affection, comments or complement spoken, written or electronic that relate to physique or body development. Examples would be, “You sure are developing.” Or “You look really hot in those jeans.” Obviously those are inappropriate. Snapping bras or giving wedgies or similar touch of underwear whether or not it is covered by other clothing. Also giving gifts or money to individual children or youth or sharing private meals with the individual children or youth would be examples of inappropriate affection.
Using these steps will help yourch begin the process of writing a church child safety policy.