Child Protection

Child Protection Outline

Child Protection Overview

One of the church's most urgent and compelling goals is to strive to create a generation of whole and healthy children. The church must be thoroughly committed to cultivating the safest possible environment for children in which to grow in God�s grace. To that end, the church must pay close attention to many things, including the condition of the classrooms and outdoor recreation spaces as well as the best possible curriculum and preparation of our teachers, shepherds and child care attendants.

One of the ways a church can ensure a safe environment for their children and youth is to implement a Child Protection policy. Many churches are implementing policies that include background checks, ratios for adult leaders/teachers to children, check-in and check-out processes, and a group of people to ensure that policies are followed and concerns addressed.

Purpose of a Child Protection Policy

To protect children and youth under our care.
To protect the church and its staff and volunteers from untrue accusations which can lead to destroyed reputations and financial loss.
Legal requirements demand that suspected child abuse be reported in a timely manner.

The nature of the risk - Why is this important to the new church?

Abuse incidents may be rare but can be devastating to a church.
In Protestant churches, the typical offenders are volunteers who are new to the church (one year or less). Offenders typically need to act out in one year or less.
Abuse incidents occur when an adult can be alone with a child unobserved.
Emotional and physical abuse incidents are more commonly associated with female offenders. Sexual abuse incidents are more commonly associated with male offenders.
Offenders can not be identified by their looks and they come from all walks of society.
A very high proportion of predators have been abused themselves as children. Most of those abused as children do not become abusers.
Most of the abuse cases in Protestant churches occur in the suburbs.

What activities are involved in Child Protection?

Check-in and check-out procedures.
Child protection policy design, development, implementation, and follow-up.
Incident reporting procedures including staff accountability.

What are the expected results?

The church will be a place where children are safe.
Procedures exist which will ensure that children are accounted for and cared for appropriately.
Volunteers and staff are adequately trained and are equipped to report potentially risky situations.
Any incident that occurs is dealt with swiftly and appropriately. Reporting to proper authorities occurs. Consequences are dealt with.
The training, monitoring, and execution of the policies is reviewed and updated annually.

What is the scope of this topic, i.e., what is included and what is not?

This topic includes child protection for children and youth. Children are defined as infants through 5th graders. Youth are defined as 6th through 12th graders.
All paid staff, both full and part-time, independent contractors, and volunteers should subscribe to the policy.
Prevention of physical, emotional, and / or sexual abuse.
Child Protection is relevent to all church-sponsored activities, whether on-site or off-site, including mission trips, recreational activities, and scouting events. All ministries of the church are subject to this policy.
This topic does not include information about sexual harrassment or any kind of discrimination, including age, gender, or sexual orientation.

What is the timing for implementing this topic?

Child protection is one of the few topics that must be fully developed before any activity takes place under the 'name' of the church. Any activity that is directed to children or even child care while adults are involved in an adjacent activity requires appropriate child protection policies and procedures be in place.

How To Start

The First Year

The Second Year

Best Practices

Environmental Factors

Issues

Resources

Templates And Samples

References

Last Modified 10/26/04 10:42 PM

Hide Tools

Site
Changes
Index
Search

User
Log In