At some point, someone involved with your ministry may attempt to sexually molest a child. What will you do about it?

 

If you haven’t given much thought to this question, now’s a good time to consider it. “No church is immune to the problem of child sexual assault, regardless of size, location, or denomination,” says John Hein, associate corporate counsel for Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.

 

Child sexual predators exist, and they’re always looking for opportunities to interact with children. They may volunteer to work with children in your nursery, Sunday school, or youth program. How are you going to manage this risk?

 

Experts recommend strengthening two areas: screening and supervision. A screening program helps you carefully select anyone who works with children and youth. Proper supervision helps eliminate the potential for misconduct.

 

Here are some guidelines that can help you develop a policy to manage these areas:

 

Use the Six-Month Rule

 

Don't give any volunteer worker the opportunity to be involved in nursery, children's or youth work until he or she has been associated with your church for at least six months. Child abusers volunteer for ministries in which they can have access to children. Normally, they won't wait a long period of time to gain such access.

 

Screen All Workers

 

Investigating the applicant's prior church membership and church volunteer work can be an important part of the screening process. You may consider developing an application form for volunteers and employees. Your attorney should review your application and modify it if necessary. Reference checks are an important part of the screening process.

 

Use the Two-Adult Rule

 

Discourage the use of teen-agers as nursery workers. Whenever the church sponsors an activity involving children on or off premises, always have at least two adults supervising each room, vehicle, or other enclosed space. More supervisors will be necessary if the group is large.

 

Don't allow one person to supervise children alone, even if only one or two children need care. Develop procedures to prohibit situations where one adult is alone with children in changing areas or restrooms. This precaution will also protect your staff if false allegations are made.

 

A "claim check" procedure should be used so that children are released only to the person presenting the "check." Even though nursery workers are weary by the end of the service, they can't permit children to leave the area unsupervised. Require that children be picked up by a parent, guardian, or other person with a claim check.

 

Be careful to supervise off-premises events involving children or youth. These events, especially when they involve overnight stays, present greater opportunities for sexual offenses to occur. Church leaders shouldn't permit such activities unless an adequate number of adult workers are present. All workers should be trained to prevent situations in which an individual attempts to isolate himself with one or more youths.

 

Educate Your Workers

 

A good way to educate your church employees and volunteer children or youth workers is to use the Reducing the Risk II child sexual abuse prevention kit.

 

This three-part resource developed by Church Law & Tax Report is available through Zondervan. Consisting of a DVD, training manual, and reference book, Reducing the Risk II raises awareness about the threat of child sexual abuse and helps you launch a successful prevention program. It helps you establish procedures for screening workers and implement key safeguards.

 

As part of your staff training, identify appropriate and inappropriate behavior associated with children's ministries. Your staff should be trained to watch for inappropriate behavior demonstrated by other workers and to report such conduct to church officials for immediate investigation.

 

Finally, become familiar with state and federal laws dealing with child abuse so you know how to comply with them. Representatives from various state and federal agencies are available to provide information and may be willing to assist you in your worker education program.

 

A good place to start may be the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect, which offers information on the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect. It’s a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children & Families.