SAFE SANCTUARIES POLICY:
Reducing the Risk of Abuse in the Church
Adopted by First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville
October 11, 2017
PREAMBLE
God has called us to make our ministries safe, protecting our children from abuse and exploitation. God has also called us to create communities of faith where children can be safe and grow strong.
Jesus taught “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” (Mark 9:37 NRSV) and “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones…it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6 NRSV).
The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church state “…children must be protected from economic, physical, and sexual exploitation and abuse.” (Par. 162(D) - 2012 Book of Discipline).
At each child’s baptism, we affirm our responsibility to their safety by our congregational response, pledging: “With God’s help, we will so order our lives after the example of Christ that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.” (The Book of Worship, Baptismal Covenant, Congregational Pledge II)
Building on these foundations, we recognize that our faith calls us to offer hospitality and protection to all children, as well as those who are committed to ministering to them as volunteers and employees. Every 15 seconds, a child is abused or neglected. Often, abuse occurs in places where children feel safe – homes, schools, camps, and even churches. In over three quarters of reported cases, the victim was related to or acquainted with the abuser. In light of this, the First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville adopts this policy that can
help to prevent such abuse from happening in our church
make our church a place where children can feel safer in disclosing abuse; and
protect the volunteers and employees that minister to our children.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this policy, First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville shall comply with all aspects of the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law (63 PA. C.S.A. 6301). In the event that the law conflicts with this policy, the law shall control.
SCREENING AND SELECTION OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS:
Screening Standards:
All applicants for employment and/or volunteer service in which that applicant shall have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time, requires the person to obtain background clearances shall complete the following prior to start of service:
A written application that shall include at least the following information:
a. Name
b. Address
c. Phone Number
d. Work/Volunteer History
e. Experience and skills related to the position
f. Two (2) personal, non-related references.
2) Background checks required by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in
force and as enacted and amended from time to time.
3) Acceptance of Notice – written acknowledgment that they have been informed of and will
comply with Pennsylvania law that requires them to inform the church in writing of any arrest, conviction or child abuse report that would prohibit them from working with children.
References – at least two references from persons not related to the applicant shall be
obtained and contacted for all new applicants for employment or volunteer service.
Relationship with Church
All prospective volunteer workers with children shall have an active relationship with the local church for at least six months before being allowed to be in a supervisory role in activities for children. In some, but not all, cases we may accept evidence from someone other than the applicant of at least 24 months of good standing at a previous church.
Records
All written records shall be confidential and shall be kept locked in a secure location with access restricted on a need to know basis. All files shall be maintained for three (3) years after service ends.
TRAINING:
All persons who have direct contact with children shall participate in training as required under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time.
SUPERVISION:
Supervision procedures are designed to reduce the possibility of abuse or exploitation of children and to protect staff persons and volunteers form unfounded accusations.
Supervision Standards:
All programs and ministries of the church shall use the following standards for the supervision of children.
The two adult rule – Regardless of the size group, there will always be at least two adults
present. This may include the presence of an adult “roamer” who moves in and out of rooms/ministry activities.
2) No child will be left unsupervised while participating in a ministry activity/event.
3) All ministry activities should occur in open view. Each room or space where ministry
activities/events occur must be open to public view. For example: enclosed spaces such as
classrooms shall have a viewing window, a glass panel in the door, a half-door configuration
or an open door.
No person shall supervise an age group unless he/she is at least 18 years of age or older
and is at least 5 years older than the children being supervised.
Ministry events involving transportation shall require a written consent form signed by
the parent or guardian of the child.
REPORTING:
Reporting of any allegation of child abuse shall be done in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future from time to time.
It is essential that all employees and volunteers who have contact with children in a manner which, under Pennsylvania law currently in force and as enacted and amended in the future define them as a mandated reporter have a legal responsibility under the law to make a report directly to public child welfare officials any time they have reasonable cause to suspect abuse has occurred. Failure to comply with this requirement can lead to civil and/or criminal penalties for the employee or volunteer.
The District Superintendent shall be notified if the alleged perpetrator is a staff person or volunteer of the church.
In the event that a member of the clergy becomes aware of suspected child abuse as a result of confidential communication which is protected under 42 PA C.S. 5943 (relating to confidential communications to clergypersons), the conference legal counsel should immediately be consulted.
PASTORAL RESPONSES FOR REPORTS OF ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE:
Any allegation of abuse requires a process to address responding to the victim, the alleged perpetrator, and the press. The response must be quick, compassionate and unified. All allegations will be taken seriously.
Pastoral response is not an investigation of the alleged abuse. The investigation is the responsibility of public officials (child welfare and/or law enforcement). In all cases of reported abuse, there shall be cooperation with all official investigating agencies.
Response to victims of abuse:
In the instance of any allegation of abuse, there shall be a reaching out to the victim and the victim’s family. Pastoral resources shall be extended, and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service. The care and safety of the victim shall be considered the first priority. Response to the victim and the victim’s family shall be done in a positive and supportive manner.
The parents of the victim shall be notified and steps shall be taken to address the safety and well-being of the child until the parent(s) arrive. NOTE: If one or both of the parents is the alleged abuser, the direction of the child welfare authorities shall be followed concerning notification of others.
Response to all alleged perpetrators of abuse:
In the instance of an allegations of abuse there shall be a reaching out to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family. Pastoral resources shall be extended and the conference I-Care Team can be contacted to assist in providing this service. Response to the alleged perpetrator and the perpetrator's family shall be done in a supportive way.
The alleged perpetrator shall immediately, yet with dignity and respect for their sacred worth, be removed from further involvement with children and advised that there has been an allegation of abuse. Details of the allegations of the abuse shall not be discussed with the alleged perpetrator at the time of removal. In any removal of a staff member or volunteer from any activity/ministry, care shall be taken to handle the removal in a discreet manner.
When it has been alleged that a member of the church staff or a volunteer, has committed an act of abuse, the staff member or volunteer shall be required to refrain from all ministry activities/events with children until the incident has been fully resolved by the appropriate state authorities and/or in accordance with the Book of Discipline.
At that time, a meeting shall be held with the employee or volunteer to discuss the incident(s) that led to the report being made. Even if the public agency determines the report to be unfounded, the church has the right to prohibit the volunteer or employee from resuming working in ministries with children based on the facts and circumstances available at that time.
Response to the Media:
In consultation with the presiding bishop, the District Superintendent, the Conference Director of Communications and pastor shall decide on a single spokesperson for contact with the public/media. All media requests for statements shall be directed to that spokesperson.
Compliance:
Compliance with this policy shall be a matter of record at each annual Charge Conference.
Addendum:
Guidelines for People Using the Social Media
Associated with First United Methodist Church of Phoenixville
These guidelines, adopted by the Administrative Council of First United Methodist Church on January 28, 2014 , are meant to ensure that our digital presence, no less than our physical presence, expresses and conveys the grace that we have received from God through Christ. While they clearly apply to all staff and officers of the church, they also pertain to others who participate in our electronic communications in a non-official capacity. At all times, we urge participants to be aware that social media are public and what appears on our sites is part of the witness that we together present to the world.
General Comportment
Any use of social media associated with First UMC should be done for the furtherance of our mission.
Nothing should appear on our social media that conflicts with the stated mission of First United Methodist Church or the principles of the United Methodist Church.
Civil discussion is welcome and encouraged but any comments that appear which are in conflict with our principles or mission may be removed. In cases of repeated incidents, the media administrator(s) may revoke anyone’s sharing privileges.
Any external material posted or linked (for instance, devotional materials or music or quotations) should be properly attributed.
Although we cannot control the actions of others, we do ask that participants in public, church events abide by these guidelines with respect to their own social media outlets. We ask that all material that is copied be properly sourced and that permission be asked of anyone directly concerned or depicted.
Appropriate Use of Social Media
Personal events and notices should be shared through other sites, with the exception of those that directly affect the church’s operation. (For instance, the death or – with permission - the severe illness of a staff person would be appropriate to note because it has a direct effect on the activity of the whole church. A birthday or graduation – except in the context of a general celebration as part of worship – would not be appropriate.)
Fundraisers for church groups are appropriate to publicize; those for non-church groups should be shared elsewhere even when worthy of our support. (For instance, youth group dinners are appropriate; band booster events or those supporting an athletic team would not be appropriate.)
Events and fundraisers for non-profit groups which use our building or which we officially support through other contributions (for instance, PACS, Bridge of Hope, or the Girl Scouts) would be shared. Those pertaining to for-profit groups using the building (the Martial Arts classes, Valley Forge Kinder House, Magic Memories, and so forth) would need to use other media sites.
Civic events in which the church participates or events sponsored by sister churches may be publicized.
Endorsement of specific political parties or candidates is not appropriate.
Commercial activities are not to be part of the church’s media outreach.
To be consistent with our Safe Sanctuaries Policy, we discourage the use of our social media by minors. Parents who wish their children to participate may do so through the parents’ own avenues of access, with appropriate supervision.
Confidentiality
Items of a personal or confidential nature (for instance, prayer for someone’s health or economic circumstances) may not be shared without the express consent of the person(s) involved.
A birth, death, or major life event may be shared with the permission of the family involved.
The location of remote events should be publicized with care. We recommend the use of a contact person who can share details upon inquiry.
Pictures
Pictures of public activities may be posted on church media sites.
Pictures that center on individual people should not be posted without the permission of those portrayed. When posting photos, no names of individuals should be used as captions or tags.
No pictures of minors should be posted without prior parental permission. Pictures of minors should guard their privacy, even when parental permission for use of pictures has been received.
Administration of Sites
Site administration is to be performed by staff, whose overall work in this area, as in all others, is under the oversight of the Staff/Parish Relations Committee. Members of the Communications Committee may also participate in site administration as necessary.