Providing a safe environment for families with young people should be a priority for every church. Your church can establish a simple and effective policy to protect your youth and avoid the devastating consequences of child abuse.
1
Screen All Childcare Workers
By screening all childcare workers your church can avoid claims of negligent hiring. Screening should include a written application process, interview, personal reference checks and a criminal record check.
2
Train Employees on Operating Policies
Your church can avoid a claim for negligent supervision by establishing sound operating policies and training your workers regarding the policies. For example, most churches adopt a two deep rule so that two adults are present with children at all times. Your church should also provide annual training to its workers to review the policies and procedures.
3
Operate & Monitor
Make sure that all workers follow the policies. Monitoring to make sure that the youth protection policy is being implemented is crucial.
4
Establish a Response Team
How should a church respond to an accusation of abuse? Planning for the churches' response is critical because each state has mandatory reporting requirements. Every church should designate a response team and make plans of how to address the parents of the child and the alleged abuser.
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