The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide For Churches And Ministries

Churches are supposed to be a safe haven, but many deal with the tragic reality of child sexual abuse. This guide, supported by a multidisciplinary team of child abuse experts, helps churches and faith communities formulate policies and procedures to protect children and address possible abuse in their ministries.

For 25 years Plan to Protect(R) has been the premier leader in safeguarding for churches in Canada. This edition, Plan to Protect(R) A Safeguarding Guide for Children, Youth and Adults, Church Edition continues to provide you the most updated research, best practices and templates to safeguard your church and the vulnerable sector you serve. Not only does it include the policies, procedures and templates for safeguarding children and youth, which we are well known for, but this version of the manual also includes: The voice of the victim -Updated best practices -General Protection Policies and Procedures for the entire Church -Updated Child and Youth Protection Procedures -Adult Protection Procedures (including power differentials, misconduct and sexual harassment) -Documentation Management -Restorative Justice for Offenders -Whistleblower -New case studies -Updated forms and templates What are people saying about Plan to Protect(R)? "I was abused within a church. Despite what happened to me, I love the Church and serve it in a full-time capacity. It breaks my heart to hear and see how 'open' the Church feels to predators, but I have hope for the present and future of the Church because of Plan to Protect(R). Things are not as they used to be because sexual abuse has become acceptable to talk about, and we work hard to prevent and protect. We know what to do if allegations are made. The Church must become a safe place for the vulnerable, and this will only happen as the whole body of Christ takes action. Please, Church, protect the vulnerable and victims among us." -Rachel (pseudonym for a victim-survivor of abuse) "Plan to Protect(R) is a great witness to the love of Jesus Christ for all humanity by showing churches and other ministries how to protect the most vulnerable among us." -Rev. John Pellowe, MBA, DMin, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities "Churches and faith-based charities have come a long way in the past 30 years in understanding the risks and potential for abuse, molestation, bullying, and harassment within their own programs and ministries. We have been encouraged by the leaders who have spearheaded the implementation and maintenance of effective abuse prevention by holding their standards high, both for the protection of those in their care, and to reinforce their positive testimony with a message of grace, love and hope they provide to the communities they serve. Plan to Protect(R) has been instrumental in leading the way in this remarkable progress by providing effective prevention plans, valuable resources, hands-on assistance, and a "made-in-Canada" solution to safeguard Christian ministries from abuse claims. We applaud Plan to Protect(R), Melodie Bissell, and her staff for their unwavering commitment to churches and Christian ministries across Canada with this latest comprehensive and practical 2022 version of their prevention plan, and truly hope that it will continue to guide leaders for the vigilant protection of the most vulnerable." -Kenneth A. Hall, President, Robertson Hall Insurance Inc. "Plan to Protect(R) is a valuable source of important and up to date information and strategies that will assist churches and child focused organizations in providing safe and caring environments for children. Our children deserve nothing less!" -Don Hepburn, former child protection worker, Supervisor and Senior Manager with the Children's Aid Society of Toronto. (Retired)

This practical guide enables church deacons, trustees, and other lay and ordained leaders to evaluate the current security status of their church to encourage improved protection of buildings and people.

Child abuse scandals in the church shake our faith in our fellow neighbors, and sometimes even our faith in God. We cannot afford to ignore the issue, content to hope and pray that our children will be safe. Rather than waiting until something drastic happens and lamenting about it, churches can take active steps to put safeguards in place for their ministry. Safe Kids is a manual designed to help churches structure the safest possible environment for their children's ministry. This manual provides: Forms and procedures to screen volunteersIdeas for structuring the church building to keep nurseries and Sunday school classrooms safeInstructions for training children's workersInformation you must know to identify potential predatorsPolicies for reporting suspected child abuseAnd much more!Safe Kids is the essential handbook for keeping children safe within the walls of the church

On Guard offers churches eight strategies for preventing child abuse and three for responding to it, helping to move church staff and leaders beyond fearful awareness to prayerful preparedness.

Empower the children in your faith community. Children are marginalized in our churches, dismissed into Sunday school or silenced for lengthy sermons aimed at adults. R. L. Stollar has spent his career advocating for the rights of children, and he thinks it’s time to stop talking down to children and start listening to them. In The Kingdom of Children, Stollar proposes a liberation theology of the child. Stollar begins with a theoretical framework that centers children in our theology and ecclesial life. Reframing biblical stories to center children, we can see how the binding of Isaac reflects the spiritual effects of child abuse, or how children like Miriam can serve as leaders in their communities. Using scriptural examples as well as real studies of children’s spiritual lives, Stollar asserts that children can be priests, prophets, and theologians in our communities. Each chapter concludes with activities and discussion points for introducing the book’s concepts to children. The Kingdom of Children is a must-read for youth ministers, parents, and anyone who works with children. By embracing the liberation of children, we can avoid stunting their spiritual growth and passing on trauma. And when we lift up children—truly value and learn from them—we build up the kingdom of God here in our communities.

Assault on the Body presents a Christ-centred response to sexual violence, through testimonies by sexual assault survivors and articles by theologians, pastors, academics, social workers, counsellors, lawyers and advocates. Taken together, these chapters reveal God’s heart for victims of sexual violence, demonstrate how to be a supportive church community, explain how to avoid common mistakes when responding to and journeying with victims, and propose how to safeguard our churches responsibly. Whether you are a pastor managing a sexual assault case, a lay person who wants to equip your church community to be a safe space, or someone journeying with a victim of sexual violence, this book is for you.

This small, pocket-sized leaflet for parish churches explains what to do if you have a safeguarding concern about a child, young person or adult within the Church. It is designed to be given to leaders, role holders and volunteers, including clergy, readers, licensed ministers, church wardens, children's and youth leaders, musicians, administrators and safeguarding officers. The leaflet explains: * What to do if you have concerns about a child, young person or adult in the Church; * Do's and Don't for handling a disclosure; * How and where to report concerns; It also includes space to add local contact information. Pack of 10.