Safe Church Practices
Internet Safety Information from ACS Technologies
The Diocese of Atlanta uses ACS Technologies, as do many of our churches. They have an E-newsletter and the July 2010 issue is all about internet safety. You can connect to the newsletter by clicking here.
This issue has articles on Internet Security and Password Strength, Protecting Employee and Congregant Information, Posting Pictures of Children on Websites and Protecting Chidlren who Use Computers Located with your Organization. For instance... "Consider the ramifications of announcing on your Web site when and where programs for children and youth will be located. For example, you probably do not want to announce the date and location of a lock-in, where there may be only a few adults present, late at night." Check out the article by clicking on the link above.
New Child Abuse Statistics
Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.***
* 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.
* A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.
* Child abuse occurs at every socio-economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.
* About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.
Be sure your church is providing the Safeguarding God's Children programs below for staff, those who work with children and youth, parents and any other interested members of your parish. The group training schedule is listed on the left side bar along with how to have a training in your parish. Online training is also available. Contact Linda Scott for more information.
***New statistics are from the FaithTrust Institute (http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/resources/statistics/child-abuse)
 Safeguarding
God's Children
The Diocese of Atlanta takes the subject of safe church practices very seriously. We have used the Safeguarding God's' Children training program in the diocese since its inception in 2004. In 2006, we added the online training program, Safeguarding Online, Both programs were developed and advanced by the Church Pension Group, in partnership with Praesidium, Inc., the curriculum designer.
Diocesan Policies for the Protection of Children and Youth from Abuse may be downloaded by clicking on the sidebar. These policies have been adopted by the Diocese of Atlanta, based on the Model Policies developed by the Church Pension Group and Praesidium partnership. They include information and guidelines on screening, interacting, monitoring, training, and reporting with regard to adult supervision of and interaction with children and youth.
For a copy of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut's Suggested practices & guidelines for use of social networking websites & other forms of digital communication which our diocese finds useful, click here.
Safeguarding God's People
Safeguarding God's People is the new training program being introduced into the diocese which is for protection of adults with regard to sexual harassment and sexual exploitation. There are two distinct programs:
 Preventing Sexual Exploitation in Communities of Faith For congregations: To help parishioners recognize the signs of potential sexual exploitation in church leaders, and For ministries: To make church leaders aware of the signs of sexual exploitation so they can help prevent it in their congregations, and
 Preventing Sexual Harassment of Church Workers. -- For church workers (employees and volunteers): Sexual harassment as defined under federal law, examples of types of illegal harassment, and explanation of the worker's rights and responsibilities and For managers and supervisors: Explanation of their responsibilities to prevent and respond appropriately to allegations of sexual harassment Clergy and lay staff, leaders and certain volunteers will be required to attend these courses as they are rolled out over the next couple of years.
New model policy guidelines on these programs will be implemented in the roll out as well, similar to the way they were introduced in Safeguarding God's Children programming.
For questions concerning Safe Church Practices in the diocese, please contact Linda Scott at 404-601-5353 or 800-537-6743 x 155 or email Lscott@episcopalatlanta.org.
 |  |  Share
|
