Christ Church Child Safe Care Policy

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

Matthew 19:14

What Is the Child Safe Care Policy?

The Christ Church Safe Care Policy has been developed to help ensure a safe environment for the children and youth who participate in our educational ministries. The policy can be divided into three main areas:

• Worker Screening
• Worker Training
• Worker Guidelines

Worker Screening

All persons who wish to work in the children or youth ministries of Christ Church (nursery through senior high) are carefully screened before being placed in ministry. Briefly, the screening process consists of:

• Completion of an application/screening form
• Completion of reference and background checks
• An interview with a staff member (if not a member of Christ Church or if applying to work in the youth ministry)

Worker Training

All regular workers and youth leaders are required to attend a policy training session before they are placed in ministry involving children or youth. The training session covers the following topics:

• The definition, problem, and nature of child abuse in our society
• Signs of child sexual abuse
• The policy guidelines that Christ Church has developed to prevent any type of child abuse from happening in the context of our ministries

Worker Guidelines

Christ Church has established the following policy guidelines to help provide a safe environment for the children and youth who participate in our educational ministries. All education workers and youth leaders agree to follow these policies:

• All programs of the church involving children and youth will be staffed by at least two adults at all times.
• The nurseries utilize the claim-check identification system. This system ensures that only the parent or other authorized person may pick up a child from the nursery upon presentation of the proper claim check ID.
• When a worker is assisting a child in the bathroom the door is always propped open. Workers are never alone with a child in the bathroom.
• All doors in the education classrooms will be equipped with windows which are not to be covered.
• Youth leaders are to avoid any situation in which they are alone with a member of the youth group. If the situation arises when the youth leader must be alone with a student, the leader will receive the prior written consent of the parent.
• Overnight outings involving children or youth will always be staffed by at least two adults of the same sex as the youth who are participating. All adults participating in overnight activities are screened and approved beforehand.

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like information concerning the Christ Church Child Safe Care Policy, please feel free to contact the Director of education, any member of the Education Team, or the Pastor. They would be happy to meet with you.

April, 1996