PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN A Child Abuse Prevention Policy for Children’s Ministries
Calvary Baptist Church
Calvary Kids Children’s Ministries Smyrna, Ga.
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments. Psalm 78:7
I. OUR POLICY REGARDING CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION FOR CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Child abuse or neglect is unacceptable behavior for any Christian and, therefore, for any member of Calvary Baptist Church.
• Child abuse, as defined by law, generally includes (1) Physical injury or death inflicted upon a child by a parent, guardian, legal custodian, or other person responsible for the care of the child by other than accidental means, (2) Neglect of a child by a parent, guardian, legal custodian, or other person responsible for the care of the child, (3) Emotional abuse of a child, (4) Sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child (5) prenatal abuse of a child by a parent, (6) An act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to the child's physical, mental, or emotional health, (7)
or (8) Trafficking a child for labor servitude.1
1. Calvary Baptist Church shall screen all employees pursuant to its employee hiring policies prior to employment.
2. Calvary Baptist Church shall select all volunteers who might work with minors pursuant to its volunteer selection policies prior to their use as a volunteer.
3. Calvary Baptist Church shall provide proper supervision in its ministries to minors.
4. Calvary Baptist Church shall properly report child abuse and neglect.
5. Calvary Baptist Church shall properly respond to allegations of child abuse or neglect.
II. OUR POLICY REGARDING VOLUNTEER SELECTION
1. Every volunteer for regular services involving children at Calvary Baptist Church shall complete a Disclosure for Employment/Volunteer form and the Volunteer Service Form.
2. The Senior Pastor, or his representative, may check all references given by the applicant, record the results of his check, and place a copy in the volunteer’s file.
3. The Senior Pastor, or his representative, may check all churches at which applicant was a member during the previous five (5) years, record the results of his check and place a copy in the volunteer’s file.
4. The Senior Pastor, or his representative, shall conduct a criminal history check upon receipt of each volunteer's Disclosure for Employment/Volunteer form and the Volunteer Service Form and as well as every five years thereafter.
5. All volunteers, prior to approval, shall agree to abide by all church policies including, but not limited to, its policies on child abuse.
6. No one ever convicted of child abuse or neglect, any crime involving a minor if
1 https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/definitions-child-abuse-and-neglect- georgia/#:~:text='Child%20abuse'%20means%20any%20of,by%20other%20than%20accidental%20means
committed while an adult, or any sex crimes regardless of when committed, may be a volunteer which serves with minors at Calvary Baptist Church.
7. No one who ever pled guilty to, or nolo contendere, or in such a manner that he admits or does not deny, a charge of child abuse or neglect, any crime involving a minor if committed while an adult, or any sex crimes regardless of when committed, may be a volunteer which serves with children at Calvary Baptist Church.
8. No one, against whom a charge of child abuse or neglect, any crime involving a minor if committed while an adult, or any sex crimes regardless of when committed, is pending, may be a volunteer which serves with minors at Calvary Baptist Church.
9. No one, against whom a charge of child abuse or neglect, any crime involving a minor if committed while an adult, or any sex crimes regardless of when committed has been reported or charged, may be a volunteer which serves with minors at Calvary Baptist Church, until such report or charge has been thoroughly investigated by the Senior Pastor or his representative.
10. No one, who was the victim of child abuse or neglect or a sex crime, may be a volunteer which serves with minors at Calvary Baptist Church, until a criminal records check has been run. The Senior Pastor, or his representative, may also interview the applicant regarding those events.
11. Calvary Baptist Church shall maintain each volunteer’s records confidentially.
12. Volunteers who refuse to complete the Disclosure for Employment/Volunteer form or the Volunteer Service Form will be ineligible to minister in any area involving minors.
III. OUR POLICY REGARDING SUPERVISION
1. Adult workers will strive to avoid being alone with a minor - remembering that a 2- worker policy is best.
2. In all preschool departments, including the nursery, there shall always be at least two (2) adults or one (1) adult and one (1) high school student in the room.
3. No volunteer of Calvary Baptist Church may be entrusted with the responsibility of caring for minors until he shall have been a member or attended regularly for at least three (3) months.
4. If feasible, all rooms used for conducting meetings with minors shall have windows. If a room does not have a window, then the meeting should be moved if possible, and, if not, then the door should be left open.
5. Any employee or volunteer who observes conduct that is not child abuse or neglect but seems inappropriate shall immediately report that behavior to his supervisor and/or to Child Protective Services and the police.
6. Any employee or volunteer who observes conduct that he has reason to believe is child abuse or neglect, in addition to his reporting requirements, shall immediately stop such conduct, shall protect the minor from further conduct, and shall immediately comply with his reporting requirements.
7. It often becomes necessary to take minors to the bathroom. If minors are able to use the restroom by themselves one (1) adult will accompany the minors to the restroom and allow them to use it one at a time while remaining outside the restroom. If minors need assistance in using the restroom, then one (1) adult should assist the minor, leaving the door open, while another adult remains in position to view conduct in the bathroom.
8. On overnight trips involving minors, boys and girls shall be separated when sleeping.
9. Each minor left in the nursery and preschool department shall be given an identification sticker. A minor may be released only to their parent or an authorized person. (We are currently working towards getting our system up and running).
10. Each visiting minor left in the nursery, preschool, or children’s church department shall be released to their parent or an authorized person.
11. In all preschool departments, including nursery, a child’s parent or authorized adult must remain on the property when the child has been entered in the preschool or nursery.
IV. OUR POLICY REGARDING REPORTING CHILD ABUSE
1. Any member of Calvary Baptist Church who has reason to believe that a minor is a victim of child abuse or neglect shall immediately make an oral report to the local child protection service or law enforcement agency.
2. Such member shall also immediately report such belief to his immediate supervisor, if any, and if he has none, then to the highest-ranking employee or officer of Calvary Baptist Church he can reasonably locate.
3. Any church employee or officer who receives such a report shall immediately forward that report to the Senior Pastor or his representative (i.e. assistant pastor, ministry director, etc.).
4. The Senior Pastor, or his representative if he is unavailable, shall determine whether the person who initiated the report has complied with Georgia law. If that person has not, then the Senior Pastor or his representative shall remind him of this policy and the law which requires such a report.
V. OUR POLICY REGARDING RESPONSE TO A REPORT OF CHILD ABUSE
1. Calvary Baptist Church shall respond immediately to any report of child abuse or neglect.
2. The Senior Pastor, or his representative or appropriate ministry head, shall be responsible for responding to the report.
3. The Senior Pastor, or his representative or appropriate ministry head, shall talk with the witness unless he refuses. If the witness is a minor, then the Senior Pastor shall talk with him in the presence of his parents unless they refuse.
4. The Senior Pastor, or his appointed representative, is the sole person authorized to speak to the press regarding the report.
5. If the Senior Pastor or his appointed representative is unavailable, then the highest-ranking assistant pastor shall perform all the duties delegated above to the Senior Pastor.