Caring for the Safety of our Children

Risk management, also known in Unity as "Sacred Safety," is about keeping our children and adults safe through policies, procedures and practices that seek to reduce the possibility of injury, loss or dangerous situations. This, in turn, reduces the church's liability risk. Continually educating the families, volunteers, staff and congregation on your plan is an important part of this process. Below you will find information on key components to create Sacred Safety which include: doing background screening, finding resources, examples of policy and procedure handbooks, and a sample press release.

Background Screening

At the Association of Unity Churches International we strongly suggest and encourage individual Unity ministries to conduct background screening on all adults - either paid staff or volunteers - working with minors. Click here for a pdf document containing additional information on steps involved in background screening.

Resources 

Some sites that we highly recommend for information and training on risk management are:

Reducing the Risk offers a Reducing the Risk II resource kit including six training videos on DVD, a reference book, and a training manual; an online resource center (year's subscription free with purchase of kit), online testing center, screening forms and additional resources. Go to www.reducingtherisk.com for more information.

Group's Church Volunteer Central seeks to equip churches for volunteer effectiveness. This site offers articles, background checks, training modules, forms, and access to a volunteer expert on the phone. Go to https://shop.grouppublishing.com/cvc/ for more information.

For background checks: VolunteerSelect is a charitable initiative of ChoicePoint inc. (ChoicePoint Inc.is affiliated with Secure Point.) It offers subsidized pricing to encourage social service organizations to protect their clients through the adoption of high-quality background screening programs. Go to www.volunteerselect.com to check it out.

To view the PowerPoint slide show about Risk Management from 2005 Convention Workshop click here. You can choose to open and view within your browser, or download it to your local PC and view.

For information on screening volunteers and reporting procedures for suspected abuse, here is an excerpt from Chapter 16 of the Youth and Family Ministry Guide: For Directors, Ministers and Volunteers, #1610, $36.95. This invaluable resource is a "must-have" for all Unity churches with children/teens/families. Order the guide for the whole chapter plus information on job descriptions, training, and administration.

Policy and Procedural Handbooks

Policy and procedural handbooks are a must for churches. Here are three examples. Unity of Olympia, Olympia, WA, Unity Centre of Practical Christianity, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and Tampa Unity Church, Tampa, FL

Press Release

It is strongly encouraged that the church has a prepared release statement for the press. Here is an example taken from a current news article.

"The First Church of Christ believes that children are created by God as precious gifts. Unfortunately, we currently live in a world that does not always appreciate the value of God's precious children. Therefore, children must depend upon adults for safety and security. When the accusations were made, the volunteer accused was promptly released from his/her responsibilities and Tracy Watson, detective for the Boone County Sheriff's Department was immediately notified. The Church leaders have cooperated fully with their investigation."

"At First Church, children are a valued part of our ministry and worship. This is the reason First Church provides a safe place for its children to be nurtured and hear the good news of God's love and protection. Therefore, First Church takes seriously our responsibilities in protecting our children and teaching them God's perfect love."

For more information and resources, go to www.childwelfare.gov. This site provides information and resources on child abuse - overview, prevention, reporting requirements for each state, and more.