Organisations where children gather, such as churches, are also ones to which predators are drawn to be near young people. While we want to be invitational, we can unintentionally place our children and others at risk.
Thanks to the astuteness of the leadership in one of our communities of faith, what could have been a difficult situation with a recent volunteer was avoided. That person had a criminal record. Questions were asked.
The Chinook Winds Office reminds communities of faith and ministry staff that it’s wise to regularly revisit The United Church of Canada’s Duty of Care guidelines and to choose to do education programs on protecting children.
While getting police record checks for those who work with children is now the norm, it’s only one part of protecting our kids. Only 30 per cent of children who are sexually abused actually report what happened to them, so some predators go undetected and reported. Consequently, it’s good to have other screening methods and measure in place i.e. two screened leaders with children and youth at all times.
The Gospels are clear. Jesus loves children and of course, we agree. We are called to care for children and keep them safe.
The following is a link to Duty of Care guidelines, procedures and an online course recommended by The United Church of Canada: https://www.united-church.ca/leadership/church-administration/screening-volunteers-and-leaders