T – Train
Training for all employees and volunteers should occur before they have an opportunity to interact with children. Anyone in your ministry who has not received training should do so immediately. Training should cover: 1) Recognition of a child abuser, 2) Identifying victims of abuse, 3) Appropriate interaction with children, including physical touch and discipline, 4) Verification of identity for child pick-up, 5) How to report abuse, and 6) General safety, such as CPR.
Education is a significant step in protecting children from abuse. Training equips your employees and volunteers with the tools they need to recognize, report and prevent child abuse.
O – Operate
Screening and training are not effective unless you operate your ministry so you know what is happening on your premises. Instilling good practices will prevent negligent supervision and let your staff, volunteers and parents know that you have safety at the top of your priorities.
One important practice that will prevent a negligent supervision claim is the “Two-Deep Rule.” The Two-Deep Rule means that a child is with at least two unmarried and unrelated adults at all times. A child should never be alone with one adult or even two adults who are married or related to one another. By ensuring two unrelated adults are always with children, you will deter misconduct; and if there is a false allegation of abuse, you have a witness who can verify nothing improper occurred.
P – P.L.A.N.
Should there be reported abuse, your response is critical. Immediately, contact your church’s attorney. After contacting the church’s attorney you will need to respond to the incident. Each state has specific reporting laws that carry criminal consequences for noncompliance. To help you respond, I have created a second acronym, PLAN: Prevent, Listen, Assemble and Notify. These steps will help you respond in an ethical, professional and effective manner.
First, PREVENT interaction. Regardless of how baseless you believe the claim is, you must prevent any further contact between the alleged wrongdoer and any children.
Second, LISTEN to the report. Once again, regardless of how unlikely the claim may be, you must never ignore a report of child abuse. You should never shuffle the alleged offender to another staff or volunteer position. Always investigate the matter thoroughly.
ASSEMBLE a response team. This response team should be made up of leadership in the church and your church’s attorney. The role of the team is to perform internal fact-finding.
Finally, you must follow your NOTIFICATION procedures. Any communication to the church or even a meeting with parents should be carefully planned and include the church’s attorney. If the abuse involved the victim’s parents, communication with them is not appropriate. Instead, you should consult the church’s attorney.
When a church is faced with allegations of abuse, the use of S.T.O.P. will allow you to confidently know everything within your power was done to protect the children in your care. This will go a long way with your congregation, the public and even a jury.
Cost is the most common argument against any program, such as The Guardian System and tools such as S.T.O.P. However, no price can be put on the safety of the children in your care, and no court will see budget restraints as a defense to negligent hiring or negligent supervision.