How to Improve Safety
In conjunction with its findings, Zero Abuse also suggests that Menlo Church make several changes to safeguard children. These include bolstering its safety policies, training team members about mandatory reporting, hiring a full-time director of child protection, and pursuing restorative justice to regain church members’ trust.
On its website, Menlo Church states that it’s “committed to reviewing and evaluating all of the report’s recommendations.” The church also lists several steps it has added “in the last two years…to improve the safety of our children.”
During its review, Zero Abuse did find a separate case of misconduct by a church staff member, who has since been terminated. While working at another church, that person allegedly requested nude pictures from a teen.
