Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy

Finalized: April, 2003

Rationale: Incidents of sexual molestation of minors by staff; volunteers, members and their children can occur in any church. Hundreds of churches have faced this situation. We created this policy to prevent child sexual abuse to protect our children, the institution, and the volunteers working with minors. Doing nothing to respond to this significant risk 1) puts children at greater risk of harm, and 2) may subject the church to severe legal and social consequences.

I. Definition of Child Sexual Abuse.

Child sexual abuse is the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child (person 18 years of age or younger) to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct.

This includes (but is not limited to):

• fondling of breasts, buttocks, and/or genital areas;
• oral, genital, and anal penetration;
• intercourse;
• verbal threats or discussion about sexual behavior
• exhibitionism

The conduct is prohibited between adult and youths, youth and youth if there is significant gap in development or age, and between youth and youth if there is any form of coercion. The simulation or the inducement of others to simulate any of the aforementioned activities for the purpose of visual depiction of such conduct is prohibited.

Engaging in any of the above activities is wrong and those who commit such acts may be subject to criminal prosecution.

II. Definition of Inappropriate Sexual Behavior around Minors:

In a church, there is often opportunity for personal contact between adults and children/youth. In those interactions, some conduct may be harmful to a child or youth that is not definable as sexual abuse. The motives for such behavior are often unknowable and could fall anywhere from innocent to malicious. Such conduct can harm children and disrupt the wellbeing of the congregation.

The behaviors listed below are of deep concern within our community and need to be addressed immediately and corrected.

• sexual or suggestive verbal comments;
• showing sexually explicit audio/visual materials;
• obscene or harassing phone calls;
• allowing children to witness sexual activity
• behavior that a minor reports as uncomfortable or that did not terminate upon the minor’s request for termination.

Any behavior of concern to a participant in this community should be reported in accordance with this policy. The qualified team specified in Section IV-A will determine if the behavior must be addressed within the congregation, and will determine with non-offending caregiver(s) of the child if a report should be made to the proper authorities. Our goal will be to keep the response proportionate to the behavior, when we believe that the situation is not better handled by appropriate authorities.

Church-sponsored programs such as religious education classes, sexuality education and other special activities that include audio-visual materials with sexual content or discussion of sexual nature for the purposes of education may be completed with the advance permission and approval of parents/guardians. Such activities are not a violation of this policy. Inquiries about sexual content in curriculum should be addressed with the Director of Religious Education.

III. Reporting Procedures

A. Rationale: An effective reporting procedure enhances the effort to protect children. Ordinarily, child molesters will not remain in a church where workers are trained to identify symptoms of child abuse and are encouraged to report suspicious behavior. Abusers thrive on secrecy and are more likely to commit criminal acts in organizations where they go unnoticed.

B. Procedures: Any person who witnesses or suspects a violation of these policies in the form of sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual behavior is obligated to report this information to either the Director of Religious Education (DRE) or the Minister as soon as practicable.

C. What to look for: A person needs to report to the DRE or Minister when they see someone act contrary to these policies and/or if a child displays any of these indications:

1. Physical signs may include:

• lacerations and bruises
• nightmares
• irritation, pain, or injury to the genital area
• difficulty with urination
• discomfort when sitting
• torn or bloody underclothing
• venereal disease

2. Behavioral signs may include:

• anxiety when approaching church or nursery area
• nervous or hostile behavior toward adults
• sexual self-consciousness
• “acting out” of sexual behavior
• withdrawal from church activities and friends

3. Verbal signs may include the following statements:

• I don’t like [a particular church worker]
• [A church worker] does things to me when we’re alone
• I don’t like to be alone with [a church worker]
• [A church worker] fooled around with me

IV. Response to Allegations of Abuse or Inappropriate Sexual Behavior

All allegations of abuse or inappropriate sexual behavior will be taken seriously and handled in accordance with the following procedure.

A. A qualified team including the Minister, the DRE, and a designated member of the Board of Trustees will be assembled to inquire about the incident or concern. If the Board Member designated for this purpose is not available, then the President or Co-Presidents appoint another Board Member to the team. If one of the members of the qualified team is accused, then the president(s) must participate on the qualified team and the accused will not participate.

1) When sexual abuse is alleged, the church will not engage in denial, minimization or blame, and the following steps will be taken:

a. Notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the child or youth involved and appropriate authorities. DCFS Hotline 800-25-ABUSE or Elgin Police at 9-1-1.

b. Contact lawyer and have attorney present while answering investigative questions from police or social service agencies.

c. Contact church’s insurance carrier.

d. Appoint a person from the qualified team to act as spokesperson; only s/he will answer questions about the matter. Recommend that church members refer all questions and/or concerns to the congregation’s spokesperson. Prepare the spokesperson with a planned statement and clarification of confidential information that is not to be released.

e. Determine if a prepared position statement should be released. This statement will include a clear expression of concern about the problem of child sexual abuse, the extensive steps the church has taken to reduce the risk and provide a safe environment, and concern for the victims.

f. Keep records in a secure location.

g. The team will put into place restrictions for the alleged perpetrator to ensure the safety of all parties involved by imposing:

• Appointing a mandatory monitor for the alleged perpetrator to prevent him or her from being alone with a child or youth at any time while on the church property. The monitor would not have to be the same person throughout the restriction period, and the monitor should not be a member of the qualified team.
• Prohibiting the alleged perpetrator from holding any roles in working with children or youth.

h. If the alleged perpetrator is unwilling to comply with the restrictions above, he or she will be barred from all church activities.

i. Review the restrictive guidelines upon outcome of case with the adult involved.

2) In situations when inappropriate sexual behavior is alleged, the team will assess the situation by:

a) Talking with the child and his or her (non-offending) parent(s) or guardian(s).

b) Talking with the accused adult and any other possible witnesses to the incident(s). In meeting with the adult involved or alleged perpetrator, an explanation of the violation will be explained and the policy will be reviewed.

c) All inappropriate behavior will be assessed for potential danger based on the definition of abuse provided as well as the information provided by the persons interviewed.

3) In cases where a report of abuse may be warranted, the team will avoid delving into any more information about the incident in order to allow the authorities to make their professional investigation without contamination by conversations conducted by non-professional church volunteers. If abuse is reported by parents or the church, follow procedures for IV-A-1 (a-I).

4) The team will immediately impose the restrictions that they find appropriate on the accused adult.

1. Restrictions may include but are not limited to the following list:

• Imposing a mandatory adult partner at all times for the accused adult when working with youth or children.
• Prohibit the accused adult from working with youth permanently or temporarily.
• Prohibit any contact with youth without another adult present.
• Appointing a mandatory monitor for the alleged perpetrator to prevent him or her from being alone with a child or youth at any time while on the church property.

2. If a second offense occurs, the team will impose more serious restrictions on the adult involved and will prohibit his or her work with youth or children. Adults with restrictions imposed may request the lifting of restrictions after one year with no further offenses.

B. Confidentiality.

1) When conducting any type of investigation or assessment of a situation, the team will maintain strict confidentiality about the incident and all persons involved.

2) The team will impress upon those involved in the situation the importance of not talking about the situation outside of their immediate families in order to protect each of the parties involved and the integrity of the investigation. An informational meeting may be prudent if other youth and/or parents are aware of the situation at hand.

3) In cases when media is involved or general knowledge of the situation is high, the congregation will be reminded to refer to spokesperson with questions or concerns.

4) The team will emphasize with young persons involved that the confidentiality is about privacy, and not about shame or guilt.

C. Incident Reports. The minister and/or the DRE will complete an incident report about all allegations of abuse which will include the following:

1) Documentation of the allegation or concern

2) Notes about interviews with involved parties

3) Documentation of any reports made to authorities.

4) Safety plans implemented or sanctions imposed.

V. Board Preparation. The Board of Trustees shall:

A. Prepare a statement for potential release regarding the position and policy of the church regarding sexual abuse of minors.

B. Appoint a member of the Board of Trustees to serve on the qualified team if needed.

C. Ensure that team members are aware of their responsibilities and understand their potential to be called as a spokesperson if any allegations of sexual abuse arise.

D. Ensure that staff and other church leadership have appropriate training to carry out the duties and responsibilities mandated within this policy.

VI. Education of Parents and Youth. These policies and information about sexual abuse will be presented to the youth and their parents at least once a year by appropriately prepared staff or volunteers.

VII. Screening Procedures

A. All paid employees and volunteers participating any position involving the custody or supervision of minors, who are eighteen and over, shall be screened prior to working with children. Those already doing so will also be screened. The information gathered through the screening process is strictly confidential and will be maintained in a locked file.

Screening Procedures will include:

• an employment or volunteer application
• a personal interview
• reference checks, and
• completion of a criminal records authorization form and DCFS check
• a signed statement that the person has read the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy and agrees to follow the policies with respect to working with youth.

1. Application. At a minimum, the application should ask for the following:

• the applicant’s name (identity should be confirmed by a state driver’s license or other photographic identification)
• address & phone
• occupation & employer
• special hobbies or interests
• the area(s) of youth work in which the applicant is interested
• why the applicant wants to work with youth
• does the person have a valid driver’s license and automobile liability insurance?
• any training, education, or experience in youth-related work
• a description of applicant’s church membership over the past five years
• a description of applicant’s church volunteer work over the past five years
• a description of any of the applicant’s youth work (at churches or any other organization) over the past five years.
• information on any criminal convictions
• the names, addresses, and phone numbers of two references who are not related to the applicant.

2. Personal Interview. All individuals working with youth shall be interviewed by a responsible staff member or volunteer who has been trained to screen youth workers. The personal interview will include, among other things, questions pertaining to how the applicant was parented and disciplined as a child, whether they have ever been accused of child sexual abuse or physical abuse, and whether they have been victims of child abuse. This information shall be treated as confidential and only used by those designated to administer these policies. An interview format will be developed by an informed group and approved by the RE Council.

3. References And Prior Church Involvement The church will contact each reference and each church in which the applicant has indicated prior experience in working with youth. A written record of each contact will be kept showing the date and method of the contact, the person making the contact as well as the person contacted, and a summary of the reference’s remarks. Such forms, when completed, should be kept with an individual’s original application and maintained as confidential.

4. Criminal Records Checks. Every paid worker and volunteer must sign an authorization to do a criminal records check. The form should be completed by every applicant (paid or volunteer) for any position involving the custody or supervision of minors. The application shall also be completed by current employees and volunteer workers having custody or supervision over minors.

a) The Director of Religious Education will submit forms and will keep all results in a locked file.

b) Responses reporting no offenses or an offense that is not relevant to the care and supervision of minors will be kept on file and the volunteer will be approved for service.

c) Responses reporting offenses that may preclude an applicant from working with minors will be addressed with the applicant and a determination of eligibility will be made by the DRE, the minister, and other consulting members, if required. This discussion and determination will be held in strict confidence to ensure that the applicant’s privacy and continued comfort in the church community is protected.

B. Screening Guidelines

1) A person must be a member or have attended regularly of the church for a minimum of 6 months before they are allowed to work with children or youth.

2) No one who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to either child sexual or physical abuse will be allowed to work with children or youth.

C. Guidelines For Supervising Youth

1) Religious Education Teachers. In the case of Sunday morning religious education classes, including the nursery, each class will have at least one adult teacher and a Sunday supervisor who periodically checks on the classes throughout the morning.

2) Children and Youth Activities. At other church sponsored activities involving children and youth, at least two adult supervisors must be present.

3) Transportation. Transportation to and from a youth conference may be done by a single adult with permission of the parents of the participating youth. The Director of Religious Education and/or the Minister must be consulted as well.

4) Child Care. Any time childcare is offered at least two caregivers must be present.

5) Special Circumstances. In those situations where an adult staff member or volunteer has a legitimate reason to be alone with a child, he or she needs to obtain consent of the child’s parent or guardian before spending time in an unsupervised situation. The Director of Religious Education and/or the Minister must be notified as well.

6) Overnight Activities. Overnight activities involving youth must be approved by either the DRE or the Minister and must be chaperone by at least two adults of different gender.

7) Volunteer Training. As part of any training or orientation of volunteers or staff, these policies will be discussed.