Over the past week, the Penn State child abuse scandal has dominated the news and raised serious and important questions about what should have and could have been done to stop and prevent the alleged abuses. (For a summary of the case so far as well as insightful thoughts on what the church can learn from the Penn State scandal, I recommend “Rewriting Paterno’s Playbook” by Marian Liautaud, from our sister site ChurchLawandTax.com.) This devastating story has reminded us that child abuse can and does happen in places we would never expect–the more we recognize this reality, the more vigilant we will learn to be wherever children are present. It they are not protected by proper policies and practices, children’s ministries can be an easy target. It is essential that churches, in particular, continue to raise the bar when it comes to awareness.
As a leader, it is crucial to ensure that everyone in your ministry understands how to respond when they see, or even hear of, a situation that might compromise the safety of a child. Protect Your Children will help you walk through these issues with your leaders as you address these questions together. Reducing The Risk, a resource prepared especially for congregations by legal expert Richard Hammar, features an interactive, engaging DVD training program with 10 segments. Ministry leaders, volunteers and board members alike will learn first-hand from leading experts on how to screen and select workers, implement solid supervision policies and respond to allegations. In addition, our sister site ChurchSafety.com offers resources on Creating a Child Protection Policies as well as a Child Sexual Response Plan. We also have an interview with Richard Hammar on the legal issues surrounding situations of reported child abuse.
A crucial element of any ministry’s plan to protect children is a proper screening process for potential workers. “Screening Children’s Workers” will help you think through how you can better screen workers, and “People You Don’t Want in Your Ministry” will help you identify potential threats.
For an example of how other ministries have successfully handled this topic, see “Playing It Safe,” an interview with David Staal, our resident children’s ministry expert. He shares practical tips and best practices employed at Willow Creek Community Church’s children’s ministry, Promiseland, which has a weekly attendance of 3,000 children and 1,000 volunteers.
While if what is alleged to have happened at Penn State turns out to be true it is nothing short of a tragedy, its difficult reality can hopefully help to raise awareness and vigilance among those who have been entrusted with the care of children. How will your church respond?
