Policies for the Prevention

of Child Abuse for

Westwood United Methodist Church

Table of Contents

Effective June 26, 2012

Part I: Introduction and General Provisions 1

Preamble 1

Definitions 1

General Policy Statement 4

Administration 4

Standards 4

Private Conversations 5

Part II: Recruiting and Selecting Workers 6

Policy Statement 6

Recruiting and Selection Tools 7

Screening Requirements 7

Worker Qualifications 7

Procedures 8

Confidentiality 9

Part III: Worker Supervision 10

Policy Statement 10

General Rules and Procedures 11

Nursery Rules and Procedures 12

Restroom Rules and Procedures 12

Overnight Rules and Procedures 12

Training and Education 12

Part IV: Reporting 13

General Policy Statement 13

Reporting Requirements 13

Reporting Procedures 15

Guiding Principles 16

Part V: Responding 16

General Goals and Objectives 16

Investigation 16

Procedures 17

Interpretations and Modifications 17

Youth Policy 19

Effective Dates 20

Part I: Introduction and General Provisions

Preamble

Children are precious to God and the Church. The Westwood United Methodist Church is dedicated to ensuring that all children in our care continue to grow healthily, happily and spiritually in a safe and caring Christian environment. As a result, we have developed and implemented policies for the prevention of child physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse. The purposes of our policies are to protect:

·  Present and future children, who will grow up to do God’s service,

·  Our paid and unpaid workers from false allegations of abuse, and

·  Our children’s ministries, so that we may continue to serve all children effectively and lovingly.

To achieve these purposes, our child abuse policies and procedure encompass:

·  The selection and supervision of all Child Care Workers, and

·  The reporting and responding to allegations of child abuse and neglect.

These policies are intended to supplement and not replace the continuing mission of our Church to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of both the victims and perpetrators of child abuse. Those services are endorsed and encouraged as they continue to be extremely important in the ministry of our Church.

Definitions

·  For the purposes of these policies, the following definitions shall apply:

·  Adult: A person 18 years of age or older.

·  Applicant: A person who is applying to be approved as a Child Care Worker.

·  Appropriate: Conduct that one could reasonably assume would be acceptable and permissible by a child’s parent or guardian.

·  Child: A person under 18 years of age.

·  Child abuse: Harm or threatened harm to a child’s health or welfare, which occurs through non-accidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment, by a parent, a legal guardian, or any other person responsible for the child’s health or welfare, or by a volunteer, child-care worker, or a member of the clergy.

·  Child Care Worker: Any pastor, employee, lay leader, volunteer, or any other person who provides services, care, or supervision to a child in a church-related activity or to a child in any activity on church premises.

·  Child neglect: Harm or threatened harm to a child’s health or welfare by a parent, guardian or any other person responsible for the child’s health or welfare. Neglect falls into one of these two categories:

1. Failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, and/or protection from child abuse, or

2. Failure to intervene to eliminate risk to the child’s health or welfare, when

that person is able to do so, and has, or should have, knowledge of that risk.

·  Children’s Protective Services: The Children’s Protective Services Division of the Department of Social Services in the State of Michigan.

·  Church: The Westwood United Methodist Church, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

·  District Superintendent: The District Superintendent of the Kalamazoo District of the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church.

·  Employee: Any individual receiving a wage or salary from the Church, including all full-time and part-time employees, but excluding the pastor(s).

·  Facility User Child Care Worker: Any person who, on behalf of an organization other than the Church (i.e. preschool), provides any services, care, guidance, assistance, or supervision for a child (whether or not involved in a Church-related function, activity, event or program) on or in the Church facilities more than 12 days in a calendar year.

·  Investigation: The act of collecting evidence and information, in a detailed, systematic manner, relevant to a suspected case of child abuse or neglect.

·  Parent or guardian: Any parent, step-parent, foster parent, grandparent, or appointed guardian who has the general responsibility for the child’s health, education, or welfare.

·  Pastor: The senior pastor or any associate pastor of the Westwood United Methodist Church.

·  Sexual abuse: Any form of violent or nonviolent sexual conduct in which a minor is being used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator, regardless of whether the child consents to such conduct. Sexual abuse includes (but is not limited to):

·  Any sexual contact (e.g., fondling) or sexual penetration (oral, genital or anal) with a child,

·  Sexual exploitation,

·  Sexual harassment,

·  Disseminating, exhibiting, or displaying sexually explicit material to a child,

·  Sexually suggestive comments and/or obscene phone calls,

·  Exhibitionism, and

·  Allowing children to witness sexual activity.

·  Sexual contact: The intentional touching of a child’s intimate parts or the clothing covering the immediate areas of the child’s intimate parts.

·  Sexual exploitation: Allowing, permitting, or encouraging a child to engage in prostitution; the photographing, filming, or depicting of a child engaged in actual or suggestive sexual conduct.

·  Sexual harassment: Any sexual advance, activity, or demand, either verbally or physically, which is demeaning, intimidating, or coercive.

·  Sexual penetration: Sexual intercourse or any other intrusion, however slight, of any part of one’s body, or of any object, into any intimate part of a child’s body. (If a child is manipulated to penetrate the body of another person, it is legally considered penetration by the person coercing that act.)

·  Sexually explicit material: Any printed matter, picture, sculpture, or sound recording which can reasonably be construed as being produced for the purpose of stimulating sexual excitement, arousal, or gratification.

·  Shall/will, should, or may: These terms were carefully used to convey different meanings in these policies. Shall and will mean mandatory, may means permitted, and should is a term of strong encouragement.

·  Volunteer: Any person, not an employee, who provides any services, care, guidance, assistance, or supervision for any child in a Church-related function, activity, event, or program.


General Policy Statement

It is the policy of this Church to protect all children from all forms of child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, sexual molestation, exposure to sexually explicit material, and neglect. It is also the policy of this Church to encourage everyone to avoid any appearance of such conduct; our purpose is to prevent false accusations of this nature against anyone providing services involving children in our Church.

Administration

The primary responsibility for the implementation and enforcement of these Child Abuse Prevention Policies is assigned to the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. It is the responsibility of the pastor, all Church members and Child Care Workers to cooperate and assist in the implementation of these policies under the direction and supervision of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

It is the explicit intent of the Westwood United Methodist Church to implement and interpret these policies fairly, consistently, and with respect for the privacy of the individual.

Standards

Prohibited Conduct

To achieve the goal of preventing any child abuse or the potential of false accusations of child abuse, Child Care Workers shall not engage in conduct including but not limited to the following: (It is the intent that Child Care Workers will always engage in appropriate conduct with children.)

·  Child abuse,

·  Child sexual abuse,

·  Sexual exploitation of a child,

·  Sexual harassment of a child,

·  Sexual molestation of a child,

·  Disseminating, exhibiting, or displaying sexually explicit material to children,

·  Child neglect,

·  Hitting, striking, kicking, slapping, or shoving a child,

·  Selling, giving, or furnishing any child with any tobacco substance, alcohol, or controlled drugs,

·  Swearing or using obscene, foul, demeaning, or sexually explicit language in the presence of a child,

·  Demonstrating any romantic or sexual interest in a child,


Prohibited Conduct (Continued)

·  Engaging in romantic or sexual activity in a child’s presence,

·  Changing the diapers of any child except as permitted in these policies,

·  Wearing anything but appropriate attire in the presence of a child,

·  Kissing any child on the lips or on an intimate part of the body,

·  Extended or inappropriate hugging or embracing of a child,

·  Sleeping in the same bed or bedding with any child,

·  Remaining in any room, parked vehicle, or private place alone with a child except as permitted in these policies,

·  Assisting any child in a restroom except as permitted in these policies,

·  Encouraging, contributing, causing, or tending to cause any child to become neglected or delinquent, and

·  Denying anyone, who is not a threat to a child, access into a room, vehicle, or other place in which the Worker is present with a child.

Permitted Conduct

It is natural, appropriate, and desirable for Christians to express their love and affection for each other and Christ. This is considered essential to the healthy emotional and spiritual well-being and growth of a loving and caring Christian community, its adult members, and especially, its children. The expressing of one’s Christian love to a child shall not be considered to be child abuse or in any way prohibited, restricted, or limited by these Child Abuse Prevention Policies.

The following conduct by a Child Care Worker shall be permitted under the terms of these policies:

·  Verbally expressing Christian love and affection to a child,

·  Appropriately holding and comforting a child,

·  Occasionally and appropriately hugging or embracing a child, especially when this contact is initiated by the child,

·  Sharing emotional and spiritual concerns with a child,

·  Providing necessary medical care and attention to a child, and

·  Encouraging children to express their Christian love for one another and Christ.

Private Conversations

Children should be provided with the opportunity to engage in private conversations with adult Child Care Workers. However, for the protection of both the child and the adult Child Care Worker such conversations shall occur in an area in plain view of others.


Part II: Recruiting and Selecting Workers

Policy Statement

All Child Care Workers shall satisfactorily complete the recruiting and selection process required in these Policies before being permitted to work with, or provide any services to, children. Individuals who have not satisfactorily completed this process will not be permitted by the Church to work with children in any capacity.

Recruiting and Selection Tools

Westwood United Methodist Church will use the following tools in its screening of applicants for paid or unpaid positions that involve working with children. Not all tools are required for all positions; the next section of this policy, “Screening Requirements,” identifies the specific tools that must be used for individual positions and/or categories of positions within the Church.

Conference Approval (Applicable to Pastors only): The applicant must be appointed by the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church to service as a pastor of the Church.

Application: Any other applicant for a paid position must complete and sign an Application for Employment, using a form approved by the Church, and provide the Church with a current resume.

Screening Form for Work with Children or Youth (also called “Screening Form”): The applicant shall complete this form, which shall then be reviewed by at least two members of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee or one member of this Committee plus another person designated by the Committee.

Reference Check: A person designated by the Staff-Parish Relations Committee will contact one or more individuals familiar with the applicant to seek information regarding the suitability of the applicant to work with children in the Church.

Personal Interview: The applicant must be personally interviewed by either two members of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee or one member of this Committee plus another person designated by the Committee.

Criminal Record Check: If a criminal history record of the applicant is deemed necessary after a screening review, it must be obtained from the appropriate law enforcement agencies located in any state in which the applicant has resided:

·  For a period of at least one year within the last 15 years, and

·  While at least 18 years of age.

Other: The applicant shall submit to any other screening requested by the Staff-Parish Relations Committee.

Screening Requirements

Each applicant shall satisfactorily complete the minimum screening requirements outlined in the table below.

Table of Screening Requirements

Child Care Worker / Minimum Required Screening
Pastor / Conference Approval
Other Paid Staff / Application or Resume
Screening Form
Reference Check
Personal Interview
Criminal Record Check*
Staff-Parish Relations Committee Members, Education/Children’s Council, as well as any other workers involved in the administration of this policy / Screening Form
Reference Check*
Personal Interview*
Criminal Record Check*
Volunteers / Fulfillment of Six-Month Rule (See next page.)
Screening Form
Reference Check*
Personal Interview*
Criminal Record Check*
Facility User Child Care Workers / Forms and process reasonably comparable to this Church’s

*If considered necessary after review of the Screening Form.

Worker Qualifications

·  Six-Month Rule: Any unpaid Child Care Worker shall be required to be a member the Westwood United Methodist Church or a frequent, known participant in the Church for a period of at least six months.

·  Minimum Age Rule: All Child Care Workers shall be at least twelve years of age.

·  No one shall be permitted to serve as a Child Care Worker who, in the belief of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee or the pastor, may represent a potential threat of committing child sexual abuse or violating any of the provisions contained in these Policies for the Prevention of Child Abuse.