Plan to Protect | Policies & Procedures
Plan to Protect:
Document History / Grace Community Church (www.grace-church.ca)Based on material originally produced by…
· Grace Community Church (www.grace-church.ca)
· Creekside Church (www.creeksidechurch.ca)
· The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (www.paoc.org)
· Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (www.cmacan.org)
· Cornerstone Community Church (www.cornerstone.almonte.net)
· Evangel Tabernacle (www.evangelbc.org)
Version / 1.92
Date / November 2007
Outline
Introduction / 3
Chapter 1 – The Need for Action / 4
Chapter 2 – Abuse / 7
Chapter 3 – Church Vulnerability / 11
Chapter 4 – Standard Procedures / 12
Chapter 5 – Special Procedures / 16
Chapter 6 – Equipment & Facility Requirements / 19
Chapter 7 – Ministry Recruitment / 20
Chapter 8 – Responding to Abuse / 24
Chapter 9 – Implementation Procedures / 29
Chapter 10 – Accountability / 32
Appendixes / 33
Introduction
A simple prevention program can easily reduce many of these risks. This Plan to Protect document forms the basis of that program for Grace Community Church.
Grace Input / This plan is based on similar programs at other churches but also reflects input from Grace Community Church leaders. Input was requested from several ministry leaders, the Pastors, and the Elders. The current version reflects all comments received.
Further comments and contributions are welcome and encouraged. Please forward these to .
Grace’s Commitment / The Elders and Pastors have deemed that Plan to Protect will form the official care policy of Grace Community Church.
At Grace, we will be known for excellence in our programs: excellence in design, execution, and organization. This is our plan to protect.
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Plan to Protect | Policies & Procedures
Chapter 1 – The Need for Action
A Spiritual and Moral Duty / The gospel of Mark records that when people brought little children to Jesus, He took them in his arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.[1] As a church, it is our desire to bring people to Jesus, too. Because we are a reflection of God’s love to those in our care and we take our responsibility to them seriously, we must follow carefully what the Bible teaches:· Avoid every kind of evil. (I Thessalonians 5:22)
· There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, any kind of impurity, or greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)
· We must never cause others to sin. (Matthew 18:6, 1 Corinthians 9:8-9)
· If others sin against us, we’re called to go and show them their fault privately. If they don’t listen, we are to take one or two others along as witnesses. Then, if they still will not listen, we are to take it to the church. (Matthew 18:15-17)
Grace has a spiritual and moral duty to minister to individuals, families, adults, youth and children and so stresses the sanctity and importance of every life.
We believe that innocence is a gift given by God. Children and the vulnerable are naturally trusting. Children readily place their faith in adults who care for them. It is our responsibility as a church to safeguard that trust. We must plan to protect our church and, the safety of others dependent on Grace in some way (e.g. the elderly on occasion).
Children have neither power nor property. Voices other than their own must speak for them. - Justice Francis T. Murphy
The Risk of Abuse / There are few topics that create more emotion than that of abuse, especially if it involves children and is sexual in nature. The disturbing and traumatic rise of abuse has claimed the attention of Canadians.[2] Searching Google with the terms “church sex Ontario” yields pages of results and at least 20,000 children are abused each year in Canada.[3]
Incidents of abuse can occur in any church. While abuse cases involving Roman Catholic Priests may come first to mind it is important to consider that more children are sexually abused by volunteers in Protestant Churches than by priests in Roman Catholic Institutions - Canadian Ministry Resources, April 2002.
Churches have traditionally needed and accepted the services of anyone expressing an interest. Churches are by nature trusting and unsuspecting institutions. Church leaders may consider asking sensitive questions of potential volunteers as distasteful, not wanting to offend, especially long-time members with a history of good service. These qualities create risk.
Grace recognizes that formal guidelines and procedures will help prevent the opportunity for abuse. Sadly, local examples point out the risk and need to protect.[4]
The Potential Impact of Abuse / A single incident of abuse can rob a victim of their childhood and/or innocence and can potentially scar them for life - the emotional trauma affecting the parents and other family members.
The same incident could devastate and divide a church. Members and other attendees become outraged and bewildered, parents question whether members of their own families have been victimized, and many church programs are put in jeopardy. Church leaders face blame and guilt. Other results sometimes include extensive media and public attention and a perception that links the church with the incident. If a lawsuit occurs, the church can face enormous potential liability that can live on for years.
A tragic additional result is the money, people, and time consumed (and lost forever) dealing with an issue such as this, instead of building God’s kingdom.
FOR EXAMPLE: Terry begins attending Church “A” and soon volunteers to work with the youth group. Church staff members do not know Terry, but are delighted to have another worker. After a youth group overnight activity a few months later, two minors report Terry sexually molested them. The two minors will spend years dealing with their pain. The parents of one of the minors contact a lawyer, and a $3 million lawsuit is brought against Terry, Church “A”, and the church board. The parents claim that the church (and the board) acted negligently by not doing any background investigation before using Terry as a volunteer.
The Goal / This plan is designed to assist in recruiting and developing volunteers and, to the greatest extent possible, provide for the safety of those served by these volunteers. This plan is intended to help protect everyone from abuse of any kind, with special emphasis on protecting children and preventing sexual abuse.
In implementing this plan at Grace, we will:
· Protect children and the vulnerable of our church from abuse,
· Protect church staff and volunteers from false allegations of abuse, and
· Limit the risk and liability due to any such abuse.
Realistically, no practical prevention strategy is 100% effective. An accusation of abuse may occur in any church. Grace Community Church has a premeditated plan and strategy to respond to sexual abuse allegations (see Chapter 8). The church should not try to navigate a crisis situation without a compass to guide it. Wrong actions can multiply the pain and liability inherent in an abuse case.
The Plan / The Pastors and Elders of Grace Community Church have reviewed and adopted this document as official policy.
Everyone who teaches, helps, or cares for children, youth, or the vulnerable under the auspices of Grace Community Church is required to follow the guidelines and procedures defined in this document.
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Plan to Protect | Policies & Procedures
Chapter 2 –Abuse
Description and Types of Abuse / “Abuse” has the following characteristics:· It can be physical, emotional or sexual,
· It involves the misuse of power (e.g. taking advantage of the vulnerable), and
· Victims can include those with physical or mental disabilities.
The definition of a child according to the Child and Family Services Act of Ontario is a person under the age of 18.
Physical Abuse is using physical force or action that results, or could result, in injury. It is more than reasonable discipline[5]. Sometimes injury is caused by over-discipline. Injuring is not acceptable, regardless of differing cultural standards on discipline. Note: Within the context of the church, it is not permissible to strike a child.
Emotional Abuse is a pattern of hurting a child’s feelings to the point of damaging their self-respect. It includes—but is not limited to—verbal attacks on the child, insults, humiliation or rejection. A child or youth who is harmed may demonstrate severe anxiety, depression, withdrawal, self-destructive, or aggressive behaviour.
Sexual Abuse occurs when a person is used by another for sexual stimulation or gratification. Sexual activity between children may be considered abusive if older or more powerful children take sexual advantage of those younger or less powerful.
“Child sexual abuse” is defined as…
· Exposure of the child to sexual stimulation inappropriate for his age and role;
· The sexual exploitation of a child who is not developed mentally, capable of understanding or resisting the contact; or
· A child or adolescent who may be psychologically or socially dependent upon the perpetrator.”[6]
It may be…
· Of a touching nature (fondling, oral/genital/anal penetration, intercourse, forcible rape), or
· Of a non-touching nature (comments, pornography, obscene phone calls, exhibitionism, or allowing children to witness sexual activity).
The full extent of child sexual abuse is not known but estimates suggest that 500,000-1.5 million children are sexually abused in North America each year.
Symptoms of Abuse / Workers must be aware of this pain and long term suffering that can accompany such abuse. Church workers and staff should be alert to the physical signs of abuse as well as to behavioural and verbal signs that a victim may exhibit:
· 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, or venereal disease.
· Behavioural signs may include anxiety when approaching church or nursery area, nervous or hostile behaviour toward adults, sexual self-consciousness, “acting out” sexual behaviour, or withdrawal from activities or friends.
· Verbal signs may include statements such as “I don’t like ___”, or “___ does things with me when we’re alone”, or “I don’t like to be alone with ___”, or “___ fooled around with me”.
Children vs. Vulnerable / The Plan to Protect document is intended to provide guidance for the care of those who are legal minors as well as those who may be vulnerable in the course of normal ministries (e.g. seniors or adults with mental challenges).
From a care point of view, members of these other groups often require care similar to that of children or youth. They may have impaired judgement, the inability to care for themselves, or to accurately assess the effect of their actions.
Although this document uses terminology focussed on children and youth, this can be easily extended to apply in other situations of diminished capacity or increased vulnerability. It helps to remember that any grey areas can (and sometimes are) second-guessed by courts, the media, and the families of those in Grace’s care. In all cases, the reader is encouraged to use good judgement and a desire to be a “good and faithful servant”.
The High Cost of Abuse / Abuse robs victims of their childhood and/or innocence and can potentially scar its victims for life. In the past, too often the effects of abuse were minimized or dismissed. Children were viewed as being most resilient but recent research has shown that children can suffer significant pain from even a single abusive incident. Abused children can display a wide range of negative effects: abnormal fears, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), aggressive behaviour, sexual “acting out”, depression, diffused sexual identity, and poor self-esteem.[7] Sexually transmitted diseases are yet-another possible outcome.
The personal violation of child sexual abuse causes the victim to experience many losses…including loss of childhood memories, loss of healthy social contact, loss of the opportunity to learn, loss of bodily integrity, loss of identity and self-esteem, loss of trust, loss of sexual maturity, and loss of self-determination. All of these personal violations mean that victims of child sexual abuse lose the child’s right to a normal childhood. In adulthood it may also mean the loss of the capacity to appreciate sexual intimacy as nurturing, holy and loving.
- The Report of the Winter Commission, 1990, Vol. 1, p.118
The consequences extend to adulthood. Studies of adult survivors of sexual abuse suggest effects which include sexual dysfunction, eating disorders, substance abuse, promiscuity, disassociation from emotions, and sometimes abuse of others.
If the abuser is a known and trusted authority figure, the impact to the victim increases dramatically. When church leaders, pastors, or respected workers perpetrate the abuse, lifelong religious confusion and deep feelings of hostility toward God and the church can result. The effects can also range well beyond the individual abused.
The Profile of an Abuser / Who is the typical molester? Stereotypes of strangers in trench coats and dirty old men are both inaccurate and misleading.
Researchers in the field of child sexual abuse indicate that no one profile fits all perpetrators. Offenders can be young adults, married, may have children, etc.
We cannot become preoccupied with stereotypes while ignoring those perceived to be in a “lower-risk” category.
FOR EXAMPLE: Chris, a long-time attendee of the church, sat dejectedly before the church board, his broad shoulders slumped as he tearfully retold his story. Bob has been sexually molesting his thirteen-year-old daughter for the last two years. This activity may have gone undetected except that Bob tried to abuse his daughter’s girlfriend while chaperoning a Sunday School activity. The young girl reported the incident to her parents and Bob was apprehended. The church leaders hearing this confession sat in disbelief. How could Bob, a successful businessman, husband, father of three children, and respected church worker commit such actions?
Consider this:
If abuse were to occur at Grace, it could be at the hands of anyone…Sunday School teachers, leaders, teens, adults, peers. Strangers are one risk but in the majority of incidents, the victim knows his/her abuser. Often, the abuse takes place within the context of an ongoing relationship.
Chapter 3 – Church Vulnerability