Preventing Sexual Misconduct,
Physical Abuse and Harassment
We acknowledge that preventing sexual misconduct, physical abuse and harassment in our church communities and in society is a complex goal. Prevention education, training, careful hiring, and safety procedures are concrete steps toward creating a safer environment for all concerned.
A. Education and Training:
Education and training is critical to the creation of a safer church environment. Information, knowledge, and understanding support the development of healthy relationships based on self-esteem and respect for others. Greater understanding of sexuality and abuse will make us better able to avoid situations that could lead to abuse, and to move more effectively toward justice and healing for us all. To this end we believe it is important to promote self-esteem and personal responsibility among our children and our adult membership. We will provide programs as follows:
1. The Director of Religious Education and Religious Education Committee are responsible to:
a. Offer age-appropriate information about development and sexuality for our children, youth, and adults on a regular basis, including clarification and understanding of the complex aspects of sexuality, as well as a focus on sexual abuse prevention and
b. Keep church workers, volunteer teachers, advisors and parents informed of this policy and review it at least annually through the use of the following:
1) the Code of Ethics for Those Working with Children and Youth at The First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, herein identified as The Code of Ethics ,
2) the Affirmation for Those Working with Children and Youth, herein identified as The Affirmation , and
3) Safety Procedures, as described iin Section D below, to create a safer space for everyone.
2. The Safe-Congregation Task Force is taking short-term responsibility to:
a. Promote congregational awareness about this policy. As part of this we will insure that all church members are aware of The Code of Ethics for Those Working with Children and Youth at The First Universalist Church of Yarmouth.
b. Inform church members and attendees regarding resources that address the issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
3. The Safe-Congregation Task Force recommends that after the annual meeting of
1/12/03
that the Board take on the long-term responsibility to see that items 2a. and 2b., above, are accomplished as necessary.
C. Hiring
Incidents of abuse and harassment often take place in the context of ongoing relationships. Therefore it is essential that recruitment and hiring procedures protect children, youth, adults and staff from injury as well as protect staff and volunteers from unfounded accusations and the church from ethical and legal liability.
All persons seeking paid employment at The First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, including (but not limited to) the Minister, the Director of Religious Education (DRE), the Music Director, the Office Manager, and the Sexton, will sign The Code of Ethics and Affirmation. They will be screened by the appropriate hiring committee, which will contact references (at least one of whom has known the applicant for a minimum of five years), record the contact, and conduct both a criminal history record check plus a formal interview with the candidate. The employment application and reference material will be confidential and will be available only as required by law and to those responsible for screening, hiring, or participating in the Response Team. All employees will sign the Code of Ethics and Affirmation annually.
D. Safety Procedures
These procedures address legal requirements and insurance obligations as well as help staff, volunteers, teachers and youth advisors avoid creating situations in which personal boundaries can become problematic. The various prevention methods listed below are specifically designed to protect the children and youth of our community.
1. All volunteer teachers and youth advisors must have attended The First Universalist Church of Yarmouth for at least 6 months. This provision can be waived by the Minister and DRE, in consultation with each other, when the individual in question has been an active member with experience volunteering with children or youth at another UU church.
2. The Director of Religious Education will insure that all teachers and advisors are informed of this policy and these safety procedures. First-time teachers and advisors must attend an orientation on these safety procedures prior to assuming their positions.
3. All persons volunteering with children and youth, including but not limited to religious education teachers and youth group advisors, will read the Code of Ethics, complete and sign the Affirmation, and fill out the Volunteer Reference sheet. Teachers and advisors will read the Code of Ethics and sign the Affirmation anew at the beginning of each church year or when taking on a new position. These documents will be confidential and will be available only for those responsible for screening, and members of any Response Team, or as required by law.
4. The Director of Religious Education, or a designated substitute, normally will check in on all classes during the course of a Sunday morning.
5. At least two volunteers will be assigned to and will be present in each classroom and youth group activity, including in-church events and overnights, off-site retreats, conferences, and other church-related activities. One individual may be briefly alone with a group when the other must leave as dictated by common sense and necessity for such purposes as bathroom breaks and escorting individual children away from the group.
Exceptions to the two-volunteer policy are discouraged but may be approved by the Director of Religious Education, Minister, or Religious Education Committee in an emergency situation.
6. If there is a foreseeable reason a teacher, advisor, or other volunteer will be alone with a child or youth, the written consent of the child's parent or guardian will be obtained in advance. The volunteers participating in the Coming of Age Program or other special programs will meet the parents or guardians of the children or youth prior to the program.
7. When traveling to and from outings, conferences, meetings, or other church activities, no child or youth will be alone with one adult in a car.
8. Situations may arise involving individuals accused or convicted of sexually aggressive behavior. Those situations will be addressed as follows:
a. An individual who has been accused of, convicted of, or pled guilty, nolo contendre or "Alford" plea to a charge of sexual misconduct or who has been determined to have engaged in any form of child abuse in any civil, criminal, administrative or ecclesiastical forum or any forum, will not have contact with children or youth or the parties involved.
b. If an individual has been legally accused of sexual misconduct and is currently involved in civil or criminal litigation of such a charge, that individual will not have contact with children or youth or the parties involved.
c. If the local District Attorney's office has dropped charges and/or the Maine Department of Human Services has neither opened a case or has closed the case as unsubstantiated, the accused shall still have no contact with children. In this situation, a Response Team shall determine whether there are exceptional circumstances or irrefutable evidence that no sexually inappropriate behavior occurred. Should the Response Team determine that this is so the Response Team can make recommendations about whether or not and in what manner the accused can resume contact with children. (See the Board of Trustees' Thoughts about this section at the time this policy was implemented in the fall and winter of 2002.)
d. In the event that a person has been convicted of a sexual offense and completed a term of incarceration and seeks to enter the life of the First Universalist Church a Response Team will be formed to make a determination as to whether or not and the ways in which the individual may be safely involved in the life of the congregation.
9. Any teacher, advisor, or parent who suspects or is made aware of an allegation of child abuse will report that concern to the Director of Religious Education or the Minister as soon as possible. If neither the Minister nor DRE is available, the concern should be reported to the President of the Board of Trustees.
10. In the event of allegations of child abuse or of perceived threats to children's safety within the Church Community, the Minister and/or the President of the Board of Trustees will convene a Response Team in accordance with the response procedure described in this policy.
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