Caring for the Safety of Our Children
Sacred safety helps create an environment where young people can explore their spiritual identity and potential without threat of harm. It includes the resources, practices, policies and procedures that reduce the possibility of dangerous situations, injury or loss. Having consistent, well thought-out guidelines for which staff and volunteers are trained and held accountable reduces the church's liability.
Unity Worldwide Ministries considers all of our leaders—ministers, licensed teachers and certified spiritual educators—to be mandated reporters of child abuse. Churches are strongly encouraged to conduct background screening [below] on all adults—either paid staff or volunteers—working with minors.
Resources for Sacred Safety
- Policy for known sex offender attending church
- Protecting Our Most Vulnerable
- Copyright © 2019 by Outreach Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. OutreachMagazine.com
- Sample press release
- Volunteer driving procedure
- Sample policies, Louisville
- Sample policies, Church Mutual, This Word document can be customized by your spiritual community. See pages 6-7 for guidelines when a known sexual offender attends your church.
- Screening Volunteers & Reporting Procedures
- FEMA Youth Preparedness Guide to Risk Management.pdf
- Video Regarding Creating an Active Shooter Emergency Plan
- PDF: Active Shooter Quick Reference Guide
- Webpage: What to do if there is an active shooter
- Webpage: Fema: Active Shooter
- Webpage: DHS: Emergency Action Plan
- Video: DHS: Active Shooter Preparedness
- Church Mutual: Resource Kit
- Church Mutual: Safety Resources
- Darkness to Light: For information, training and guidance on creating children’s sacred safety programs.
- Reducing the Risk: Keeping Your Ministry Safe From Child Sexual Abuse offers a resource kit to help your ministry become aware of the risks of child sexual abuse within the church; and to create the appropriate policies and procedures that will help reduce those risks through screening, training and prevention.
Background Checks
At Unity Worldwide Ministries, we strongly suggest and encourage individual Unity ministries to conduct background screening on all adults—either paid staff or volunteers—working with minors.
Youth and family ministry provides high-risk opportunities for adults to be alone with a child or teen during church hours and off-site activities. Background screening provides the church with information that may safeguard our children, our adult volunteers, and the church. Screening will not eliminate risk altogether, but does show that the church has acted in good faith to place appropriate adults in responsible positions.
- an application on file
- documentation that personal references given on the application have been checked
- a face-to-face interview with the applicant
- a criminal background screen
We suggest churches use a professional background screening company or the local police department. Background screenings would include a national criminal search, and a motor vehicle check would be mandatory for those individuals transporting minors.
All reports are to be considered confidential and stored in a locked area with limited access. Only the minister/and or another staff member (perhaps youth ministry director) should have access.
Due to the structure of Unity Worldwide Ministries, each church is responsible for creating and implementing sacred safety/risk management procedures such as the above. This not only safeguards your children but also those of other Unity ministries with which you interact.
First Advantage/Volunteer Advantage offers non-profit organization the services to protect their ministry. This is probably better for larger ministries or those that need a global footprint.
Protect My Ministry provides cost-effective background checks with free re-verification of criminal records and has no minimum requirements.
Shepherd’s Watch Background Checks is part of the Group Publishing family and provides affordable, reliable background checks.
Additional Resources
Children & Teen Social Media Policy Guidelines and Template
Certified Spiritual Educator Code of Ethics is now a part of the general Code of Ethics