Statistics
Safe
from Harm
A Church
Policy
The
Memory Debate
Helping Survivors
Inspirations |
Church Policy |
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How as a church can we formulate a policy?
Here is a simple step by step process for your church to have its
own child protection policy, no matter where in the world your church is
based.
- Download the information provided. This is the child
protection policy used by our church.
- The church Minister should set up a committee to read through
the document and alter it to suit local needs and demands.
- The revised document should be given to the church leaders
(plural) who should send a copy to the local child protection government agency
( in UK to the County Child Care Co-Ordinator) and a Christian agency dealing
with child protection ( in UK the PCCA). All three should be asked to amend the
document as they believe necessary with an explanation why.
- These amendments should then be discussed by the committee and
a final document produced.
- The leadership formally adopt the amended document.
- Before the document is presented to anyone the Church leaders
should be prepared (trained) to handle any difficult counselling issues that
may arise. It could be the case that some adults in their congregation were
abused as children and painful memories may well be stirred up.
- The leadership present the document to the church's children's
workers, emphasising the need for their co-operation in the implementation of
the policy. It should be clearly explained that the policy protects them as
well as the children.
- The leadership present the document to the church membership,
with particular emphasis on the role of the whole community to protect
children.
- The children's workers should review the policy and the
guidelines regularly to ensure that the working practices of the children's
workers are as high as can be expected. It is easy to implement the document
and then not to refer to it again, this only serves to give a false sense of
security.
- The leadership should help and encourage other churches to
implement a policy. If you have any suggestions that will improve our policy
please let us know. It is only by working together in unity that by God's grace
we can overcome our common enemy.
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