2 minute read
Protecting God’s Children through Safe Environment Training
Stewardship is all about caring for and cultivating the gifts bestowed upon us by God. This includes one of life’s greatest blessings — our children. That’s why Safe Environment Training Coordinator Annette Lee says Safe Environment is so vital to St. Michael ministry operations.
“Children are one of God’s greatest gifts to us,” Annette says. ”And so, really, Safe Environment training, and learning the warning signs of child sexual abuse, is a way of taking care of God’s children.”
Advertisement
Safe Environment is a diocesan program designed to foster a safer environment for all adults and children within our faith community. In fact, every St. Michael volunteer is required to complete the adult version of the program known as VIRTUS ® prior to becoming involved in ministry life. This educates all volunteers on the grooming behaviors commonly used by predators in luring their victims.
“It makes every volunteer aware of the myths and facts concerning child sexual abuse,” Annette says. “You might be attending Mass on a Sunday and you witness something that flags your attention — something that concerns you. Even though you’re not serving in a volunteer capacity at that time, you’ve been trained to recognize and know how to respond appropriately.”
Training also helps equip participants with a plan of action, helping them know how and where to respond should they suspect any form of abuse. Volunteers learn how to file a confidential notice of concern and how to contact Child Protective Services.
“Instead of witnessing something and saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, what do I do now?’ people are now informed and know what to do,” Annette says. “This is so important because even if your particular ministry doesn’t interact with children at all, the truth is that part of just belonging to a parish means we’re going to be sharing space and interacting to some degree with children and youth. It’s our job to help make our parish as safe as possible for them.”
Training is scheduled on an ongoing basis throughout the diocese and can be taken by any adult parishioner in conjunction with filling out their initial St. Michael volunteer paperwork. Background checks are conducted as part of volunteer screening, creating an additional barrier for potential abusers. Once completed, VIRTUS ® training is valid for two years, after which a shorter renewal session is required.
“Ultimately, the purpose of all of this is to make our parishioners more aware of what to look for in order to identify situations that could put our children at risk,” Annette says.
