UNITED WE STAND FOR OUR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

The challenge of our churches is to Take a Stand for Children and Youth by protecting them from child abuse and, specifically sexual abuse.

Are you aggressively pursuing a risk management approach to child sexual abuse?

Creating Safer Havens is a child abuse prevention, protection and risk management training program that provides consulting services and guided implementations.

I recommend you start with the overview training workshop for clergy, staff, all volunteers, and anyone from your congregation or organization who may come in contact with children or youth. This workshop will provide your people with a broad brush stroke on history of abuse, various cases, rationale for policies, procedures, etc., and help your church or organization to be united in your stand. An overview training will show you are aggressively pursuing a risk management approach to combat child sexual abuse.

Additional trainings are done in phases working with a team of 2 to 5 people from your church or organization. Each phase is a separate workshop to guide you through the implementation of:

• Policies
• Procedures
• Screening/fingerprinting
• Supervision, i.e. Watchman supervision
• Reporting (not a separate workshop). Reporting laws are briefly    mentioned in overview and covered again in procedures workshop.

It is advisable that your team members be at the overview training to understand the rationale for the entire program. Keep in mind this team will be implementing the program. It is critical to have competent people who will follow through. Your team will become your future trainers.

In order for a child abuse prevention and risk management program to succeed you will need overall church cooperation and a process to establish on-going training. The Overview Training and the Creating Safer Havens for our Children and Youth booklets accomplish that goal through education and awareness.

Booklets are available through donations.

Booklets provide the rationale for the need to better protect children, youth, clergy, staff and volunteers, and are used:

1. During Overview Training and additional trainings.

2. During brief presentation to congregation.

a. Booklets may be provided for each individual family or household of your church.

3. To establish on-going training.

a. Booklets are given to new members at orientation.
b. Booklets are used during training of all new volunteers.

If you have a child sexual abuse risk management program already in place to protect the children, youth, clergy, staff and volunteers, God bless you. If you do not, I challenge you to Take a Stand and implement a program, and I look forward to working with you.

God's blessings as we continue to move forward "Creating Safer Havens" for our children, youth, clergy, staff and volunteers.

Sincerely,

CREATING SAFER HAVENS

Donalda Shepardson
President/Founder