Child Protection Policy

Church

Section 12. Child Protection Policy

General Purpose Statement

Bethel Baptist Church seeks to provide a safe and secure environment for the children who participate in our programs and activities. By implementing the below practices, our goal is to protect the children of Bethel Baptist Church from incidents of misconduct or inappropriate behavior while also protecting our staff and workers from false accusations.

Definitions

For purposes of this policy, the terms “child” or “children” include all persons under the age of eighteen (18) years. The term “worker” includes both paid and unpaid persons who work with children, including anyone involved in overnight activities involving minors, in counseling of minors, or in one-on-one mentoring of minors.

Selection of Workers

All workers will be members of Bethel Baptist Church. All persons who desire to work with the children participating in our programs and activities will be screened. This screening includes the following:

a) Six Month Rule

No person will be considered for any position involving contact with minors until he or she has been involved with Bethel Baptist Church for a minimum of six (6) months. This time of interaction between our leadership and the applicant allows for better evaluation and suitability of the applicant for working with children.

b) Written Application

All persons seeking to work with children must complete and sign a written application in a form to be supplied by Bethel Baptist Church. The application will request basic information from the applicant and will inquire into previous experience with children, previous church affiliation, reference and employment information, as well as disclosure of any previous criminal convictions. The application form will be maintained in confidence on file at Bethel Baptist Church.

c) Personal Interview

Upon completion of the application, a face-to-face interview may be scheduled with the applicant to discuss his or her suitability for the position.

d) Reference Checks

Before an applicant is permitted to work with children, at least two of the applicant’s references will be checked. These references should be of an institutional nature as opposed to personal or family references, preferably from organizations where the applicant has worked with children in the past. Documentation of the reference checks will be maintained in confidence on file at Bethel Baptist Church.

e) Criminal Background Check

A national criminal background check is required for all employees (regardless of position) and “workers” as defined above.

Before a background check is run, prospective workers will be asked to sign an authorization form allowing Bethel Baptist Church to run the check. If an individual declines to sign the authorization form, he or she will be unable to work with children.

A disqualifying offense that will keep an individual from working with children will be determined by the pastor of Bethel Baptist Church (assisted by two other selected adults) on a case-by-case basis in light of all the surrounding circumstances. Generally, convictions for an offense involving children and/or for offenses involving violence, dishonesty, illegal substances, indecency and any conduct contrary to our mission will preclude someone from being permitted to work with children. Failure to disclose a criminal conviction on the application form will also be a disqualifying event.

The background check authorization form and results will be maintained in confidence on file at Bethel Baptist Church.

Two Adult Rule

It is our goal that a minimum of two unrelated adult workers will be in attendance at all times when children are being supervised during our classes and activities.

Some youth classes or activities might have only one adult teacher in attendance and the class or activity might include as few as one student. Whenever this is the case, we will designate a second adult to roam the church to monitor the class or activity.

Classroom doors should remain open unless there is a window in the door. Doors should never be locked while persons are inside the room.

Responding to Allegations of Child Abuse

For purposes of this policy, “child abuse” is any action (or lack of action) that endangers or harms a child’s physical, psychological, or emotional health and development. Child abuse occurs in different ways and includes the following:

  • Physical abuse – any physical injury to a child that is not accidental, such as beating, shaking, burns, and biting.
  • Emotional abuse – emotional injury when the child is not nurtured or provided with love and security, such as an environment of constant criticism, belittling and persistent teasing.
  • Sexual abuse – any sexual activity between a child and an adult or between a child and another child at least four years older than the victim, including activities such as fondling, exhibitionism, intercourse, incest, and pornography.
  • Neglect – depriving a child of his or her essential needs, such as adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care.

Childcare workers may have the opportunity to become aware of abuse or neglect of the children under our care. In the event that an individual involved in the care of children at Bethel Baptist Church becomes aware of suspected abuse or neglect of a child under his or her care, this should be reported immediately to the Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church for further action, including reporting to authorities as may be mandated by New York State law.

In the event that an incident of abuse or neglect is alleged to have occurred at Bethel Baptist Church or during our sponsored programs or activities, the following procedure shall be followed:

  1. The parent or guardian of the child will be notified.
  2. The worker or church member alleged to be the perpetrator of the abuse or misconduct will immediately be placed on leave pending an investigation and instructed to remain away from the premises during the investigation. He or she should be instructed to have no contact with the victim or with witnesses.
  3. All allegations of abuse will be reported to the civil authorities, and the organization will comply with New York State’s requirements regarding mandatory reporting of abuse as the law then exists. The organization will fully cooperate with the investigation of the incident by civil authorities.
  4. The insurance company will be notified, and the organization will complete an incident report. Any documents receiving related to the incident and/or allegations will immediately be forwarded to the insurance company.
  5. The organization will designate a spokesperson to the media concerning incidents of abuse or neglect. The advice of legal counsel will be sought before responding to media inquiries or releasing information about the situation to the congregation. All other representatives of the organization will be advised to refrain from speaking to the media.
  6. A pastoral visit will be arranged for those who desire it. This should be for the purpose of providing pastoral support during the time of crisis and not for the purposes of investigating the incident or influencing the investigation.
  7. Any person who is not found innocent of the alleged abuse or misconduct will be removed from their position working with children or youth.

Teenage Workers

We recognize that there may be times when it is necessary or desirable for babysitters who are themselves under age eighteen (18) to assist in caring for children during programs or activities. The following guidelines apply to teenage workers:

  • Must be at least age 14
  • Must be screened as specified above.
  • Must be under the supervision of an adult and must never be left alone with children.

Check-in/Check-out Procedure

For children below third grade, a security check-in/check-out procedure will be followed. The child will be signed in by a parent or guardian, who will receive a “child check” for the child (similar to a claim check). The parent or guardian must present the “child check” in order to sign out the child from our care. In the event that a parent or guardian is unable to present the “child check”, the Nursery Director, the Sunday School Superintendent, the Assistant Sunday School Superintendent, or the Pastor, will be responsible for releasing the child to the care of a parent or guardian after discussing the surrounding circumstances with the parent or guardian.

Sick Child Policy

It is our desire to provide a healthy and safe environment for every child at Bethel Baptist Church. Parents are encouraged to be considerate of other children when deciding whether to place a child under our care. In general, children with the following symptoms should not be dropped off:

  • Fever within the last 48 hours
  • Communicable or infectious disease

Discipline Policy

It is the policy of Bethel Baptist Church not to administer disciplinary action to children, but rather to contact the parent or guardian.

Restroom Guidelines

Children Five Years Old and Younger

Children five years old and younger should use a classroom bathroom if one is available. If a classroom bathroom is not available, workers will escort a group of children to the hallway bathroom. They will always go in a group, never taking a child to the bathroom alone.

When there is only one worker and one child, then the worker will either contact the parent/guardian or contact another adult to assist. This will be done in person or utilizing technology (cell phone, buzzer, etc).

The workers should check the bathroom first to make sure that it is empty, and then allow the children inside. The workers should then remain outside the bathroom door and escort the children back to the classroom. If a child is taking longer than seems necessary, the worker should open the bathroom door and call the child’s name. If a child requires assistance, the workers will prop open the bathroom door, and leave the stall door open as they assist the child.

Children Six Years Old and Older

For children six years old and older, at least one adult male should take boys to the restroom and at least one adult female should take girls. The worker should check the bathroom first to make sure that the bathroom is empty, and then allow the children inside. The worker should then remain outside the bathroom door and escort the children back to the classroom.

For the protection of all, workers should never be alone with a child in a bathroom with the door closed and never be in a closed bathroom stall with a child. Parents are strongly encouraged to have their children visit the bathroom prior to each class.

Accidental Injuries to Children

In the event that a child or youth is injured while under our care, the following steps should be followed:

  1. For minor injuries, scrapes, and bruises, workers will provide First Aid (bandages, etc.) as appropriate and will notify the child’s parents or guardian of the injury at the time the child is picked up from our care.
  2. For injuries requiring medical treatment beyond simple First Aid, the parent and/or guardian will immediately be summoned in addition to the worker’s supervisor. If warranted by circumstances, an ambulance will be called.
  3. Once the child has received appropriate medical attention, an incident report will be completed in the case of injuries requiring treatment by a medical professional.

Training

Bethel Baptist Church will provide training on this child protection policy to all new childcare workers and will provide an annual review of this policy with all current workers. All workers will sign-off after the annual review and this record will be kept on file at Bethel Baptist Church.