Safeguarding God's Children

Training dates are published throughout the year in our area. Please contact the parish office to book your place if you help with children at Saint Matthews through Sunday School, Youth Group, Acolytes or VBS. This is also a great program for all parents to attend.

Safeguarding God’s Children

By Lucy Templeton, Director of Youth Formation

At Saint Matthews, the safety of our children is a prime concern. As part of that process, it is essential that we continue to protect our children from any risk or threat from inappropriate sexual conduct. By taking the easy option to just believe that we can all trust each other and that it “could never happen here”, we are leaving the door open to opportunity. We do not always know the next person who may be visiting, and with our open grounds it is also easy for the children to come into contact with people who are not members here at Saint Matthews. It is each and every one of our responsibilities to keep our eyes open, abide by some simple rules and make Saint Matthews a safe haven where children can be loved and nurtured. That is why this article is not placed under the Children’s Programming section; we need everyone to be involved.

The Episcopal Church requests that all staff and volunteers who work with our children should undergo their Safeguarding God’s Children training, and within the year it is expected to be mandated. Joycelyn Kyte and myself have just been trained to be able to present this training for “Appropriate Sexual Conduct in church settings”, so we aim to offer this training to get as many people certified this year at Saint Matthews as possible.

There are a few of guidelines I would like to ask our entire congregation to adhere to:

▪Our primary rule, is that no child will ever be alone with a single adult or teenager. Please do not offer to take a child to another building, to the bathroom or even just outside on your own.

▪Be aware of appropriate physical and emotional boundaries when dealing with children so you do not put yourself in a questionable position.

▪If you see a young child wandering on their own away from a parent or guardian; take a moment to intervene! Go up and ask them where their parent is, or ask another parent nearby to help.

▪Finally, be nosy! We have an open door policy here at Saint Matthews and also have windows in all the doors. Parents are always welcome to check up on their children. Look through a window if you are concerned about a child being on their own with an adult. If you are suspicious of someone, talk to Fr. Bill or myself. It probably isn’t anything to worry about but it is better to be safe than sorry.

The training not only educates on the signs of abuse, how to make a venue a safe haven but it also teaches participants how to protect themselves by not putting themselves into questionable situations. I thought I was well educated and “new it all” in advance of the training, but I had my eyes opened to some areas I had not previously considered especially when finding new babysitters.

The children’s element is now presented on its own, and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. I would highly recommend any parents, older teenagers and adults who work with children anywhere in their daily lives to consider taking the time to participate, and request that anyone who graciously helps with our Children at Saint Matthews makes the time to this year to get certified.