Richmond (VA) Friends Meeting

Child Safety Policies (approved in 12th Month, 2014, Meeting for Business)

by WebPost | Dec 17, 2014 | Children and Religious Education, Minuted Decisions

Child Safety Policy—Approved Final Policies

Ad hoc committee members:

Trustees: Ada Hammer, Gordon Davies, Sanford Hostetter

Nursery: Janet Thoroman

RE: Catherine Roseberry, Diane Bowden, Barb Adams

Advising: Steve Bricker

Background

The RE committee and Nursery coordinators have had general guidelines for what we do, but in the last few years our insurance company has sought more explicit protocols from their insured churches, including BYM and Quaker Meetings, aimed to prevent the opportunity for, or allegations of, child abuse. This culminated in a recent mandate from them to administer criminal background checks on people that work regularly with children. After receiving this mandate, Denna Joy, clerk at the time, suggested we review what we have in place, and in September 2013 the ad hoc committee was created and given this charge:

As clerk of Richmond Friends meeting, I recommend the creation of an ad hoc committee to review and refine guidelines, policies and processes that address child safety in our Meeting. The impetus for this review is new mandates by meeting’s insurance company, which includes criminal background checks on those who work directly with children.  This committee will work to develop policies to ensure alignment with these mandates. At the conclusion of their review, the committee will prepare a report for Meeting, and work with the Clerk to determine what aspects would need to come to Meeting for Worship for Business for approval.

So we have been meeting and rigorously discussing since then. This past spring, with Barbara Hulburt’s guidance, it was decided that we would separate the presentation and approval of the policy regarding criminal background checks from the rest of the policies. The Trustees, who the ad hoc committee had decided would be responsible for administering the background checks, presented that policy to Meeting and it was approved in June 2014. Today we present the rest of the policies for the approval process.

Thoughts on Child Safety Policy

Richmond Friends Meeting dearly loves and cares for our children and protecting them is without a doubt a priority. We would say our Meeting is a safe and welcoming place for children. So to take a magnified look at child safety – preventing child abuse – is challenging at the very least. Most of us have personal, professional, political and spiritual experiences and perspectives that inform us in this discussion. And they are often accompanied by strong emotions – worry, dissonance, distrust and fear – while at the same time offering opportunities for insight and growth. Ours was a thoughtful and deliberate process and we grappled with a number of difficult issues, weighing what is reasonable and speaks Truth to us with what might be expected.

Someone mentioned during an earlier discussion in June that while social constructs, like background checks, provide some level of safety, they cannot replace empowering children, parents and the adults responsible for them.  While Meeting has accepted the necessity and benefits of incorporating some of these constructs, we need to continue to explore other factors of a truly safe environment. It’s hoped that once we’ve concluded our charge and incorporated the heightened awareness prompted by these policies, we will move beyond them and focus on the positive face of this process – a more involved, loving and caring community.

The Policies

The ad hoc committee has worked to craft policies and guidelines that address a number of aspects of the safety of children that are realistic and doable given the size and structure of our Meeting. We have the policy document – the What – which is what we are bringing for approval, and we also have guideline documents – the How – from each committee and position that is involved in supporting them: Nursery, RE, Care and Counsel, and Building and Grounds and the Trustees guidelines which were shared in the spring.

Submitted by Barbara Adams

Editor’s Note: The following policies were approved at business meeting on 16 November, 2014.

Richmond Friends Meeting Child Safety Policies

Richmond Friends Meeting believes that all people deserve to be treated with dignity, kindness and respect. We are committed to creating a safe, nurturing environment, especially for our children. To ensure the greatest protection for children and the adults that work closely with them, we have adopted the following policies, appropriate for our meeting size and structure, which acknowledge the Light within us all.

• Criminal background checks are administered for adults who serve in roles with frequent and ongoing interaction with children (See Child Safety Policy: Criminal Background Checks, approved by Meeting June 15, 2014). Occasional volunteers, working with at least one other adult, are not required to have a criminal background check.
• We believe that two trusted adults, with cleared background checks, provide the safest oversight of children. We intend to provide this in all settings with children. If two such adults are not available, we will ensure alternate arrangements that provide the greatest protection.
• Meeting’s facilities used by children are regularly inspected and maintained for appropriate accessibility and safety (See B&G Guidelines).
• Parents, Meeting volunteers and paid child care workers collaborate to know and understand the medical and emotional needs of children, to limit the spread of illness and to respond quickly and effectively to illness and injuries.
• The RE and Care and Counsel Committees, Nursery Coordinator(s) and Clerk of Meeting will collaborate to enact a sensitive, effective process to address concerns or allegations of any misconduct. On receiving a concern, the committee clerk or coordinator responsible will document it in writing and will report promptly to the Clerk of Meeting. Together they will determine the next response or action to be taken, following guidelines specified by the State of Virginia, where applicable.
• Once adopted, these policies will be reviewed after one year, earlier if necessary, and thereafter as needed. Reviews will be initiated by the Trustees, and include the RE clerk, Nursery coordinator(s) and others deemed appropriate.

Note: The procedures to support these policies are specified in guideline documents for the committees or Meeting positions involved, including the Trustees, Religious Education, Nursery Coordinators, Care and Counsel, and Building and Grounds.