Desert Southwest Conference
The United Methodist Church
Safe Sanctuaries Guidelines for Conference-Sponsored Meetings and Events
Approved by Covenant Council 3-8-08

As Christians and United Methodists, we are concerned for the care and well-being of the children and youth in our care.  We sponsor summer camps, weekend retreats, and youth events for the children and youth in our Conference.  We also invite youth to join us in planning and visioning for the important ministries of the Church.  It is critical that we model best practices for the care and protection of these children and youth in our meetings and events. In order to do so, we will operate with the following guidelines for their health and safety while participating in programs and meetings of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.

 The goal of these guidelines is threefold:  first, to prevent abuse from happening to the children and youth in our care; second, to prevent false allegations of abuse against individuals and the church; third, to enable staff and volunteers to recognize and report suspected abuse.

 There is no one thing that we can do to prevent the abuse of the children and youth in our care.  A multi-pronged approach that includes annual training and continual practice will provide the best results.

1.  Group of Three Rule

 A child or youth should not be alone with another unrelated adult or child or youth at any time for any reason.  Everything should be done in groups of at least three:  at least two adults and a young person, or two young people and an adult.  The ideal to strive for is that at least two unrelated adults be with children or youth at all times.

 Rationale:  Should an adult desire to do harm to a child, it is much more difficult to do so with another witness present.  The purpose of a second unrelated adult is to provide a second adult who is not in a position to be intimidated by the first. 

A secondary rationale for the Group of Three Rule is to prevent false allegations of abuse.  A child or youth seeking revenge for discipline, or perhaps simply seeking attention could accuse an adult or another participant of abuse.  With no witness, it is one person’s word against anothers.

 Implications:  Counseling situations should be managed in a manner that provides privacy of conversation but, if at all possible, visual contact with others.  An office with a window into other populated office areas is one option; sitting in an outside area at the edge of a field or building where you may be seen but not heard is another option.  At the very least, a door should be left ajar where a yell or struggle could be heard by others.  The wise leader will ask another person to stay in visual range to ensure the safety of all involved.  Churches should take these issues into account when planning new buildings.

 At camps or youth events, when restroom buildings are separate from cabins, plans should be made for two persons to accompany any trips to the restrooms.  Having separate shower times for youth and adults is advisable, with an adult available outside the restroom door to hear any disturbance.  Camp and event nurses are in vulnerable positions when a participant needs to remain at the nurse’s station.  They should strategize with other volunteers to have a second person nearby when individual campers are in the nurse’s station.   Volunteers and staff need to be alert to their situation at all times so that they’re not inadvertently left alone with a participant.  Child on child abuse is also possible, so again, participants should be in groups of at least three at all times. 

 Youth leaders, teachers and clergy should be careful not to be in a vehicle alone with a youth.  Any volunteers transporting youth should arrange their trips so that the first they pick up and the last they drop off are two youth rather than one.  At meetings, plans should be made to prevent one youth from being alone with an adult as parents are picking up or dropping off youth.  If it is impossible for a second adult to be present, perhaps another youth and their ride can wait until the last arrives.  If this is not possible, the adult should invite the youth to wait with them outside the building where they are at least visible to the public.

2. Background Checks:

 Annual background checks should be performed on all staff and volunteers that have contact with children and youth at Conference Sponsored Meetings and Events.  An unrelated Conference Staff Person should perform the background check on the person who performs the bulk of the checks.  The minimum check is of the National Sex Offender Database, available at www.nsopr.gov .  Driver’s license checks should be made of adults transporting children and youth on behalf of the Conference; this excludes parents driving their own children and youth to and from meetings or events.  Staff and volunteers may be asked not to drive or volunteer with children’s and youth events if undesirable results appear on these checks.  National Criminal File checks should be performed annually on paid staff who work with children and youth. These checks may be performed at www.screennow.com, through their affiliation with Church Mutual.  Background check forms will be made available on the Conference website and will be mailed to all adult volunteers prior to meetings and events.

 Rationale:  Someone who has been convicted of a sexual offense against children, youth or adults has no place as a volunteer at church events.  Further, we desire to not place our children and youth at undue risk by placing them in a vehicle with a driver with recent serious violations on their record.  The very act of being asked for a background check may deter a potential abuser from volunteering, or from acting on their desires.  Finally, we need to know that the staff that work with our children day in and day out are without a recent criminal background.

 Implications:  Additional staff time will be required to run checks on all volunteers and to maintain those records.  A system will need to be set up to ensure that  checks are performed annually and that problems are reviewed and resolved quickly.

Anyone convicted of child or sexual abuse will be denied the opportunity to work with our children and youth.

DUI’s or other serious violations happening within the last decade would be cause to restrict someone from driving children and youth.  Likewise, a pattern of multiple continued smaller violations would also be cause for restriction.  Lesser issues will be at the discretion of the person performing the checks, in consultation with their superior.  The seriousness of these issues could be a consideration in denying a person the opportunity to volunteer.

Privacy of information will need to be at the forefront of those performing the checks.  Records should be kept in a secure location, and the person performing the checks will need to protect the confidentiality of those being checked.