*** NOTIFICATION ***
INTRODUCTION TO CALVARY SOUTH OC NEW CHILD ABUSE POLICY AND FORMS
Calvary South OC is implementing a prevention and screening policy for children and youth workers to continuously provide a safe and secure environment for the minors to learn and grow in Christ. We also intend to protect volunteer and compensated workers from any false accusations by providing adequate supervision during church sponsored activities.
Who does this apply to?
Everyone who is involved in children’s ministries and youth camps, directly or indirectly, and/or who potentially could be around children on any periodic situation. This is not limited to but would include: pastors, teachers, teacher’s aids, overseers, supervisors, janitors, staffers, ushers, etc…
CALVARY SOUTH OC will begin providing background checks of everyone who falls into the above category. California’s Department of Justice (DOJ) Penal Codes require background checks be implemented by all churches, schools, businesses, etc., that have access to children.
Enclosed are packets (forms and documents) addressed to each employee/volunteer of Calvary South OC involved in the above mentioned categories:
1. CALVARY SOUTH OC Child Sexual Abuse Policy for all employees and volunteers;
2. Live Scan Finger Printing Request for Background Check and Authorization;
3. Screening Form for all employees and volunteers.
Since all of us work in an environment that includes children, all Calvary Chapel employees and volunteers are required to fill out these forms, undergo a background check, and be aware of this policy and its purposes.
So as to not alarm you, these records will be reviewed only by the officer certified by both California State and the church. Additionally, these records will NOT be kept in your church personnel file, but be secured and kept in a separate file controlled by a designated, state approved officer of the church in order to insure your protection of your privacy. Lastly, the background records will be reviewed and destroyed by the same certified officer as required by state law.
The purposes of this new policy are:
1. To establish a familiarity with the problem of child sexual abuse as a general problem in society and the church;
2. To increase awareness of the symptoms and consequences of child sexual abuse;
3. To underscore the church’s vulnerability to child sexual abuse;
4. To create an understanding of liability concerns and church policy guidelines pertaining to screening, supervision, and reporting;
5. To provide instruction on worker selection and worker training;
6. To describe the church policies governing ministry to children and youth;
7. To discourage child abuse offenders from infiltrating the children ministries at Calvary South OC.
The tools that will be used to implement this policy are:
1. Employment/volunteer application forms that insure proper worker selection by supervisors;
2. Screening of all with appropriate forms designed separately for both volunteers and employees;
3. Education in proper supervising procedures and guidelines;
4. How to recognize suspicious behavior;
5. Procedure for responding to inappropriate behavior;
6. A line of reporting procedure;
7. Informing you of the statutory requirements and reporting procedures for church employees and volunteers;
8. Informing you of the mandatory reporting obligations as required by California law and the criminal liabilities that are personally imposed upon those who violate this law;
9. Informing the pastor on the exception this law provides to the clergyman-penitent privilege
By way of background, the California Penal Code states that churches have a legal and moral obligation to report any questionable or inappropriate behavior. Under California law, with some limited exceptions, “child abuse” means a physical injury that is inflicted by other than accidental means, cruel or unjustifiable punishment, sexual abuse, unlawful corporal punishment, or neglect of child in out-of-home care. California Penal Code Section 11165.6. Child care custodians must report abuse to a child protective agency when they have knowledge of, or observe, a child whom they know or reasonably suspect has been the victim of child abuse. California Penal Code Section 11166, subd. (a). Child care custodians may be “mandatory” or “permissive” reporters. “Mandatory reporters” are those church employees who are (a) teachers, (b) youth pastors and paid assistants, (c) pastors, (d) involved in a day care center, (e) administrators of the church whose duties require direct contact with and supervision of children. “Permissive Reporters” include volunteers at churches who are in contact with and supervise children, and are “encouraged” to obtain training in the identification and reporting of child abuse. California Penal Code Section 11165.7.
As a condition of your continued employment and/or volunteer service with the church, these polices must be reviewed and initialed and signed by you where indicated. Since some may be classified as “mandatory reporters,” you must fill out the Request for Criminal Records Check and Authorization. This information will be secured and kept in confidence and handled as prescribed under this law. A CORI officer under this law have been appointed by the Board of Trustees to insure this information is properly handled AND evaluated, recognizing that not all criminal actions would impact upon a person’s ability to serve in this ministry. These forms, fully completed, must be returned to the CORI officer within 7 days of being hired.