How Much It Really Costs to Not Teach Your Church Members How to Keep Kids Safe

Child safety training should be a basic aspect of any healthy, developing church ministry that works with kids or teens. It is just as crucial to help young people grow spiritually as it is to protect their physical and mental health by careful and informed action. Some churches, however, don't understand how vital it is to teach people how to keep kids safe, so they put off creating effective programs. If you don't pay attention to this, it could be really bad for your health, your money, your feelings, and your spirit.

This long post talks about the real cost of not delivering child safety training. It explains why church leaders need to make it a priority, what excellent training looks like, and how it keeps kids, volunteers, and the church safe.

Why You Need to Teach Your Kids How to Be Safe

Keeping Youngsters Who Are Weak Safe

Children are among the most vulnerable persons in any community. Families trust churches to keep their kids safe, both spiritually and physically and emotionally. The following are what ministry staff and volunteers get from child safety training:

• The ability to spot signs of abuse and neglect, which can be minor or hard to find.
• The ability to keep individuals safe by watching them and imposing restrictions.
• The ability to react appropriately when problems or new information arise.

Without proper training, well-meaning volunteers can put kids at risk without meaning to.

Showing a Legal Duty of Care

The law provides that churches have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to protect youngsters from harm that they can see coming. One key component of this job is learning how to keep kids safe. Not giving enough training is considered negligence by the courts, which implies that ministries can be sued. Training programs reveal that a church worked hard to decrease risks.

Giving Volunteers Authority and Helping Them Feel Good About Themselves

People who work with kids as volunteers often have to deal with tough situations. Training offers volunteers the confidence and clear grasp of their roles, limits, and duties that they need to stay with the organization longer and not get burned out.

Trusting the People in the Church

Parents and people in the community want churches to keep their safety standards high. Families will trust you more and be more involved if you show that you care about training for kid safety.

The Legal and Financial Costs of Not Going to Training

More Likely to Be Abused and Hurt

If volunteers and staff don't have formal training, they could ignore or misinterpret signs of abuse or neglect. They might not follow safe supervision principles or set clear limits. This makes it much more likely that abuse will continue without anybody noticing.

The Financial and Legal Issues of Going to Court

• Negligence Lawsuits: Not educating volunteers is usually seen as a breach of the ministry's duty. This can lead to lawsuits against churches that can result in large settlements or verdicts.
• Costs of Legal Defense: The ministry still has to pay for attorney fees, discovery, and court costs even if they win the lawsuit.
• Insurance Rates and Coverage: If a ministry doesn't teach its employees how to keep youngsters safe, insurance firms may charge them more or not renew their policies. They could also turn down claims after incidents.

Hurt Reputation

When word of abuse or negligence in the ministry gets out, it may quickly hurt the church's reputation both at home and abroad. People might stop going to church, give less money, and ruin relationships in the community because of this. It can take years to earn back trust, if it's even feasible.

Cost in Terms of Emotions and Spirit

Not giving kids safety instruction has implications that go beyond money and the law:

• Trauma to Children and Families: Abuse has long-lasting effects on children's physical and emotional health, as well as their spiritual growth. These effects can affect entire families and congregations.
• Morale of Volunteers and Staff: When something negative happens, it can make people who work for the ministry feel bad and make teams less trustworthy.

If ministries don't keep kids safe, their mission and testimony suffer, which could cause families to quit the church.

Key Parts of Good Child Safety Training

A thorough kid safety training should include the following:

1. Knowing What Abuse Is:
• Signs and symptoms of neglect, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse.
• Seeing symptoms of behavior and health concerns in children.
• Knowing how to groom and cross boundaries.
2. Rules for Required Reporting:
• An explanation of state laws about mandatory reporting.
• Clear standards regarding when, how, and to whom you should report abuse that you think is happening.
• Protection for persons who disclose abuse without fear of retaliation.
3. Making Areas Safe:
• The "two-adult rule" and other rules for safe supervision, like how many adults should be with each child.
• How to set safe boundaries and connect with adolescents and teens in a safe way.
• Not taking risks that happen often, such as being alone or touching someone inappropriately.
4. How to Handle Worries and Disclosures:
• How to hear kids talk about abuse and do something about it.
• Things you can do right away to keep youngsters safe.
• The legislation and the ministry say that you have to follow up and engage with the police and other authorities.
5. Keeping Up with Training and Reviewing Policies:
• Setting up regular updates and classes to help people remember things.
• Adding new laws, best practices, and things learned from prior experiences.

Putting Child Safety Training into Your Church

Work with Training Providers Who Are Certified

Darkness to Light, Praesidium, and Safe Sanctuary are all well-known groups that only train churches and ministries. Using tried-and-true lesson plans helps make sure that the lessons are full and legal.

Make Training Necessary

Make sure that all staff and volunteers who work with kids get training before they start and keep getting it. Watch completions closely and ensure there are consequences for not following through.

Training should be part of the process of hiring new employees and renewing their contracts. Make kid safety training a must for all new volunteers, and ask them to go through the training again every so often to maintain their knowledge up to date and adapt to new norms.

Keep Track of Training and Put It in an Archive

Make sure you keep safe records of who went to training and who obtained their credentials. This paperwork is highly crucial for obeying the requirements of insurance and for legal defense.

Full Kid Safety Programs, Not Simply Training

Training is crucial, but it's not the only thing that makes an effective way to keep kids safe. Add to what you learned in training with:

• Easy-to-understand written rules for keeping kids safe.
• Checking references and screening backgrounds.
• Safe places to go and rules for keeping an eye on people.
• Ways to report and respond to incidents.
• Risk assessments and program evaluations that happen all the time.

Last Thoughts

Not receiving child safety training costs a lot more than simply the time and money you save initially. It can lead to awful cases of abuse, expensive lawsuits, losing insurance coverage, and damage to a ministry's mission and reputation that can't be restored. Churches that pay for extensive child safety training indicate that they care about protecting kids, aiding volunteers, and doing what God wants them to do.

Make training for kid safety a key concern today. It's one of the best things your ministry can do.

Links Inside

• Learn more about the laws that protect church volunteers.
• Find out what our church does to keep youngsters safe.
• Find out about church risk management and waivers of liability.

Links to Other Websites

• Darkness to Light – Child Abuse Prevention Training
• Praesidium – Safe Ministry Training
• Safe Sanctuary Training

This blog article is not legal advice; it is just meant to give you information. If you want specific guidance on how to train your church personnel to keep youngsters safe, talk to a lawyer who knows a lot about church law.