Safe Church
Safe Church is grounded in our call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and respect the dignity of every human being.
What is Safe Church?
Creating safe spaces in our worship communities is a ministry that we all share. Safe church policy and training is grounded in our call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being. Our shared efforts to be aware, educate others, and respond effectively provides opportunities to increase and enhance our ability to live out our Baptismal Covenant within our communities of faith and in the world beyond. One needs to look no further than the current newsfeed to understand the prevalence of sexual misconduct and the need to educate and respond to incidents.
The safe church policy is the core foundation that informs our efforts to create safe spaces in our worship communities.
Diocesan Safe Church Policy
Click the link for a copy of the PDF – Policy For The Protection Of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults
Safe Church Training
Two levels of safe church training are offered – Universal and Specialized. An online training option is available; however, we continue to encourage completion of in-person workshop training. Our goal is to schedule at least one Specialized Training workshop and one Universal Training workshop annually in each convocation. Scheduled workshops may be cancelled due to insufficient registrations.
Training recertification is required every three years.
You must be age 16 or older to take Safe Church training.
Click here to find out which level of training you should take.
If your church would like to request to host a Specialized or Universal Training workshop, click here.
Specialized Training Workshops
DAYLONG SESSION – for those who work directly with those who might be vulnerable, and those who are in supervisory, staff, or key leadership roles.
This training dives deep into specifics related to sexual misconduct, boundaries, inclusion, power, pastoral relationships, and sexual harassment, and addresses basic best practices for program supervision.
This training is required for vestry members, clergy, church staff.
Click here to find out if this is the training you should take.
Please note that Specialized training covers difficult topics that may be especially challenging for individuals who were themselves victimized.
Therefore, we urge you to practice good self-care during the training and assess if a trusted support system is available to you should you experience a strong reaction to the content.
Universal Training Workshops
1.5 – HOUR SESSION – for non-supervisory program participants and for those with key or code access to buildings who have limited direct interaction with those who might be vulnerable.
The training is designed to cover a broad range of topics regarding vulnerability, boundaries, inclusion, power, and basic best practices to enable all to live out their Baptismal Covenant.
This training is suitable for Sunday school teachers and VBS volunteers (it does NOT meet requirements for vestry members, clergy, or church staff).
Click here to find out if this is the training you should take.
Online Safe Church Training through Praesidium Academy
You will sign in to the same Praesidium Academy account each time you need to complete online safe church training.
Once you have completed online safe church training it is your responsibility to provide your church or organization with a copy of your transcript as proof of certification.
To access your transcript, sign in to Praesidium Academy and click on the down arrow next to your name in the top right corner of the homepage.
Your certification is good for three years.
You must be at least 16 years old to take Safe Church training.
If this is your first time taking Praesidium Academy online safe church training:
- Click here for instructions for registering for and completing online safe church training.
- The guide in the link above contains instructions on how new users should register, which level of training – Specialized or Universal – you need to take, and which courses are required for each level of training.
- Praesidium Academy requires a valid, unique email address for each registrant to participate.
If you already have a Praesidium Academy account:
- Click here to access Praesidium Academy. If you do not know your password, use the “Forgot your password?” link to reset it.
- Click here to find out which level of training – Specialized or Universal – you need to take.
- Click here to find out which Praesidium Academy online courses you need to complete.
Completing Specialized Training online will require completion of a significant number of courses to equate to the material covered in the workshop format. When you are signed in to Praesidium Academy you have access to ALL the training courses offered by Praesidium, therefore it is important that you carefully read the instructions here which will tell you which Praesidium Academy online courses you need to complete. If you have any questions please contact Susan Allen or Lynn Farlin at 757-423-8287.
Safe Church Contact
Each church/congregation will need to identify an individual who will be the Safe Church Contact: responsible for safe church record keeping and tracking. The diocese will correspond with this individual and will send training completion reports to this individual as well as any updates regarding safe church issues/materials. Please provide Susan Allen, sallen@diosova.org with the name, email, and phone contact numbers for this designated individual.
Safe Church Policies and Forms
Background Checks
Episcopal churches have the option to set up an account to run their own background checks with Praesidium (www.praesidiuminc.com) under a negotiated plan between Church Pension Group and Praesidium. There is no monthly fee or setup cost, the church only pays for the actual background check, and most results are available within 3 business days. For more information, or to set up an account, contact Praesidium at 800-743-6354 or praesidium@praesidiuminc.com.
Churches can also use the Virginia State Police Criminal History Records Check found here. Results are typically received in 15-20 business days.
Other Useful Links
Safeguarding Grants
Grants are available for small churches to assist in meeting compliance standards (i.e., background checks, credit checks, etc.) for the Policy for the Protection of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults. Small churches who have submitted their Congregational/Organizational Safe Church Annual Audit and have provided the Diocese with the preceding two calendar years’ financial audit reports are eligible to apply to apply for a Safeguarding Grant. Click the link below for the application.
Questions?
If you have questions or need guidance in implementing our Diocesan Safe Church Policy please contact Canon for Formation Lynn Farlin, lfarlin@diosova.org or 757-213-3377.