Are there resource materials for protecting children and adults from abuse?

Resource materials for congregational policies concerning sexual misconduct committed by non-rostered persons

Web Resources:

Early in the life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this church expressed clearly its intention to take whatever measures it could to help prevent sexual abuse and misconduct within the ELCA. In other words, the church is "Called to be a Safe Place."

Creating Safe churches: Addressing Sexual Misconduct  - A Web site containing a variety of resources dealing with sexual misconduct issues is offered by the Presbyterian Church. The theme of the site is "Safe Churches." The Web site contains sexual misconduct-related definitions, awareness-raising resources, guidelines for creating sexual misconduct policies for congregations, protocols for reporting incidents of sexual misconduct, resources for rebuilding trust that has been shattered in a religious community by incidents of sexual misconduct.

Books and Pamphlets:

Safe Sanctuaries: Reducing the Risk of Child Abuse in the Church
by Joy Thornburg Melton

This 80-page book provides guidance to help develop policies and procedures for reducing the risk of child abuse in the church. The book defines the scope of child abuse, outlines the different types of abuse, notes the indicators of abuse, discusses the legal requirements for reporting abuse, and provides guidelines for screening and hiring workers and volunteers. The book also outlines basic
procedures of safe ministry with children and youth and outlines a congregational plan for responding to allegations of abuse. Sample forms included for screening workers, requiring background checks, doing reference checks and reporting suspected abuse. A suggested training session plan for people who work with children and youth is outlined, and a bibliography of suggested resources is included.

This book (order number DR220) can be purchased for $13.00 from
Discipleship Resources,
P. 0. Box 1616, Alpharetta, 
Georgia 30009-1616, 
Telephone: 800-972-0433; 

The Season of Hope: A Risk Management Guide for Youth-Serving NonProfits
by John Patterson

A 156-page soft cover book includes information about protecting children in a nonprofit's charge from harm, whether they are program participants, employees or volunteers. Build your own plan from examples of risk management strategies for violence, health, injuries and accidents, and Internet access., child mistreatment; child abusers and child molesters; what to do if abuse happens; training employees and volunteers; educating youth and their parents; overview of legal issues, developing child abuse prevention strategies.

This book can be ordered for $30.00 + shipping [discounts will apply to larger orders] from
Nonprofit Risk Management Center
1130 Seventeenth St. NW Suite 210,
Washington, D.C. 20036-5504
Telephone: 202-785-3891; 

Resource Kits:

Reducing the Risk II : Making Your Church Safe From Child Sexual Abuse Kit
Includes six training videos on DVD, a reference book, and a training manual for only $49.95. Plus your congregation receives a 1-year FREE membership to the reducingtherisk.com Online Training and Resource Center!

Reducing the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in Your Church
This kit is produced by Christian Ministry Resources and includes:

DVD: This DVD communicates the menace child sexual abuse poses and the need for your church to take action. It includes testimonials of victims, church leaders, and experts to alert churches to the problem. It also illustrates procedures that can be used to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse and offers a convenient way to educate leaders, workers, and congregations.

Guide Book: This 90-page guide offers a blueprint for a prevention plan. It provides detailed guidance on enlisting the support of key church leaders, formulating policies and procedures, hiring and training workers (paid and volunteer), and implementing a plan at the local congregation. The book is filled with illustrations and examples and includes sample screening forms.
Training Manual: Effective education is the heart of a successful prevention program. The training manual provides insights and guidance on how to use the Resource Kit to educate and train church leaders, workers, and congregation.

This kit can be purchased for $49.95 + shipping through
Christian Ministry Resources
P.O. Box 2600
Big Sandy, TX 75755
Telephone: 800-222-1840 
Fax: 800-882-6643 

Videos:

Somebody Told
by VideoNet

This 23 minute video is created to train your staff to prevent child sexual abuse. It helps you protect your children and your organization. You'll learn how to establish appropriate conduct, boundaries and job descriptions. Review potentially damaging liabilities, and screen staff and volunteers. [THIS VIDEO IS NOT INTENDED FOR VIEWING BY CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS.]

This video can be purchased for $79.00 + $3.00 shipping, from VideoNet,
1011 Western Ave., Suite 503, P. O. Box 70525,
Seattle, Washington 98127, 
Telephone: 206-632-2378; 
e-mail herogroup@aol.com - Carl Pearson.