Whitnel Church Preschool Safe Sanctuaries

Whitnel Church PreschoolSafe Sanctuaries Whitnel United Methodist Church 2013-

Child / Youth Protection Policy “Then he Jesus put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me.’” Mark 9: 36-37 PURPOSE Our congregation’s purpose for establishing this Children and Youth Abuse Prevention Policy and accompanying procedures is to demonstrate our absolute and unwavering commitment to the physical/emotional safety and spiritual growth of all our children and youth.

Statement of Covenant: As a Christian community of faith and a United Methodist congregation, we pledge to: • Conduct the ministry of the gospel in ways that assure the safety and spiritual growth of all our children and youth, as well as that of the workers with children and youth. • We will follow reasonable safety measures in the selection and recruitment of workers; • we will implement prudent operational procedures in all programs and events; • we will educate our workers with children and youth regarding the use of all appropriate policies and methods (including first aid and methods of discipline); • we will have a clearly-defined procedure for reporting a suspected incident of abuse that conforms to the requirements of state law; • we will be prepared to respond to media inquiries if an incident occurs.

In all of our ministries with children and youth, this congregation is committed to demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ so that each child and youth will be “…surrounded by steadfast love… established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.” (from “Congregational Pledge 2”, “Baptismal Covenant II”, in the United Methodist Hymnal, p. 44).

Definitions • Permanent Staff: hired for a term of 6 months or longer, paid by the church preschool, overseen by the Preschool Board and the Church Council • Interim Staff: hired for a term of less than 6 months, paid by the church preschool, overseen by the Permanent Preschool Staff, Preschool Board and the Church Council • Volunteer: any current or previous parent of a preschool child, any church congregational member, or any family member of the Preschool Staff or Board member, overseen by the Permanent Preschool Staff and Preschool Board. • Substitute: any current or previous volunteer or staff person deemed suitable by the Preschool Director, paid by the church preschool, overseen by the Preschool Board, Permanent Staff and the Church Council.

Important Points • All Staff must be screened by means of a criminal background check. The criminal background check may be repeated every five years, if deemed necessary. • Volunteers do not have to have background checks, but should be supervised closely by a Permanent Staff member. • The Preschool Board may request a criminal background check at any time, of any individual working with children/youth, if criminal activity is suspected. The Preschool will assume the cost of such a check if it is within five years of a previous background check. • Prior to supervising children/youth, each permanent paid staff person must be additionally screened by means of a written application form, an interview by a paid staff member or other designated person, reference check, and a previous employment check. • Prior to supervising children/youth, each interim paid staff person must be additionally screened by means of a written application form, and any other means deemed necessary by the Preschool Board.

Important points • All paid staff will sign a “Participation Covenant Statement” verifying that he/she has read, understood, and agrees to abide by this “Preschool Safe Sanctuaries Policy”. • All paid staff will undergo an initial orientation session that includes child abuse information, his/her responsibility for reporting questionable behavior, and explanations of this policy. Attendance at annual “refresher” training sessions will be required of all Permanent Paid Staff Persons. • Any person convicted of child sexual or physical abuse, any crime against a child, or domestic violence will be rejected as a worker with children and youth. In the event a person is rejected for any reason, the persons responsible for making the decision should handle it in a sensitive manner and should inform the applicant in person.

Important points • All records and application forms will be kept in a locked cabinet with access only to the Preschool Board and to persons designated by the Response Team, or as stated in the Appalachian District and the Western North Carolina Conference policies regarding the storing of confidential information gathered about applicants during the application process. • Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, age, ethnic origin, or disability. • Two-adult rule: it is preferred and encouraged, that two adults (preferably unrelated) be in the room or vehicle at all times with children/youth. At least one of the two must be a Permanent Staff Person. This rule applies until all children/youth have left the premises/event. In an emergency in which an adult is left alone with a child, the door to the room MUST be left open or there must be CLEAR VISIBILITY through a window in the door. • In the event that this rule cannot be enforced, it is preferred that a Permanent Staff Person rove between classrooms to ensure child safety.

Important points • Visibility in rooms: Every room that is used for activities and teaching of children/youth should have a window in the door, or have an open half-door, that gives visibility to all areas of that room. The window must be left uncovered. If there is no window, the door must be left open at all times. There should be no locks on classroom doors. • Disciplinary methods: Corporal punishment is not to be used at any time by preschool staff. If a child/youth is in need of correction, the following methods may be used, attempting to match severity of consequence to severity of infraction: 1) verbal correction which addresses the specific issue, while not berating the child/youth; 2) brief time-out: if child/youth must be removed from the room, he or she must be within sight of the adults [see Time-Out Procedures]; 3) calling the parent(s) to come get the child/youth. This should be used only in extreme circumstances.

Important points • Open door counseling: (a) A Permanent Paid Staff Person may counsel one-on-one with a child/youth with the knowledge of at least one other paid staff member. The door must remain open and there must be another adult nearby in the building. (c) Appropriate referral will be made as needed to meet the child/youth’s needs. • Restroom policy: No child/youth shall be alone with an adult in the restroom. In the case of young children who need assistance, the restroom door must be left open within sight of the second adult. • First Aid and CPR: All Permanent Staff must be certified in basic first aid and CPR or obtain certification once hired. [see Preschool Policy]

Important points • Communication/Advance Notice to Parents/Guardians: Parents/guardians should be given advance notice and information about any activity which deviates from the regular Preschool days. Photocopies of Preschool permission forms should accompany preschool children on any activity involving travel. • Copies of this policy, the Preschool Staff policy and the Student Handbook will be made available to parents/guardians. • Age and activity-appropriate equipment: Annually examine the safety and appropriateness of the equipment used in classrooms, and playground. Note in writing date and findings of inspection, using the “Inspection” form.

Important points • Use of Pictures: pictures of loan children/youth may not be posted on any website without written permission of the parents. Only group pictures may be used, posted and/or sent to other publications. Children/Youth in pictures on the church website are never to be identified by name without written permission from the parent/guardian. • Staff who have children in the preschool are encouraged to take caution when posting photos of their children in preschool events or outings. They should never identify other children in their photos by name unless they have written permission from the parent/guardian. • Parents/guardians will be given a copy of this policy and hold the right to deny the use of their child in any photo. Should a parent/guardian make a request for pictures to be taken off posting or sites, every effort should be made to do so in a timely manner. • The Whitnel United Methodist Preschool will not be held liable and is not responsible for the postings of pictures by parents who are not employees.

Important points • Sign-in and sign-out for children: All staff should not release children to anyone except the parent/guardian following an activity, unless written permission is given by parent/guardian. • Liability insurance coverage: The church will maintain liability insurance coverage for activities both on and off church property, as well as, for sexual misconduct claims. • Transportation: As much as possible, the Preschool Staff will adhere to the Church’s Safe Sanctuaries Transportation policy. • Reporting of accidents/medical emergencies: the Preschool Staff will adhere to the Church’s Safe Sanctuaries Emergency Reporting policy.

Important points • Incident reporting and response procedure in case of allegation of abuse: the Preschool Staff will adhere to the Church’s Safe Sanctuaries Allegation of Abuse Incident Reporting Policy. • Background Checks: Persons having background checks completed should submit their Consent Signature Form and a copy of their driver’s license to the church secretary to be sent to the appropriate agency for processing. Once the background check has been reviewed by the Pastor (and possibly the hiring committee) a copy will be kept on file with the district office. All other copies must be destroyed. All background check information is confidential and should be viewed by as few individuals as possible. The Pastor, Council Chair or Chair of Pastor-Parish Relations Committee should be responsible for handling responses that may be returned from an agency with information that causes concern or alarm. • Criminal and sexual offender background checks must be conducted on all Staff Persons who supervise children/youth. • A copy of a valid North Carolina driver’s license should be kept on file for all staff driving the church van or transporting children/youth off church grounds. • Forms • The Preschool Director and Permanent Staff will use the Application form, Student Data form, Permission for Field Trip, Application for Preschool Teacher form, and the Employee Data forms created for the Preschool and contained in the Preschool Office. • The Church Safe Sanctuaries forms for Background Checks, Reporting Accidents and for Incident Reporting will be used as needed.

PARTICIPATION CONVENANT FOR PRESCHOOL STAFF Whitnel United Methodist Church Preschool You are being asked to fill out his form because we are committed to the safety and well-being of our children/youth and the adults who work with them. Thank you for your cooperation. The congregation of Whitnel United Methodist Church is committed to providing a safe, secure environment for all children/youth and all adults who work with them in ministries sponsored by the church. Our policy statement reflects our congregation’s commitments to preserving this church as a holy place of safety, a place of protection, and a place where all people can experience the love of God through relationships with others. Statement of Covenant: As a Christian community of faith and a United Methodist Preschool, we pledge to conduct the ministry of the gospel in ways that assure the safety and spiritual growth of all our children and youth, as well as that of the workers with children and youth. We will follow reasonable safety measures in the selection and recruitment of workers; we will implement prudent operational procedures in all programs and events; we will educate our workers with children and youth regarding the use of all appropriate policies and methods (including first aid and methods of discipline); we will have a clearly-defined procedure for reporting a suspected incident of abuse that conforms to the requirements of state law; we will be prepared to respond to media inquiries if an incident occurs. In all of our ministries with children and youth, this congregation is committed to demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ so that each child and youth will be “…surrounded by steadfast love… established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.” (from “Congregational Pledge 2”, “Baptismal Covenant II”, in the United Methodist Hymnal, p. 44). As an employee in the Whitnel United Methodist Church Preschool, I have read and understand the policy statement of this church. I agree to abide by the established Preschool policies [Preschool and Preschool Safe Sanctuaries] regarding ministries with children/youth. PLEASE SIGN A PAPER COPY OF THIS COVENANT AND GIVE IT TO THE PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR

Whitnel Church Preschool Safe Sanctuaries