Diocese of Spokane

1. Diocese of Spokane Safe Environment Program for Children and Youth Safe Environment Workshop for Pastors, Safe Environment Coordinators, DREs, and School Principals 2014-2015

2. Let Us Pray!

3. Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love;where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith;where there is despair, hope;where there is darkness, light;and where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seekto be consoled as to console;to be understood as to understand;to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive;it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

4. TEN POINTS FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN Teresa M. KettelkampExecutive DirectorSecretariat of Child and Youth Protection • Sexual molestation is about the victim. Many people are affected when a priest abuses a minor, but the individual most impacted is the victim who has suffered a violation of trust that can affect his or her entire life. The abuser, the family of the abused, and the parish community are all affected by this sin and crime, but the primary person of concern must be the victim. • No one has the right to have access to children. If people wish to volunteer for the church, for example, in a parish or school, they must follow diocesan guidelines on background checks, safe environment training, policies and procedures, and codes of conduct. No one, no matter who they are, has an automatic right to be around children or young people who are in the care of the church without proper screening and without following the rules.

5. Common sense is not all that common. It is naive to presume that people automatically know boundaries so organizations and families have to spell them out. For example, no youth minister, cleric or other adult leader should be in a child’s bedroom, alone with the child. • Child sexual abuse can be prevented. Awareness that child sexual abuse exists and can exist anywhere is a start. It is then critical to build safety barriers around children and young people to keep them from harm. These barriers come in the form of protective guardians, codes of conduct, background evaluations, policies and procedures, and safety training programs.  • The residual effects of having been abused can last a lifetime. Those who have been abused seldom “just get over it.” The sense of violation goes deep into a person’s psyche and feelings of anger, shame, hurt and betrayal can build long after the abuse has taken place. Some have even described the feeling as if it has “scarred their soul.”

6. Feeling heard leads toward healing. Relief from hurt and anger often comes when one feels heard, when one’s pain and concerns are taken seriously, and a victim/survivor’s appropriate sense of rage and indignation are acknowledged. Not being acknowledged contributes to a victim’s sense of being invisible, unimportant and unworthy; they are in some way “revictimized.” • You cannot always predict who will be an abuser. Experience shows that most abuse is at the hands of someone who has gained the trust of a victim/survivor and his/her family. Most abuse also occurs in the family setting. Sometimes the “nicest person in the world” is an abuser, and this “niceness” enables a false sense of trust to be created between abuser and abused. • There are behavioral warning signs of child abusers. Training and education help adults recognize grooming techniques that are precursors to abuse.  Some abusers isolate a potential victim by giving him or her undue attention or lavish gifts. Another common grooming technique is to allow young people to participate in activities which their parents or guardians would not approve, such as watching pornography, drinking alcohol, using drugs, and excessive touching, which includes wrestling and tickling.  It is also critical to be wary of age-inappropriate relationships, seen, for example, in the adult who is more comfortable with children than fellow adults.  Parishes can set up rules to guide interaction between adults and children.

7. People can be taught to identify grooming behavior – which are the actions which abusers take to project the image that they are kind, generous, caring people, while their intent is to lure a minor into an inappropriate relationship. An abuser may develop a relationship with the family to increase his credibility. Abusers might show attention to the child by talking to him/her, being friendly, sharing alcohol with a minor and giving the child “status” by insinuating that the child is their favorite or “special person.” Offenders can be patient and may “groom” their victim, his or her family, or community for years. • Background checks work. Background checks in churches, schools and other organizations keep predators away from children both because they scare off some predators and because they uncover past actions which should ban an adult from working or volunteering with children. If an adult has had difficulty with some boundaries that society sets, such as not driving while intoxicated or not disturbing the public peace, he or she may have difficulties with other boundaries, such as not hurting a child. Never forget that offenders lie.

8. What do we need to do to implement the Diocesan Safe Environment Program in our parish/school?

9. There are definitely many tasks that need to be accomplished at the local and diocesan levels in order to meet the requirements of the Charter for a Safe Environment for Children and Youth; but they can be accomplished, if we work together!

10. Safe Environment Coordinator The pastor annually must designate one person to coordinate the Safe Environment Program for the parish and school. The name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of this person should be sent to the Diocesan Office of Education as soon as possible (Form 302). jmartin@dioceseofspokane.org

11. Safe Environment Trainings for Adults: • Clergy and Employees • Adult Volunteers

12. Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse Prevention Trainings All new clergy and new employees are required to participate in one of the monthly Diocesan Safe Environment Trainings for Clergy and Employees (Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse Prevention Training) at the Catholic Pastoral Center, have a background check, read and sign a copy of the Spokane Diocesan Code of Conduct, and complete a Disclosure Statement

13. Adult Volunteers All volunteers who work with children or youth are required to participate in an initial Safe Environment Training for Adult Volunteers (Code of Conduct Training), have a WSP or Nexus-Lexus (Choice Point) background check, read and sign a copy of the Spokane Diocesan Code of Conduct, and complete a Disclosure Statement

14. The Safe Environment Training for Adult Volunteers (Code of Conduct Training) The Diocesan Safe Environment Training for Adult Volunteers (Code of Conduct Training) consists of three major components: • The Child Sexual Abuse Presentation (power point on website) • Reading and Discussing the Diocesan Code of Conduct (Form 203) • Viewing the Entrusted to Our Care video (website)

15. Parish/School Code of Conduct Training All volunteer training materials can be accessed on our diocesan website: • Power Point Presentation; • Code of Conduct; • Video: Entrusted to Our Care. http://www.dioceseofspokane.org/children.php

16. Code of Conduct The Diocesan Code of Conduct (Form 203/203A) is available in English and Spanish on the Diocesan website at www.dioceseofspokane.org. Just click on: Protecting Our Children

17. Entrusted to Our Care The Entrusted to Our Care video was provided to all parishes and schools. It is a video response to the Diocesan Code of Conduct. This video is available to you in DVD format only. This format contains both English and Spanish versions. The videoalso is available on our diocesan website.

18. WSP Background Check All clergy, employees and volunteers must have a Washington State Patrol Background check before they begin work with children or youth. Parishes and schools are now required to set up an online account with the Washington State Patrol to process ALL WSP background checks for volunteers.

19. Moving In From Out Of State? All employees (other than school) or volunteers who have NOT lived continuously in the State of Washington for the past three years, must have an out-of-state background check which is conducted through the Diocesan Office of Education. The cost for this check will be between $6.00 and $10.00.

20. Moving In From Out Of State? All new employees (not school) and volunteers who have not lived in the State of Washington anytime during the last three years must complete Section 2 of the Safe Environment Consent and Training Summary form (Form 303). Email, mail, or fax the signed form to the Diocesan Office of Education. We will send a copy of the clearance and an invoice back to the parish/school after the background check has been completed. Diocesan Office of Education P.O. Box 1453 Spokane WA, 99210-1453 FAX: (509) 358-7302

21. FBI Fingerprint Check All school employees are required to have an FBI Fingerprint Background check. Employees will be given directions and materials for this background check when they attend the New Employee Orientation. Fingerprint cards are also available in the school offices.

22. Establishing a Washington State Patrol Background Check Account https://fortress.wa.gov/wsp/watch/Help?Index=forms Washington State Patrol Washington Access to Criminal History (WATCH) New Account/User Application Check: New Account Check: Nonprofit Complete Application and mail or fax with proof of nonprofit status WATCH Identification & Criminal History Section P.O. Box 42633 Olympia, WA 98504-2633

23. Establishing a Washington State Patrol Background Check Account There is not a fee for nonprofits!!!

24. Background Check Background checks for all clergy, employees, and volunteers must be conducted EVERY FIVE YEARS

25. WATCH https://fortress.wa.gov/wsp/watch • Scroll to bottom of the page • Click on “Login using a Pre-Established Account”

26. Confidentiality It is extremely important that those conducting background checks maintain a high level of confidentiality. Information regarding the volunteer or the WATCH findings may never be shared with anyone other that the appropriate administrator (pastor, principal, DRE, youth minister, etc.)

27. WATCH Findings A copy of ALL potential criminal findings must be given to the pastor and a copy be sent to the Diocesan Office of Education with the Safe Environment Background Consent & Training Summary Form 303.

28. WATCH Findings When presented with information regarding a volunteer with a possible criminal background, it is the pastor’s responsibility to determine whether or not this individual may be permitted to volunteer with children and/or youth. The Diocesan Code of Conduct should be the primary guide.

29. Disclosure Statement All new clergy, employees, and volunteers are required to complete a Disclosure Statement (form 206/206A), indicating whether they have or have not been convicted of a crime against person. A copy of the Disclosure Statement can be found on the Diocesan website: http://www.dioceseofspokane.org/children.php

30. After Conducting a Safe Environment Training for Adult Volunteers (Code of Conduct Training), Please: • Maintain all hard copies or digital copies (PDF) of the training roster (Form 201), the signed training certificate (Form 202), the signed Code of Conduct (Form 203), the signed Safe Environment Background Consent and Training Summary (Form 303), and a signed Disclosure Statement (Form 206) for all volunteers. • Mail a hard copy or email a digitally scanned copy (PDF) of all training rosters (Form 201) to the Office of Education. • Complete Section 3 of the Safe Environment Background Consent & Training Summary (Form 303) for each individual containing the signed consent to conduct a background check, the date of training, the date of the signed Code of Conduct, the date of a signed Disclosure Statement, and the date of the WSP background clearance and email/mail that document to the Office of Education. • Attach a copy of all possible criminal matches found on the Washington State History Depository to the individual training summary form before sending it to the diocesan office.

31. All of These Forms Can Be Found on the Diocesan website http://www.dioceseofspokane.org/children.php

32. Annual Online Update After completing an initial Safe Environment Training all clergy, employees, and volunteers are required to complete an Annual Online Update between July 1 and November 1. This update consists of reading an article regarding a Safe Environment topic, passing a ten question online quiz pertaining to the article, and reviewing the Diocesan Code of Conduct (Question 11).

33. ETS ETS is the Diocesan Safe Environment Tracking/Training System. After a member of the clergy, an employee or a volunteer completes an initial Safe Environment Training, she/he is assigned an identification number, which is then recorded by the Diocesan Office of Education into the ETS according to parish, school, or location.

34. How Do I Access the ETS System All parishes, schools, and other entities have been assigned an administrator ETS Username and Password. These are available through the Diocesan Office of Education.

35. ETS LOGIN Login to ETS Admin: http://ets.dioceseofspokane.org/login/loginadmin Enter your USERNAME and PASSWORD. St. George ParishUSERNAME: SGP PASSWORD: 111Ministry

36. How Do Volunteers and Employees Access the Annual Online Update? Go to the Diocesan Website, select Protecting our Children, select Annual Online Update from the menu Or go here: http://ets.dioceseofspokane.org/login/loginassessment Enter your ID# Enter the password: Ministry (capital M)

37. Click on Protecting Our Children …and then click on Annual Online Update

38. Online Article and Quiz After reading the article and taking the ten question online quiz, volunteers and employees must also indicate that they have read the Diocesan Code of Conduct (Question 11). All ten questions must be answered correctly on the quiz before the system will update, but an individual can take the quiz as many times as necessary in order to pass it.

39. Online Training EVERYONE who has had the initial adult safe environment training is now required to complete the online training and test annually between July 1 and November 1. Anyone who is NOT current by November 1will become noncompliant, and he/she may not be permitted to continue employment or volunteer with children.

40. Online Training It is the responsibility of the parish/school safe environment coordinator to notify all parish/school employees and volunteers about the annual online training and to monitor the ETS website to insure that all employees and volunteers are compliant with training requirements.

41. Safe Environment Files The Diocesan Office of Education now only maintains a digital file for all volunteers who work with children and youth, all clergy, and all employees. These files contain: • Safe Environment Background Consent & Training Summary (Form 303) form for anyone who has been trained. • Background check results for those who have lived out of state. • Training rosters for all trainings conducted by the parishes, schools, entities, and the Office of Education.

42. What about the education program for children and youth? All children and youth involved in parish/school programs must participate annually in a Personal Safety/Safe Environment Program at the parish/school. It is no longer acceptable to presume that the children are receiving this training at their public schools.

43. Materials for the Student Safe Environment Program Every parish and school in the diocese is expected to use the VIRTUS Online Touching Safety Program for all children and youth (Grades K to 12) who are registered in formal programs. VIRTUS Online Touching Safety Program was created for four specific age groups: • Grades K through 2 • Grades 3 through 5 • Grades 6 through 8 • Grades 9 through 12

44. Touching Safety Program Themes Year 1: Lesson 1 Touching Safety Rules Lesson 2 Safe Friends, Safe Adults, and Safe Touches Year 2: Lesson 3 Boundaries Lesson 4 Telling Someone You Trust Year 3: Lesson 5 Grooming Lesson 6 No Secrets

45. Virtus For Children and Youth The Virtus Program for children and youth also has an introductory video which should be shown before the initial lesson each year. A copy of this DVD video was provided to all parishes and schools. If you do not have a copy of the video and/or you need copies of the lessons, please contact Jackie: jmartin@dioceseofspokane.org

46. Supplementary Materials for the Student Safe Environment Program There are numerous supplementary materials available for teaching the Personal Safety/Safe Environment Curriculum to our children and youth; but please remember that these are supplementary. The Virtus materials are the required Safe Environment Training materials for children and youth.

47. Reporting Abuse Every child/youth MUST know how to report suspected abuse to a safe adult. This is an absolute component for all trainings!

48. Agreement for Youth Working with Minors: Form 105 This form has two primary purposes: • It is an educational tool to help youth better understand their responsibilities as supervisors of younger children. • It formalizes the youth’s responsibility to uphold and implement the Diocesan Code of Conduct when working with younger children.

49. Safe Environment Education Annual Reporting Forms Parishes/schools are required annually to report to the Diocesan Office of Education, the names of all students in their programs and the date that they were trained, the names of the students who were absent during the trainings, the names of the students whose parents denied permission for them to participate in the training, the materials used, and the names of the presenters.

50. Safe Environment Education Annual Reporting Forms We need to know the identity of each child/youth, the annual training dates, whether the parents chose to have their child opt-out of the training, or whether the child was absent on the day(s) of the training, or whether the child/youth has withdrawn from the program (form 101) http://www.dioceseofspokane.org/children.php