Child Protection Policy
Child Protection Policy
Clarksville Church of God seeks to provide a safe and secure environment for the adults, children and youth who participate in our programs and activities. By implementing the following practices, our goal is to protect the adults, the youth and children of Clarksville Church of God from incidents of misconduct or inappropriate behavior while also protecting our staff and volunteers from false accusations.
Definitions:
For purposes of this policy, the terms ‘child’ or ‘children’ include all persons under the age of eighteen (18) years.
Selection of Workers:
As of April 1, 2009 all employees, whether paid or volunteer who desire to work within the confines of this local church, especially with the children participating in our programs and activities will be screened. This screening includes:
A. Six Month Rule
No volunteer will be allowed to work with adults/children until s/he has been a member and a regular attendee of Clarksville Church of God for a minimum of six (6) months. This time of interaction between our leadership and the applicant allows for better evalua- tion and suitability of the applicant for working with adults and children.
B. Written Application
All persons seeking to work in the church must complete and sign a written application in a form to be supplied by us. The application will request basic information from the applicant and will inquire into previous experience with different types of ministry, previous church affiliation, reference and employment information, as well as disclosure of any previous criminal convictions. The application form will be maintained in confidence on file at Clarksville Church of God.
C. Personal Interview
Upon completion of the application, a face-to-face interview may be scheduled with the applicant to discuss his/her suitability for the position.
D. Reference Checks
Before an applicant is permitted to work within the ministry department, whether adults or children, at least two of the applicants’ references will be checked. These references should be of an institutional nature as opposed to personal or family references, preferably from organizations where the applicant has worked with children in the past. Documentation of the reference checks will be maintained in confidence on file at Clarksville Church of God.
E. Criminal Background Check A national criminal background check is required for all employees (regardless of position) and for the following categories of volunteers:
* Those who will be involved in our Sunday School; Wedneday night programs; nurseries; children’s church, etc.;
* Those who will be involved with overnight activities with minors;
* Those counseling minors;
* Those involved with one-on-one mentorship of minors;
* Those having occasional one-on-one contact with minors (church sponsored events and drivers)
Before a background check is run, prospective workers will be asked to sign an authorization form allowing the church to run the check. If an individual declines to sign the authorization form, s/he will be unable to work with children. What constitutes a disqualifying offense that will keep an individual from working with children will be determined by Rev. Paul W. Nolan, Senior Pastor on a case-by-case basis
in light of all the surrounding circumstances. Generally, convictions for an offense involving children and/or for offenses involving violence, dishonesty, illegal substances, indecency and any conduct contrary to our mission will preclude someone from being permitted to work with children. Failure to disclose a criminal conviction on the application form will also be a disqualifying event.
The background check authorization form and results will be maintained in confidence on file at Clarksville Church of God.
Two Adult Rule
It is our goal that a minimum of two unrelated adult workers will be in attendance at all times when children are being supervised during our programs and activities. Some youth classes may have only one adult teacher in attendance during the class session; in these instances, doors to the classroom should remain open and there should be no fewer than three (3) students with the adult teacher. We do not allow minors to be alone with one adult on our premises or in any sponsored activity unless in a counseling situation.