Safe Church Policy

Purpose:

It is the intention of the members and staff of Second Presbyterian Church to provide a safe and stable environment for Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations entrusted to our care. A safe and stable environment includes a formal, written policy to help prevent the occurrence of Abuse of these groups. The following policy and procedures are designed to protect our Children, Youth, Members of Vulnerable Populations, Workers, Volunteers, and the entire church family at Second Presbyterian Church.

Second Presbyterian Church has zero tolerance for abuse and will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of Children, Youth, or Members of Vulnerable Populations in its programs. Any mistreatment or abuse by a Worker or Volunteer will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or Volunteer service and cooperation with law enforcement.

Applies to:

This policy applies to all current and future Workers–whether compensated or Volunteer–who are responsible for supervising the activities of Children, Youth, and/or Members of Vulnerable Populations during church-sponsored activities that offer supervision of Children and Youth or Members of Vulnerable Populations.

Definitions:

For the purpose of this policy the following definitions shall apply:

1.        Children: Individuals under the age of twelve (12).

2.        Youth: Individuals between the ages of twelve (12) and seventeen (17).

3.        Adult: Any individual eighteen (18) years of age or older.

4.        Worker: Any adult (Volunteer or paid) responsible for working with or caring for Children,Youth, or Members of Vulnerable Populations, whether on an ongoing or intermittent basis.

5.         Volunteer: Any Youth or Adult who donates their time. Volunteers must be members or regular attendees of Second Presbyterian Church for at least six (6) months before serving.

6.        Youth Worker: A Worker at least twelve (12) but under eighteen (18) years old, enlisted to assist with care of Children.

7.        Abuse: Verbal, physical, emotional, mental, or sexual violation or neglect of a

child, Youth, or Member of a Vulnerable Population, including but not limited to the examples listed below.

A)   Physical abuse: hitting, spanking, shaking, slapping, unnecessary restraints

B)   Verbal abuse: degrading, threatening, cursing

C)   Sexual abuse: inappropriate touch, exposing oneself, sexually oriented conversations

D)   Mental abuse: shaming, humiliation, cruelty

E)   Neglect: withholding food, water, shelter

8.        Criminal Background Check (CBC): A procedure used by a qualified agency to verify criminal history for adult Volunteers or Workers.

9.        Members of Vulnerable Populations: Individuals who have difficulty

advocating for themselves and/or are at higher risk of Abuse due to disability, age, or mental illness.

10.  Child Sexual Abuse: Any act that forces, coerces, or manipulates a child into sexual activity. This includes touching and non-touching behaviors, and may be perpetrated by adults, adolescents, or Children who are at least four years older than the victim.

Examples include:

●      Penetration, fondling, or exposure of genitalia

●      Forcing a child to view or participate in sexual activity

●      Showing pornography or using a child to produce it

Second Presbyterian Church holds that any such behavior is criminal, exploitative, and never acceptable–even if a child appears to consent.

Policy and Procedures:

Worker Enlistment

  1. All paid Workers must complete the hiring process as prescribed by the Personnel Committee.

  2. All Workers (paid or Volunteer) must complete a Worker with Minors & Members of Vulnerable Populations Application. (This just references the form at the end of this policy.)

  3. References will be checked for all paid Workers. Volunteers must list at least one church member reference, and the Director of Children’s Ministry, or their designee, will check the reference.  

  4. Any prospective Worker with a known history of Abuse (sexual, physical, or emotional) of Children, Youth, or vulnerable populations shall not serve in any capacity involving those populations. 

  5. Criminal Background Checks (CBCs) will be conducted for all paid Workers and Volunteers who spend more than five cumulative hours with Children and Youth per school year (September 1 through August 31), or whose role involves unsupervised or overnight interaction with Children and Youth.  Volunteers under this threshold must be supervised at all times.  CBCs will be conducted after signing the Background Investigation Consent Form and within sixty days of enlistment.  CBCs will be repeated every three years or more frequently as deemed necessary.

  6. Applications, reference checks, CBCs, and evidence of training will be maintained for each Worker (paid or Volunteer).

  7. Applicants may review–but not retain or copy–their CBC transcript at the church. 

  8. This policy applies to all Workers, whether serving regularly or intermittently. 

  9. Youth Workers assisting in Children’s ministry must complete the Youths Working with Minors or Members of Vulnerable Populations form and training. (This just references the form at the end of this policy.)  They are exempt from the Criminal Background Check only.

Worker Training

●      New Workers will receive a copy of this policy and provide a signed acknowledgement.

●      All Workers must complete annual training as prescribed by the Children and Youth Committee.

 Disqualifications

Workers with the following convictions are automatically disqualified from working with Children, Youth or vulnerable populations:

●      Criminal homicide

●      Aggravated assault

●      Injury to a child

●      Incest

●      Indecency with a child

●      Possession or promotion of child pornography

●      Abandonment or endangerment of a child

●      Kidnapping or unlawful restraint

●      Public lewdness or indecent exposure

●      Employment harmful to Children

●      Enticing a child

●      Distribution or display of harmful material to minors

●      Crimes involving illegal drugs or alcohol within the past five (5) years disqualify individuals from driving for Youth or Children’s events. Other forms of Volunteering may be permitted based on the discretion of the Director of Children’s Ministry and evidence of rehabilitation.

Acts and Omissions in Violation of This Policy

Violations include (but are not limited to):

●      Evidence or observation of sexual misconduct with or in the presence of Children, Youth, or Members of Vulnerable Populations

●      Physical Abuse or emotional mistreatment

●      Neglect, including inadequate supervision

●      Possession of pornography at church functions

●      Being under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or illegal drugs while leading programs

All such acts must be immediately reported to the Head of Staff and the Chair of the Personnel Committee once the individual’s safety is assured.

Worker Supervision

1.    The “Two Adult Rule” applies at all times. The Two Adult Rule requires that no fewer than two adults be present at all times during any church-sponsored program, event or ministry involving Children and/or Youth. A reasonable ratio (max 1:10 for ages 4 and older or 1:6 for ages 3 and younger) must be maintained during on-site programming; 1:5 for overnight/off-site events.

2.    Parents/guardians must provide medication instructions for overnight events, as needed.

3.    Counseling with Children and Youth must follow the Two Adult Rule or receive written parental permission in advance.

4.    Parental permission is required for program participation.

5.    Children in the nursery must follow a check-in/check-out procedure as prescribed by the Children and Youth Committee.

Guidelines for Working With Members of Vulnerable Populations (MVPs)

1.    Maintain open communication with MVPs and their guardians.

2.    Conduct an initial intake meeting to assess support and accommodations.

3.    Use appropriate supports as designed by the Director of Children and Youth and parents/guardians.

4.    Train all Workers on MVP guidelines and individual needs.

5.    If a safety issue arises, remove the MVP from the situation and notify parents/guardians immediately.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Second Presbyterian Church will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of one Child, Youth, or Member of a Vulnerable Population by another Child, Youth, or Member of a Vulnerable Population. Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, is repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or strength. Bullying can take on various forms, including:

1.    Physical bullying – when one person engages in physical force against another person, such as by hitting, punching, pushing, kicking, pinching, or restraining another.

2.    Verbal bullying – when someone uses their words to hurt another, such as by belittling or calling another a hurtful name.

3.    Nonverbal or relational bullying – when one person manipulates a relationship or desired relationship to harm another person. This includes social exclusion, friendship manipulation, or gossip. This type of bullying also includes intimidating another person by using gestures.

4.    Cyberbullying – the intentional and overt act of aggression toward another person by way of any technological tool, such as email, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or website postings (including blogs). Cyberbullying can involve:

1.    Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images.

2.    Posting sensitive, private information about another person.

3.    Pretending to be someone else to make that person look bad; and

4.    Intentionally excluding someone from an online group.

5.    Hazing – an activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers that person regardless of that person’s willingness to participate.

6.    Sexualized bullying – when bullying involves behaviors that are sexual in nature. Examples of sexualized bullying behaviors include sexting, bullying that involves exposure of private body parts, and verbal bullying involving sexualized language or innuendos.

 Anyone who sees an act of bullying and then encourages it, is engaging in bullying. This policy applies to all Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations, Workers, and Volunteers.

Social Media

This organization strongly encourages Workers and Volunteers to refrain from electronic communication and/or social media use with Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations. However, if these interactions are part of programming or otherwise unavoidable, this organization offers the following guidelines:

●      Second Presbyterian Church requires Workers, Volunteers, Children, Youth, Members of Vulnerable Populations, and parents/guardians to sign a Social Media Code of Conduct that includes guidelines about appropriate and inappropriate communication with participants. The Director of Children’s Ministry or their designee should review this Code of Conduct with participants at the program orientation.

●      The Director of Children’s Ministry or a designee may create a public social media page for the program. Then Workers, Volunteers, and participants may be instructed to communicate through this public page instead of through individual personal profiles. This approach allows the administrators to monitor communication and ensures that Workers and Volunteers do not have private (and possibly inappropriate) conversations with participants.

●      The organization monitors its social media pages and removes any posts that violate the organization’s policies for appropriate behavior.

a.    The organization informs parents/guardians of any such prohibited posts or online behavior.

b.    Workers and Volunteers are encouraged to have “private” profiles so that participants do not have access to their private information. Common settings to check are:

●      Which information on certain platforms is always available to the public (e.g., name or username, bio, profile photos, associated networks)

●      Who can send the user a friend or follow request, search for them by email address or phone number, and send them direct messages?

●      Who can tag a user in photos or posts and potentially reveal location or personal information?

Can the user prohibit search engines from linking to their social media profile or allowing it to appear in public searches?

 c.     Require Workers and Volunteers to use designated platforms designed for smaller groups, clubs, or team communication, and which allow all communication to be seen by all participants (e.g., Remind, GroupMe, Slack)

 d.    Keep in mind that typically social media tries to limit usage to only participants who are 13 years or older. There are very limited circumstances in which a Worker or Volunteer should need to electronically contact a participant under the age of 13.

 e.    Workers and Volunteers may not generally send or respond to electronic communications outside of the hours of 9 AM to 6 PM central time.

 f.      Train Workers and Volunteers on how to respond to private electronic communication from participants. The responding procedure should include:

 ●      Alerting the Director of Children's Ministry about the private communication and carefully documenting and forwarding the communication according to the organization’s guidelines. For most organizations, Workers and Volunteers should not respond privately to participants except to state that such communications are prohibited by the Code of Conduct.

●      Exceptions may be made under emergency situations wherein private messages may occur in order to locate a participant and secure his/her safety, but all such contact must be documented accordingly.

●      If a participant reveals abuse or inappropriate interactions with an adult or child, the Worker or Volunteer must report this information to the Director of Children’s Ministry and child protective services or law enforcement immediately.

g.    Second Presbyterian Church may allow private communications with participants within a mentor or advocate relationship.

h.    Workers and Volunteers may choose or be required to include the Director of Children’s Ministry or the organization in their direct communications with a participant.

i.      Provide participants and parents/guardians with information about how to respond to inappropriate communication from Workers and Volunteers. The responding procedure should include:

●      Contact information for the Director of Children’s Ministry and Head of Staff.

●      An anonymous method for reporting concerns.

j.      Requests to discontinue – Parents/guardians may request in writing that a participant not be contacted through any form of electronic communication or social media by the organization.

Reporting Procedures

All adults are mandatory reporters in Tennessee. If Abuse is suspected:

1.        Remove the accused from contact with Children/Youth/MVPs.

2.        Notify Head of Staff and Personnel Committee Chair immediately.

3.        Report to Child Protective Services within 24 hours:

a.    Call 877-237-0004

b.    Or report online https://apps.tn.gov/carat/

4.        Document all observations and actions using the Incident Report Form, located at the end of this policy.

Further steps (handled by Head of Staff or their designee only):

●      Notify the victim’s parents/guardians

●      Notify the Head of Staff and document all actions

●      Notify the insurance carrier and legal counsel

●      Cooperate fully with investigations

●      Designate a spokesperson for media

●      Support the victim and their family

●      Dismiss Workers if Abuse is substantiated

   Consider church membership termination where appropriate

●      Offer support to the accused, if necessary

●      Use restorative justice principles, if possible

●      Maintain confidentiality and offer pastoral care

Insurance

The church shall maintain liability insurance to cover child Abuse and sexual misconduct claims.

Policy Review

The Children and Youth Committee and Safety Committee will conduct a joint review of this policy annually, on or near the anniversary of the Session's approval, to determine if any revisions are necessary.

History:

04/18/2026    Approved by the Session with an effective date of September 1, 2026

Code of Conduct

The following rules will apply to all participants in church activities involving Children, Youth and Members of Vulnerable Populations, including Workers, Volunteers, parents, guardians, Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations.

General Rules

1.         Smoking or the use of tobacco products is prohibited in the presence of Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations.

2.         The use, possession, or influence of alcohol, illegal substances, or illicit drugs will not be tolerated.

3.         The presence or possession of pornographic materials at any church function is prohibited.

4.         Profanity is not permitted in the presence of Children, Youth, or Members of Vulnerable Populations.

5.         Participants must treat all people with respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 

6.         Participants must be free from physical or psychological conditions that could adversely affect the health or safety of Children, Youth, or Members of Vulnerable Populations, including contagious illnesses.  

7.         Participants shall strive to be positive role models by demonstrating Christian love, respect, loyalty, patience, courtesy, and maturity. 

Rules Regarding Abuse

8.         Participants shall not engage in any form of Abuse, including but not limited to:

•          Sexual advances, sexual activity, sexual Abuse, or any insinuation of sexually abusive conduct with, in the presence of, or in association with Children, Youth, or Members of a Vulnerable Population. This behavior includes but is not limited to: inappropriate touch, exposing oneself, and sexually oriented conversations

•          Physical, emotional, or mental Abuse, including the infliction of bodily harm, including but not limited to hitting, spanking, shaking, slapping, or unnecessary restraints.  Physical neglect, including failure to provide adequate supervision in relation to church activities, withholding food, water, and shelter

•          Verbal abuse: degrading, threatening, cursing

•          Emotional and Mental abuse: shaming, humiliation, cruelty

Electronic Communications and Social Media 

9.         Only program-related messaging may be communicated electronically between participants. Such communication should generally occur during standard business hours.

10.       Workers and Volunteers are prohibited from sending private messages to Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations and/or replying to private messages from Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations. If Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations attempt to privately communicate with a Worker or Volunteer electronically, the Director of Children’s Ministry must be notified immediately.

11.       Personal social networking profiles and/or blogs of Workers and Volunteers shall be private and not shared with Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations. Workers and Volunteers with profiles on social networking sites shall not request to be “friends” with or follow Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations or approve friend or follow requests from Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations.

12.       Never reveal sensitive or confidential information, including identifiable details or photos of Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations without written consent from their parent or legal guardian.

13.       Workers and Volunteers may not post or share on their personal social media accounts any photographs or videos of Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations participating in the organization’s programs.

14.       Workers and Volunteers may not post or share inappropriate photos or comments on photos of Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations.

15.       Do not make pornography in any form available to Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations participating in the organization’s programs, events, and activities, or assist Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations in any way in gaining access to pornography.

16.       Participants may not create web pages on behalf of the organization unless they have prior approval to do so and may not misrepresent their work with the organization or the organization itself.

17.       Workers and Volunteers engaging in social media and online communication become a public figure associated with the organization and are responsible for helping protect the organization and its Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations. Always act in a professional and constructive manner and use sound judgment before posting or sharing content.

18.       Rather than personally defend the organization’s reputation, Workers and Volunteers should notify the Director of Children's Ministry or Head of Staff of a negative comment or online representation, or if any member of the media contacts them about any matter related to the organization.

19.       Workers and Volunteers must adhere to uniform standards of electronic communication and social media use as outlined in any applicable organizational policies and procedures.

20.       This Code of Conduct and associated policies and procedures shall be provided to parents/guardians of Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations. It shall also be available on the organization’s website for public view.

21.       Children, Youth, and Members of Vulnerable Populations and Parents/guardians may request in writing that a Child, Youth, or Member of a Vulnerable Population not be contacted through any form of electronic communication or social media by a Worker or Volunteer of the organization.

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