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Safe Church Training, Policies, & Procedures
In our Baptismal Covenant, we promise to respect the dignity of every human being. One way we live out that value is through the implementation of our Safe Church Policies. Our Safe Church Policies establish and maintain standards intended to ensure our faith communities are safe places where all of God’s people are loved and encouraged to grow into the people God calls us to be. These policies provide specific requirements, recommendations, best practices, and guidelines that seek to respond in proactive and intentional ways to care for, be responsible to, and create safe and transformational spaces for everyone.
Accessing Trainings
Who needs what trainings?
- You will have access to many trainings, but what you need to take depends on your role
- Download the Safe Church Safe Communities Trainings Guide to find out
How to take Trainings?
- Most trainings are taken online through Praesidium (Except for Mandated Reporter. See below for more on this.)
- Each individual must log into their Praesidium account to take trainings
- If you do not have a Praesidium account, please contact your church’s Safe Church Administrator. Each church is assigned an administrator to manage Praesidium accounts. If you do not know who your Safe Church Administrator is, please contact the Clergy in charge, Senior Warden, or Parish Administrator at your church. If your church does not have a Safe Church Administrator, please contact Michelle Karimi at michelle@norcalepiscopal.org.
- The Mandated Reporter training must be completed through the California state approved website linked HERE:
- All Clergy and lay employees must complete this training.
- If volunteers are 18 years of age or older and have direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year, they must also complete this training.
- Once you have completed the Mandated Reporter training, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org
Questions? Please contact Michelle Karimi at michelle@norcalepiscopal.org, or (916) 442-6918.
Description of Trainings
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Introduction & Theological Background
An introduction that discusses the model policies of The Episcopal Church, set forth expectations for its leaders in their relationships with children, youth and adults. Our hope is to foster the highest standards of behavior in ministry setting across The Episcopal Church. In living into these policies and practices, we are living into our love for each other and our love for the world.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Organizational Rules & Policies
An overview of our model policies, best practices, and screening, monitoring, and supervision standards.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Healthy Boundaries
A review of how to respond to unhealthy boundary violations (physical, emotional, external, etc.) and the benefits of managing healthy boundaries.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Power and Relationships
Define healthy relationships within hierarchies and how to respond to unhealthy expressions of power.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Abuse & Neglect
Learn the warning signs of abuse and neglect as well as how to respond and report instances of abuse or neglect.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Inclusion
An overview of what it means to be an inclusive community, including requirements of commitment and how to recognize and respond to discriminatory language and behaviors.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Pastoral Relationships
This course will help you learn about: the impact of abuse, pastoral power dynamics, navigating pastoral relationships and self-care.
Promoting a Safe Environment: Supervisor Sexual Harassment Training- California
Supervisors have a vital role to play in creating a workplace free of sexual harassment. In this course, supervisory employees in California learn how to prevent, detect, and appropriately respond to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Teaching points include: The definition of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Legal requirements and responsibilities for supervisors and organizations. The definition of abusive conduct under the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Steps to identify, prevent, stop, and respond to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. How to respond to accusations. Resources and remedies for responding to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
Promoting a Safe Environment: Employee Sexual Harassment Training- California
All employees want to work in an environment free of sexual harassment. In this course, employees in California learn the damaging effects of harassment on individuals and organizations. They also learn how to prevent, detect, and appropriately respond to sexual harassment.
Safe Church, Safe Communities: Bullying
An overview of types of bullying and how to identify, respond to, and report instances of bullying.
Duty to Report: Mandated Reporter
Adults have a moral responsibility, and in many cases a legal responsibility, to report suspected child abuse or neglect. In this course, you will learn why reporting suspected abuse and neglect is critical, what your legal responsibilities are to report suspected abuse and neglect, what types of conduct must be reported, how to report suspected abuse and neglect, and how to respond if a child discloses abuse or neglect to you.
The Mandated Reporter training must be completed through the California state approved website linked below in blue:
- Clergy must complete the 4 hour “General Training” + the 3 hour “Clergy Training“
- Lay Employees must complete the 4 hour “General Training“
- Volunteers who are 18 years of age or older and who have direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year must complete the 2 hour “Volunteer Training“
- Once you have completed the Mandated Reporter training, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org
Completing Trainings
Trainings Guide/Key:
UNIVERSAL:
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Introduction & Theological Background
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Organizational Rules & Policies
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Healthy Boundaries
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Inclusion
- Promoting a Safe Environment: Employee Sexual Harassment Training – CA
- Duty to Report/Mandated Reporter
SPECIALTY:
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Abuse & Neglect
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Bullying
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Pastoral Relationships
- Safe Church, Safe Communities: Power and Relationships
SUPERVISORS:
- Promoting a Safe Environment: Supervisor Sexual Harassment Training – CA
(If taking the “Supervisor” version of this training, you do not need to take the “Employee” version)
Begin Trainings:
STEP 1: Visit: www.praesidiumacademy.com and log into your account to take the trainings listed below:
(Click here to download the complete guide)
Universal + Specialty + Supervisors:
- Clergy (including Postulants & Seminarians)
- Office of the Bishop Staff *
- Diocesan Governance Body *
- Youth Ministry Worker or Volunteer *
- School Staff, Volunteers, or Board of Directors (Preschools, Day Cares, Elementary, High Schools)*
- Children’s Ministry Worker or Volunteer **
Universal + Specialty:
- Elected Positions
- Lay Leadership
- Paid/Unpaid Church Staff
Universal:
- Key Holders (Altar Guild, Building Hosts, Renters)
*Employees w/out supervisory roles take the “Employee” Sexual Harassment training, not the Supervisor one
**Pastoral Relationships training is not required
The Mandated Reporter training must be completed through the California state approved website linked HERE:
- All Clergy and lay employees must complete this training.
- If volunteers are 18 years of age or older and have direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year, they must also complete this training.
- Once you have completed the Mandated Reporter training, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org
Mandated Reporter Training
The Mandated Reporter training must be completed through the California state approved website linked HERE:
- All Clergy and lay employees must complete this training.
- If volunteers are 18 years of age or older and have direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year, they must also complete this training.
- Once you have completed the Mandated Reporter training, please send a copy of your certificate of completion to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org
Background Checks/Credit Checks
Background Checks:
For new Clergy, a full background check must be completed through Oxford Documents. Please contact jacqi@norcalepiscopal.org for assistance with this.
Background checks must be renewed every three years for both clergy and lay. Renewals can be completed through Praesidium and cost $20. All lay individuals in need of a background check will need to complete it through Praesidium.
To renew a background check, please reach out to your church’s Safe Church Administrator. If your church does not have a Safe Church Administrator, please reach out to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org for assistance.
Credit Checks:
Credit Checks are completed through Oxford Documents and cost $15 per report.
Please email the following information to michelle@norcalepiscopal.org to initiate the credit check process:
- Full name of individual in need of credit check
- Email of individual in need of credit check
Policies & Forms
Policies & Forms
Child Abuse Prevention
- Safe Church Policies For Children
- Child Abuse Law
- CA Child Protective Services Emergency Numbers
- Clergy As Mandated Reporters Of Child Abuse
- Covenant For Sexual Responsibility
- Field Trip Permission Form
- Permission For Minor To Travel
- Record Of Contact Child
- Screening Form For Children Or Youth Work
- Secondary Screening Form For Children And Youth Ministry Workers
Exploitation Prevention
- Background Check Info
- Screening Form Exploitation
- Record Of Contact Exploitation
- Note Of Concern For Training
- Exploitation Prevention Policy
- Elder Abuse Reporting Guide
- Code Of Conduct
Harassment Prevention
- Domestic Violence Clergy Training
- GC Resolution A156 Appendix B Sexual Misconduct Exploitation
- Safe Church Policies For The Prevention Of Harassment
FAQs
FAQs
Who Should Be Trained?
- Clergy
- Vestry members
- Parish employees
- Worship Leaders, Lay Ministers & Eucharistic Visitors
- Volunteers working with children in any capacity (in-person or online)
Download the Safe Church Safe Communities Trainings Guide to see who needs what trainings HERE.
How often do you have to renew trainings?
- All required Safe Church trainings must be renewed every 3 years
- However, for employers with 5 or more employees, the “Promoting a Safe Environment: Supervisor/Employee Sexual Harassment Training-California” must be renewed every 2 years. For employers with less than 5 employees, the training must be renewed every 3 years
How do I register someone for a training?
- Each church is assigned an account administrator to manage Praesidium registrations. If you do not know who your administrator is, please contact the clergy, Senior Warden, or Parish Administrator at your church.
Contacting an Intake Officer
Contacting an Intake Officer
Anyone may contact the diocesan intake officer to report concerns about the behavior of a member of a clergy person. This initiates a process, when appropriate, to hold clergy accountable for their behavior.
The Rev. Rod Davis, is the intake officer for the diocese.
E-mail: fatherrod@stmichaelscarmichael.org
Phone: 916-488-3550
The intake officer will:
- Listen with respect
- Offer pastoral care and response
- Create a written report regarding the concern(s) presented
- Answer questions about the process
Please note: Clergy members are REQUIRED to report to the intake officer anything that may constitute an offense and to cooperate with the clergy disciplinary process.
