Safeguarding God's Children
Ensuring that our congregations are safe places for children is a priority of the Northern Illinois Synod. Whether you are a paid or volunteer leader in a congregation, please consider attending one of the “Safeguarding God’s Children” workshops that are being offered within the Synod in the upcoming months. The curriculum titled “Safeguarding God’s Children: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” is a program written by the Episcopal Church of the USA. The workshops are led by members of the Northern Illinois Synod’s Safe Church subcommittee. The goal of the workshops is to provide participants with the information they need to protect the children they know and care for in the personal lives and the ministries in which they serve.
From the Trainer’s Manual: “The program is based on the philosophy that if every adult can protect just one child, they will forever change one life. If we can all change one life, together we will make a difference in this generation of children.”
Part 1 includes the following: how perpetrators of abuse gain access to children; warning signs in adults; warning signs in children; how to act when you see the warning signs; how to teach children to protect themselves.
Part 2 includes the following: the steps to keep ministries safe (Screening, Interacting, Monitoring, Training, Responding) and how to implement them at the congregation.
Please talk with your members who work with children/youth in any capacity and encourage them to register today!
