Replies

Father Corapi was given every opportunity to continue his licentious behavior within the RCC. So far, no one knows why he quit but his infractions are somewhat legendary, both before and after his ordination.

"Does your Church have any guidelines or policies in place on this subject?"

Yes. Here is one OPC's brief outline of stated guidelines and policies and the Index from an Abuse Policy along with the policy for reporting abuse taken from the Abuse Policy.

Rome has nothing in place along the lines of the following, to its discredit.

______________________________________________

From Chapter 1 General Prevention Policies

(Remember that if the policy is impractical or will not be used,the church’s liability is increased unless/until the policy is modified or dropped.)

􀂃 Two-person rule-during a session of any child or youth program, at least two volunteers or staff must be present with minors.

􀂃 Notify a parent before a planned one-to-one contact with a minor and ask his/her permission to meet alone.

􀂃 Require two volunteers/staff to transport children or youth in a church vehicle and/or in a volunteer/staff vehicle.

􀂃 Establish hall monitors to observe volunteer/staff activities in a child or youth program and to monitor the facility for any suspicious behavior.

􀂃 Require bus drivers or transporters to log every pick-up and drop-off of minors.

􀂃 Require a parent to sign a waiver that his/her child may be transported alone.

􀂃 In the church facility, require a volunteer/staff person to observe one-to-one contacts between a volunteer/staff person and a minor. Outside of the church facility, require that one-to-one contacts occur in a public place or require a volunteer/staff person to observe one-to-one contacts.

From Chapter 2 Screening Procedures for Volunteers and Staff

The impetus for congregations to develop screening policies comes from a variety of sources. First, having a screening policy in place tells church members that the church is serious about preventing abuse and reducing volunteer/staff liability to claims of abuse.

In addition, screening policies may help reduce the incidence of child abuse within church programs and may reduce a congregation’s legal liability. Insurance underwriters and attorneys may recommend to churches that they have a written screening policy.

Furthermore, various laws may encourage or require screening policies. (See, for example, the “National Child Protection Act of 1993,” Appendix A.) The development of a screening policy can have a twofold effect on child abuse prevention. First, church officials who are responsible for assigning volunteers/staff to serve in church programs have more data to help them make an adequate match between a person’s interests and skills and the available positions. The data may enable church officials to screen an individual out of a program or position in which the individual may pose a risk to children. Second, in some cases, the fact that a screening policy exists will deter an individual who poses a threat to children and does not want to risk exposure.

Table of Contents

Page(s) Topic 3-4 Kinds of Abuse; Guidelines on how to recognize various types of abuse

5-6 Reporting Abuse, Responding to Allegations; Step-wise instructions on how to report suspected cases of abuse,and what to do when allegations are brought forward

7 General Worker Guidelines; Basic rules and standards that workers should adhere to in ministering to children

8-9 Nursery Worker Guidelines; Recommendations for those working in our Nursery

10 Day/Overnight Trips; Rules and guidelines for extended off-site events

11 Use of the Church Van; Who can operate and how to care for the church van

12 Addressing Threatening; How to deal with violent Behavior or aggressive children

13-18 Forms, Reporting Documents; Standard forms for recording relevant information, including attendance, trip details and permissions, adverse incident details, and relevant medical data

19-28 Applications and Reference Forms; Materials to be filled out by potential workers and their referees

29-30 Interview Questions; What may be asked of candidates during the interview process

KINDS OF ABUSE

There are four kinds of child abuse:

1. Child neglect is defined as omission of the child’s basic needs (physical, environmental, emotional, nutritional) for his or her physical and emotional well-being. It is this area to which the church is most open to liability if proper supervision is not provided and safety rules are not set and enforced.

2. Emotional abuse involves verbal or non-verbal violence toward a child that gives the child the message that he or she is “not good.” Teasing, name-calling, or any other form of demeaning a child falls into this category.

3. Physical abuse involves physical aggression toward a child where the leader is not in control, is under stress, or has little control over impulses. It can also be intentional infliction of harm on a child. Often it is the transference of adult anger into physical aggression against a child. This could include not only hitting a child, but also grabbing, pulling or pushing a child.

4. Sexual abuse or sexual molestation involves any sexual act between a child and an adult or an older child and a younger child. Sexual acts can involve touch, such as fondling or sexual penetration, or non-touch, such as exposing a child to pornography or sexual acts. Children are powerless and not in a position to responsibly consent to these sexual interactions.

SIGNS OF ABUSE

1. General: Children who are experiencing stress may exhibit behavioral signs of that stress. When signs of stress are present, it can be assumed that the child is in need of help to resolve the source of stress. Children who are in abusive situations are under stress, and therefore will probably exhibit signs of stress. Some symptoms of general childhood stress are: crying for no apparent reason, immature clinging, aggressive behavior, withdrawal, inability to concentrate, or depression.

These signs of general childhood stress may be caused by any number of factors, such as divorce, death, school problems, or peer/family relations. In helping the child address the cause of stress, it is often helpful to make a statement to the child that ‘reflects’ what you see the child is going through as evidenced by his behavior. For example, “Is something bothering you, you seem so sad today?” Such a question provides an opportunity for the child to talk about his problem without depending on the adult to prejudge the cause of the stress.

2. Specific: No single indicator is proof that a child is being abused. It is, however, a reason to look more closely at the child’s behavior and to consider the possibility of abuse.

3. Child Neglect and Emotional Abuse: It is extremely difficult for a lay person to detect emotional abuse or neglect with any degree of certainty. The physical signs are subtle, such as lagging behind in physical development or habit disorders. The neglected child may show up inappropriately dressed, lacking in personal hygiene, or being consistently hungry. Behaviorally, the emotionally abused and neglected child may display signs of childhood stress. There may, however, be other explanations, so leaders should exercise caution in forming conclusions.

4. Physical abuse: Active children will experience a normal amount of physical injury, generally minor in nature. There are, however, distinct differences between normal “wear and tear” on children and bodily signs of physical child abuse. These indicators are unusual bruises, burns, breaks, lacerations, and abrasions. A child who is physically abused is likely to display manifestations of general childhood stress even after the physical scars have healed.

5. Sexual Abuse: In some cases there may be physical signs of sexual abuse of a child. Behavioral signs are likely to appear over a long time and are more noticeable. Some examples of behavioral signs are: age-inappropriate understanding of sex, reluctance to be left alone with a particular person, or fear of touch.

Plan for Responding to Allegations Against a Worker

If an allegation of child abuse occurs:

1. Report immediately to the Mandatory Reporter.

2. Mandatory Reporter contacts Chairman of the Elder/Deacon Board immediately to conduct preliminary steps as listed below. Mandatory Reporter and/or Elder/Deacon: • Make sure the victim is safe. • Contact the parents of the victim. • Confront the accused only after the safety of the child or youth is secured. Make sure accused does not have any more contact with the victim. Ask accused to leave the premises.

3. Document all efforts to handle the incident (e.g., written log of only the facts). Remember that the log could be subpoenaed for evidence.

4. Mandatory Reporter and/or Elder/Deacon chairman report the incident immediately to the church insurance company and representative attorney. Do not try to handle this without professional outside assistance. Remember confidentiality of both victim and accused needs to be protected.

5. Contact the proper civil authorities (DCF or police, if necessary) following the guidance of the insurance company and attorney. Do not attempt an in-depth investigation. This should be left to professionals who are familiar with these cases.

(*Note: Steps 1-5 are not necessarily done in above order, but all do need to be done in an immediate manner.)

6. Mandatory Reporter should use a prepared public statement for the press and to convey news to the congregation. Statement could be given by someone other than the Pastor. (The church attorney could be used as a spokesperson). The Mandatory Reporter should be as open and honest with the congregation as possible without violating the privacy and confidentiality of all involved.

Here is a sample statement:

“On (date), an allegation of child abuse was reported to me by one of our educational volunteers. This allegation was reported to the (police/DCF) on (date). At this time, there is an ongoing investigation by the (police/DCF). Be assured that our hearts and prayers go out to all involved in this situation.”

7. Do not prejudge the situation, but take the allegations seriously.

• Reach out with support to the victim and the victim’s family. Showing care and support can go a long way in starting the healing process. Extend whatever pastoral resources are needed. Do not ask leading questions of the victim.

• Treat the accused with dignity and respect. An accusation has been made. He/she is innocent until proven guilty.

• In most cases, there is an alternative plausible explanation. The accused in most cases is the one most likely to think of it. Sometimes in the investigation, the authorities are so interested in finding guilt that they fail to see an alternative plausible explanation for the events. The church needs to be as supportive as it can be of all involved. _________________________________________________

That is the type of "guidelines and policies" in place in Orthodox Presbyterian Churches and most Protestant churches. If it looks foreign to Roman Catholics, it is because the RCC has nothing of the kind in place to protect its children from pederast priests.

On the contrary, Rome prefers to protect the priests at the expense of the children.