Creating Child Safe policies

Churches have many unwritten codes of practice and behaviour. Sometimes though, it helps to write them down. When written they become firm guides, yardsticks for performance, and ways to reinforce the type of culture, attitudes and behaviour we want to see in our churches. This applies especially to the way we treat children.

For this reason it's become common practice in our churches to have a written 'Child Protection' policy.

Fortunately there are many good examples that can be borrowed and 'massaged' to suit our needs as churches.
However, when you look for a good policy here are some important things to look for and ensure you've included.

1. An introduction affirming the church’s commitment to the safety and protection of children and the purpose of the policy.
2. How volunteers and employees recognise and respond to suspicions of child abuse and neglect.
3. General plus ministry specific codes of conduct and standards of care for ensuring the safety of children, including bullying by other children.
4. Recruitment and training of volunteers and employees.
5. Guidelines for handling complaints and breaches of the policy.

As the policy is being produced the following needs to be considered.
1. Is the policy written in a clear and easily understandable way
2. Does the policy identify any relevant government or legislative requirements (such as the need for Working with children Checks)
3. Does the policy specify responsibilities, supporting procedures and standards?
4. Will the policy be shared with all relevant audiences including parents, carers and children (where appropriate)?
8. Have all employees and volunteers been made aware of and had the opportunity to read the policy? (Volunteers could be encouraged to sign a written statement indicating they have read the policy.)
9. Is the policy current and when will it be evaluated and reviewed?

10 Ways to engage Parents in the Children's ministry

To keep parents engaged in your children's ministry is vital for a number of reasons. First, parents are the primary spiritual nurturers of their children and the work of a children's ministry is to support parents in their task; parents therefore must be involved and engaged. Secondly, parents have the biggest investment in their children's spiritual health. Therefore, involved parents are your biggest supporters. Thirdly, children are blessed when parents are involved because through parental participation children perceive and receive the spiritual support, encouragement and direction of the most significant people in their lives.

Here's how you can keep parents engaged.

1. A regular email update outlining what's happening in Children's ministry.

2. A regular article in the newsletter that underlines the importance of children's ministry as well as updating what is happening.

3. Invite a parent as a special guest to speak about their faith or topic at hand.

4. Invite parents to volunteer to provide food or do other acts of service at the children's ministry.

5. Create a roster of parents to pray for the children's ministry. If possible include some specific prayer requests for any given week.

6. Phone or speak directly to parents at least once a year specifically about their child's participation in your children's ministry. Ask if there are any concerns, encouragements or blessings to share; give feedback and share your insights into their child's spiritual growth.

7. Create 'take home sheets' that provide further activities, discussion questions, etc that enable parents to engage with their children.

8. Heighten the profile of children and you children's ministry in church services. For example, make sure they are prayed for (how about a specific prayer by the elder before they go to Sunday school?). Or have a dedicated children's service. Or engage children in the service of the church in such things as greeting, taking up the offering, leading in prayer, the music team or serving after church.

9. Commission the children's ministry team and invite them regularly to 'report' in church services or congregational meetings.

10. Schedule group meetings with parents once or twice a year to discuss the direction and plan for the children's ministry. Get their input and share how they can support the ministry.

Any other ideas?

"I miss being with God."

I read the following in a book called, Listening to children on the Spiritual Journey.

I was deeply challenged by it for a number of reasons... take a read first....

Loraine (age eight) liked her new church. Happily she made her way to the children's activities on Sunday mornings, ready to enjoy the music, laughter a creatively presented short lesson, and the energetic young children's pastor. Although Lorraine had fun at her new church, as she snuggled into bed one evening she said, "Mommy, I miss being with God." And her mother took time to listen and fin out what was behind those words.

Loraine talked about children's worship at the church they had attended previously. There the children were welcomed into a special place to "be with God, to talk to God, to listen to God, and to hear the stories of God." In that calm and quite place they watched the stories enacted with simple figures, they wondered about the story, and then chose who they would respond. Loraine remembered a Sunday when she had chosen to go to the Bible table, and Miss Cathy had read the story to her again. Here is a child who had experienced being in God's presence and hungered to be with God again.

Is Loraine's desire unusual or do many children know what it is to sense God's closeness and treasure those times. Listening to children has led us to believe that they can experience God at an early age and that they love to be in God's presence. ..."

Here are my questions....

Would children in your church say they meet God in your children's ministry?
What could you do to foster and nurture that more?
What might you be doing that is actually getting in the way?

I find these questions really challenging as I reflect on the children's ministry of our church, and our worship services.

What are your thoughts?

Resource: Creating Children's Church Packs

It's great to have children as part of the service. Their presence also creates a special challenge. As one slightly frazzled mother blurted out recently, "My four old can't sit still in church all that time. He's four, he simply can't."
Most churches have some form of activity for children during the service, or at least during the sermon. Often this is a simple colouring sheet or a word find etc.
At Wantirna (where I am the part time children's ministry worker) we have now created a Children's Church pack for each child. We have different packs suited for 4 - 6 year olds and for 7 - 12.
They come in an A3 plastic zip lock bag and contain textas, pen, pencil, scrapbook (for ideas, prayers, notes, drawings), glue stick, Bible activity book, scissors, children's reading book and code breaker. When the children are in the service (we have a cycle of 3-4 weeks in Sunday School followed by 2 or more weeks in church) we add activities relevant to the service. The packs are usually handed out after a children's ministry time.

The packs enable us to provide a variety of activities related to the service. for example, our current service theme is "Telling the story of Jesus." We have created a story wheel (see below) that the children construct and colour during the service and then take home to use in their families.
Children can pace themselves and complete work previously begun or do 'extras' if they finish quickly.
We have created extra packs for visitors and give a child their own if they become regular attendees.
So far children have embraced them enthusiastically (as have the parents.)