Proactive Care for children with Allergies.

Most people are aware of anaphylaxis and how serious it can be. However, few churches have policies or training in how to deal with such a serious allergic reaction.

Geelong has tackled the issue and has created an anaphylaxis policy.
In short they have,

1. put up 'Nut free' signs through out the rooms used by children and prohibited foods containing nuts.
2. posted instructions on how to administer an EpiPen on the wall in every room used by children.
3. informed teachers and parents about the procedure.
4. obtained parent consent for children who have allergies.

 Their excellent work demonstrates a proactive attitude to the care of children in the church.
If you'd like a copy of their policy please simple email me since they are happy to share it around.

Do you have similar policies that could be shared with other churches? Let us know if you've tackled an issue that is easily overlooked so we can help each other in this important work.

Coffee drinking and child Safe.

The other day I received an email that asked,

Can you tell me what’s the correct procedure with regards to people going to a host family's home for youth coffee. Do they need a working with children’s check? Should they fill in the application to serve in children’s youth ministry...?

This is a great question and touches nerves on a number of issues.

• Should 'informal' activities such as coffee and outings be covered in child safe?
• Does child safe take all the fun and spontaneity out of church life?
• "We have never done this before, and nothing has happened, why should we now?"
• Will restrictive child safe practices encourage people to go behind the back of church leadership?
• Is child safe too restrictive?

In all this there are two overriding questions that need to be answered.

1. Is this a church organised event for which the congregation and Church leadership would expect the church to ensure child safety? To put it negatively, if something went wrong would the recrimination be, "We (the church) should have been more vigilant and careful?"

If so, the second question applies,

2. "Who is responsible for the care and protection of children in this situation?"
Whoever that is, they need to be child safe accredited.

The answers to these two questions form the heart of child safety in the church. Any event, outing, or ministry related to the church that involves children (anyone <18) needs to consider and clarify these two issues.

With regard to coffee drinking: if the answer to the first question is 'yes' then the next question needs to be answered regarding child safe qualifications. If the hosts are the responsible adults, then, in the view of child safe, they should be child safe accredited. If the responsibility lies with the youth leaders then they, but not necessarily the hosts, need to be compliant (in some ways you could look at this like going to a restaurant.)

The important thing is that the responsible adults are child safe and that we actively ensure the safety of children under our care in every program or activity under the supervision of our church.

Child Safe training in Victoria and NSW

Two Child Safe training events are planned for July to which all churches are welcome.

1. Victoria:

Team member training only.
Thursday July 7: 7:00 - 9.30pm.
Wantirna Christian Community Church.
15 Cavell St Scoresby

2. NSW.

Team member and Team Leader training.
Saturday 31 July 8:30am - 3:00pm
St Mary's CRCA.
74 Marsden Road, St Marys

Please contact Ray Rus for more details.

Basic Safety

The following basics are taken from an article in Ministry To Children.com
How well do you fare in these 7 basic areas? What might you need to improve? Do you have any good resources or ideas to share about how to do these well?

Safety is non-negotiable in children’s ministry. You can have the very best curriculum, most creative activities, and dynamic decor, but if you have not made safety a priority, you could be headed for potential disaster. We can never fully protect our ministries or our kids from all impending harm, but it is our responsibility to be proactive when it comes to safety. The following list is good place to start.

1. Background checks - You need to know who the people are in your classrooms. Background checks require paperwork and can involve expense. However, they are your first line of defense in protecting your kids. Not only do background checks reveal what might be hidden in someone’s past, they also deter potential predators. Requiring all volunteers to fill out paperwork communicates that your ministry has high standards. There are numerous resources that provide criminal checks for ministries. You can also check with your state’s Department of Human Resources or similar agency for free or inexpensive options..

2. Two adults in every room – Background checks make up your first line of defense, but they can’t be the end. Background checks only keep out people who have been caught before. You must have precautions that continue to protect children. A key to this is having a very firm rule that no adult should ever be alone with children. Ever. No exceptions. Not only does this protect kids from being in unsafe situations, it also protects volunteers. If a child did make a false accusation against a volunteer and that volunteer was alone in the room, there would be no one to defend him/her.

3. Windows/open doors – A third method of protecting kids in the classroom environment is to make sure that others can see into the classroom at all times. Your doors should have windows in them. If they don’t, consider leaving the doors open and utilize baby gates for the little ones. Your volunteers need the accountability of knowing anyone can see in at any time.

4. Allergy Awareness – Allergies are serious business, in fact they can be a matter of life or death. First, eliminate items from your environment that are the highest risk of allergens. Completely outlaw nuts and peanut butter. We had a situation where a child had an extreme allergic reaction after touching a tiny bit of peanut butter residue on a soap dispenser! Communicate with parents your need for allergy information and clearly communicate these concerns to teachers.

5. Emergency Preparedness Plans – Train volunteers well on what to do in case of an emergency. Post fire evacuation and severe weather evacuation plans in each room. Some churches place emergency bags in each room that teachers can access that contain emergency supplies. Also, in this day and time you should have a plan of what to do if a dangerous person or “intruder” entered your church. None of these things are fun to think about, and hopefully none of these plans will ever be used.

6. Baby-proof - Baby-proofing is important at every age group. Consistently walk through your classrooms checking for electrical outlet covers, sharp corners, unsecured cabinets, and choking hazards. Some churches create a checklist and have volunteers check for unsafe conditions every week.

7. Check-in/Check-out – No matter the size of your ministry, you need a secure way of making sure that the right kids go home with the right parents. It is easy when you are in a small church or when you have been around for awhile to be lax in this part of security because you feel like you know all of the parents. However, new families don’t know you. New volunteers might not know all of the parents. A secure system that provides security for children and parents is never overkill.

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?

Why we like Childsafe

Redlands has implemented Child Safe for a number of years. Through experience they have discovered the benefits of running child Safe. I asked Margaret Nugent, the coordinator to give three reasons why they are sold on Child Safe. She writes,