Developing a Church Security Plan to Protect the Children's Ministry
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Background checks for Church staff and volunteers. All Background Check bundles include Child Safety Training.
Church Security Ideas, Child Safety Training, Background Checks and Plans to Protect the Kids Ministry: This post contains ideas for your Church to Protect the Kids Ministry, Church's reputation and finances! There are Church Security Ideas and Kids Ministry Ideas that your Church cannot afford to miss! #churchsecurityplans #churchsecurityideas #childrensministry #childrensministryideas #kidsministry #kidsministryideas #childrenssafety #childsafety #churchsecuritytraining #backgroundcheck
Developing a Church Security Plan to Protect the Children's Ministry
Failing to protect the Children’s Ministry at your Church, could cost your church its reputation and finances (e.g., litigation) or worse!
Here are some Church Security Plan Examples that you cannot afford to miss!
Church Security Plan Examples:
Church Background Checks and Child Safety Training:
All Church employees and volunteers, regardless of which ministry they apply for, should complete a Background Check and Child Safety Training!
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No adult is to be alone with an unrelated child.
If they must be alone, due to circumstances outside of their control (e.g., a parent is late to pick up their child), they should go to the most public area (e.g., café). This helps to protect the child from abuse and the adult from any accusations!
Regulating who can take the children to the bathroom and how many adults/children must be present.
Tip: asking the children if they have to use the bathroom, while they are still with their parents, and before checking them into children’s church, cuts down on the times the teachers need to take the children to the bathroom.
Regulating who can pick up a child from children’s church.
A church should establish access control measures, including check-in and check-out protocols, and emergency contacts for the children.
Develop emergency plans.
Create a detailed plan for responding to various emergencies, such as medical incidents, lockdown situations, or missing children. Staff and volunteers should be trained accordingly, and pertinent information should be communicated to parents.
Registered Sex Offenders
It is important to know if there are any registered sex offenders attending your church for security and insurance reasons.
First and foremost, to protect the children! Then to protect the women and other congregants, including the registered sex offender who may be targeted for retaliation.
Second, this may cause liability insurance issues.
Make sure someone from your church understands how your church’s insurance coverage relates to registered sex offenders (e.g., duty of leadership to notify insurance agent of registered sex offender, exclusions from coverage, etc.).
It is best to be informed about who the registered sex offenders are, and any liability insurance issues, to make educated decisions about how to proceed.
It is a balance between understanding this registered sex offender needs Jesus and may even be a believer who has been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17 and Isaiah 1:18) and protecting the children, congregation, and the church!
Once your church decides the best way to proceed, your church can draft an agreement for the registered sex offender to sign and can incorporate related church security team roles and responsibilities into its church security plans.
Church Security Plan Examples:
A registered sex offender must notify security of their arrival and departure from church.
Registered sex offenders are not permitted where the children and youth activities take place.
Specify the areas and bathrooms they are limited to using.
If there is a designated area for them to sit in the sanctuary (e.g., in view of security).
What will happen if they violate this agreement (e.g., being denied access to church property and calling the police).
Regardless of how vigilant the church is, a claim may be excluded from coverage, so make sure someone from your church speaks with your insurance agent!
Developing a Church Security Plan to Protect the Children's Ministry
As a leader of the Church, it is your responsibility to protect the flock. This is especially true about the children!
To protect the children’s ministry, your church’s reputation and finances, develop a church security plan that:
incudes background checks and a Child Safety Training. Click here and complete the short form for a discounted rate!
regulates access to the children.
instructs staff and volunteers how to respond to an emergency, and
instructs church leadership and security how to interact with registered sex offenders.
Once you have a plan in place, you should continuously access and improve the security plan based upon feedback, incidents, and or changing circumstances to ensure effectiveness and relevance.
By following these steps and customizing them to fit the specific needs of your children’s ministry, you can create a security plan that prioritizes the safety of the children under your care.
What does your Church do to keep the kids safe? Comment below!
You may also be interested in reading the following blog posts:
If you know a Pastor or Ministry Leader that would benefit from this information, then please share this blog post with them!
About the Author: Lori Corini is an attorney admitted to practice law in the state of New York, an NRA Pistol Instructor and Range Safety Officer, a NYS licensed armed guard, and Director of Safety and Security and a Board Member at her Church.