s/o Does your church do background checks?

[fairfarmhand]

to work with kids?

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

[SailorMom]

I don't attend church now, but I would have expected the volunteers to be checked.

[Unicorn.]

to work with kids?

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

 

1. Yes

2.No

3. Once upon a time I wouldn't have cared about background checks, but now, I'm glad they do them.

[Sputterduck]

No, but we have like 15 core members. We have a lot of people, though, that aren't in Mexico full time and are only here on vacation a few times a year.

 

There are no kids services or anything at all.

 

Basically, everyone is very very close and there aren't really any volunteer positions anyway. :tongue_smilie:

[bairnmama]

My church does background checks on every single person that works with our children... including volunteers that only help for 1 hour during worship services 1x a month. You are not allowed to help with any age group (even teens) until the background check results come back.

[Ferdie]

My church does background checks on every single person that works with our children... including volunteers that only help for 1 hour during worship services 1x a month. You are not allowed to help with any age group (even teens) until the background check results come back.

 

Ditto.

[Orthodox6]

(see below)

 

 

to work with kids?

Only for summer camp positions.

Nobody teaches Sunday School who is not well known by a lot of parishioners.

Would it be offensive if they did?

Not one bit.

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

No useful answer from me, in a sense. Our clergy subscribe to very stringent conduct rules. Laypeople are not covered by the codes; however, we never have been in a parish where there were any individuals not very, very well known by a significant number of other parishioners.

 

[simka2]

to work with kids? Depends on the amount of time spent with kids. The overall setup of the church. From a insurance/legal perspective it is a really good idea.

 

Would it be offensive if they did? No.

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks? yes, depending on the setup.

It really depends on the setup of the church. Where we are at now, I don't care. The kids go to "Church school" for about 40 min after Divine Liturgy. I can poke my head in whenever I want. There is no "childrens church." My boys are going to be starting Altar boy training this summer. If there was a chance of them being alone with a priest it wouldn't happen. So long as they can stay in a group I am okay. But, I will be hovering, talking, trying to put together timelines in my head of how the training progressed.

 

I would be like this even if I knew a background check was in place. And for all I know there is one. Background checks are a great firstline of defense. That is all. Most of the perpatrators I have known didn't have criminal records.

Edited June 23, 2011 by simka2

[mom4him]

When I was over the nursery in one church I tried to get it instigated. It never happened as it is quite expensive. I did mandate that there would ALWAYS be at least two people in the nursery, even if there was only one child. I insisted on this. I also brought the diaper changing table out into the main room, in the corner. It was always visible to the other nursery worker. The other thing that I did was I didn't allow ones in the nursery unless they were on our schedule. There was a place for nursing mommas but that was separate from the main nursery.

 

In the 5 yrs I was head of this I learned about 3 different pedophiles that were in our church.:tongue_smilie: I have to admit I felt that it needed to be dealt with but never was.:tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: As head of nursery I was in there every single Sunday working myself. Wed. I had others do it but they were ones that I had known for many years and personally trusted. Oh, I also made the parent check the child in, they were given a laminated tag and whoever came to get the child had to hand the tag in. BOY, did some of the parent ever squawk about some of these things, especially the last one! I just explained over and over and over and over...... that this was for their children's protection. It took a while for it to all get going but for my own peace of mind was worth it.:)

[QuirkyKapers]

No- our church we attended didn't do checks

No- it wouldn't offend me. In fact, we really wanted to see that happen. They didn't even have two people working together. Our concern of course was, if we teach and an alligation is made, no witness. More importantly, one person has no accountability and can do whatever.

 

The other thing though, is just because you have a backround check doesn't mean the person teaching or working with kids is safe. They may not have been caught :sad:

[simka2]

When I was over the nursery in one church I tried to get it instigated. It never happened as it is quite expensive. I did mandate that there would ALWAYS be at least two people in the nursery, even if there was only one child. I insisted on this. I also brought the diaper changing table out into the main room, in the corner. It was always visible to the other nursery worker. The other thing that I did was I didn't allow ones in the nursery unless they were on our schedule. There was a place for nursing mommas but that was separate from the main nursery.

 

In the 5 yrs I was head of this I learned about 3 different pedophiles that were in our church.:tongue_smilie: I have to admit I felt that it needed to be dealt with but never was.:tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: As head of nursery I was in there every single Sunday working myself. Wed. I had others do it but they were ones that I had known for many years and personally trusted. Oh, I also made the parent check the child in, they were given a laminated tag and whoever came to get the child had to hand the tag in. BOY, did some of the parent ever squawk about some of these things, especially the last one! I just explained over and over and over and over...... that this was for their children's protection. It took a while for it to all get going but for my own peace of mind was worth it.:)

 

The cost can be greatly reduced by going thru your local Sheriff's Dept. I think it was $5 a pop. Also, checking the sex-offender registry I believe is free. Dh would literally have to sit and scan faces in the registry every quarter or so. Even then he could only stomach our state and the ones immediatly surrounding. :tongue_smilie:We were at a very large church and became aware of a few that flew in under the radar. Honestly they have as much right to go to church as anyone. It just helped the "paid staff" keep a close eye on things.

 

And yes I had to have one removed after he tried to gain access to the nursery, after being asked to stop loitering in the children's areas.

[snickelfritz]

Yes, they do.

 

As a parent, I like it. We have 400 to 500 kids from just birth through 4 year olds on an average Sunday. So, it's hard to know every volunteer.

[Paintedlady]

Our church does checks on anyone who works with kids and I'd be surprised at any church that didn't.

[DesertDweller]

to work with kids?

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

 

Our church does, and I have been in other large churches that do. The smaller churches I've been to usually didn't.

 

I don't find it offensive. I think it's a good idea.

 

Yes, I would go to a church if they didn't. However, I do think you have to always be aware of how things are organized. Is it structured with good communication and regular teachers or loosely organized with random people handling things.

[mom4him]

They didn't even have two people working together. Our concern of course was, if we teach and an alligation is made, no witness. More importantly, one person has no accountability and can do whatever.

 

The other thing though, is just because you have a backround check doesn't mean the person teaching or working with kids is safe. They may not have been caught :sad:

This is why I put the must have at least 2 people in the nursery. It was as much for the protection of the worker as the children.

 

I totally agree that a background check doesn't mean that person is clean. The ones that I knew of had never been legally accused thus no record.

[LizzyBee]

Our church does background checks. I'm glad they do, although it's no guarantee that all abusers are filtered out.

[Dmmetler]

Yes, but our church also has a parochial school and HAS to run checks on all staff and volunteers because of accreditation requirements. Since it's hard to draw a line between church events and school events when it's essentially one program, we do the background check on everyone involved with kids at all. And we STILL never have just one adult with children other than their own.

[Geo]

I think it's pretty common these days. Insurance premiums are often a motivator to the less motivated.:glare: I'd ask, anyways. I wasn't personally offended, at all. Anyone with a heart for kids should understand and even push for them. I don't let down my guard just because of clean background checks though. There are always those who haven't been caught yet. They're the ones that I think about the most.

[Harriet Vane]

They did at one point. It's a policy I heartily support. The church no longer does, for no reason other than that the current children's director does not value the process.:banghead:

 

It is NOT offensive in any way to do background checks within a church. Predators come in all shapes and sizes, and can and do exist within the church context. It is foolish not to put some checks and balances into place.

 

Edited to add: I would NOT go to a church that didn't have basic child safety protocol in place. That means background checks, but more importantly, it means no one EVER alone with children. Leadership should always be 2-deep, or more if there is a larger group of children.

[Ellesmere]

[

[bbsweetpea]

to work with kids? For the majority of the people ... yes. There are a few that have attended there since birth and they know everything about them (like me).

 

Would it be offensive if they did? Nope

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks? would depend on the situation. Normally there are 2 or more people with the kids.

 

answers in red

[WiseOwlKnits]

No - our church does not do background checks of anyone.

No - it wouldn't offend me. I wish they did. It wouldn't make it 100%, but it would at least make it safer.

Yes - I would go to a church that insisted on background checks.

[Jenny in Florida]

Yes, our church does background checks.

 

No, it's not offensive.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't have thought about it until our church started doing it. The vast majority of the time, we've known the people teaching and doing child care at our church, anyway. And now my kids are older. But, if I were starting over at a new church with younger kids, I would not leave them with other people unless I knew background checks had been done.

[Geo]

Originally Posted by fairfarmhand

 

to work with kids?

Only for summer camp positions.

Nobody teaches Sunday School who is not well known by a lot of parishioners.

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

Not one bit.

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

No useful answer from me, in a sense. Our clergy subscribe to very stringent conduct rules. Laypeople are not covered by the codes; however, we never have been in a parish where there were any individuals not very, very well known by a significant number of other parishioners.

 

 

***Responding to the red text:

 

Thinking you know someone well enough is not as much protection as you'd think. Too many injured people would attest to this. It's more prudent to make no assumptions and understand the limitations of our own knowledge about others. I certainly don't judge the heart of your congregation though, it can be difficult to even entertain the possibility of a fellow parishoner being capable of such things.

Edited June 23, 2011 by Geo

[Dinsfamily]

Our small (~200 people) church does background checks for anyone who works with kids from Sunday school to VBS. I'm pretty sure it's mandated by the denomination (Foursquare).

 

No, it isn't offensive. Honestly, I can't imagine why it would be. We're just trying to protect the children.

 

We've been members of churches w/o background checks in the past and I'm sure glad our current one does. I'd hope that any church would have other security measures in place beside background checks and we'd probably decide on a case-by-case basis.

[Jan in SC]

Our church requires background checks and a class that teaches how to recognize predators and victims. It is a sobering class, but it really shows how sneaky and sly predators act. We also have the two adults must be present rule.

[Daisy]

Yes and no. Most churches we've attended have and a couple have not.

 

No, I'm not offended by it. I completely understand the need for it.

 

Yes, I would and have attended churches that didn't do background checks. Most small churches still don't do them.

 

I'd like to say though that background checks are guarantees of NOTHING. Either way, don't assume your church is 100% safe for your kids. You may think you know EVERYTHING about someone, but I can guarantee you that you don't.

[momofkhm]

to work with kids?

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

 

Once they finally adopt some sort of guidelines, we will. The children's ministry team has made some guidelines that aren't official yet. The larger thing in the denomination we belong to says that we need to.

 

OH but if you are paid to work at the church, then yes. So the pastor, music director and secretary are checked. Those are our only paid positions.

 

Offensive - no.

 

I'd go to a church either way.

[tomandlorih]

to work with kids? Yes!

 

Would it be offensive if they did? No!

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks? I might attend the church but would not put my kids in the nursery/children's church. IMO you CANNOT be to careful with your children. Things can happen right under your nose(I had a 5 year old groped by an old man trying to "help" her get a drink from a drinking fountain 8 feet away from me under my watchful eye.. a horrifying experience that affected me that she thankfully does not remember)!

 

[Ellesmere]

 

[Mosaicmind]

Yes, but it doesn't catch everything. Case in point: Our youth minister was just sentenced to two years in jail in October for molesting his step daughter since she was 6 years old and she is now 18. We have found out that he had tried to do things with other young girls in our congregation.

 

I don't oppose our church doing back ground checks at all. Anything to keep our children safe, but like I said it doesn't catch everything.

[Orthodox6]

The text in red was written by me. I'm not going to wrangle with you, because I recognize that your intentions are friendly. :)

 

Originally Posted by fairfarmhand

 

to work with kids?

Only for summer camp positions.

Nobody teaches Sunday School who is not well known by a lot of parishioners.

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

Not one bit.

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

No useful answer from me, in a sense. Our clergy subscribe to very stringent conduct rules. Laypeople are not covered by the codes; however, we never have been in a parish where there were any individuals not very, very well known by a significant number of other parishioners.

 

 

***Responding to the red text:

 

Thinking you know someone well enough is not as much protection as you'd think. Too many injured people would attest to this. It's more prudent to make no assumptions and understand the limitations of our own knowledge about others. I certainly don't judge the heart of your congregation though, it can be difficult to even entertain the possibility of a fellow parishoner being capable of such things.

[MariannNOVA]

Yes, they do.

 

They also require that one attend a Virtus learning session.

[LND1218]

Yes

No

It depends

[m0mmaBuck]

My church does a background check and anyone working with children or the elderly has to take a special class on recognizing signs of abuse, etc.

[Skadi]

The thing I dislike background checks is that it gives parents a false sense of safety. Most child predators have never been caught and convicted. I think parents are more likely to take a less proactive role in getting to know their childcare providers and looking for the warning signs that may be there. I mean, most people's guard is already going to be down since it's a church, right?

[m0mmaBuck]

Our church requires background checks and a class that teaches how to recognize predators and victims. It is a sobering class, but it really shows how sneaky and sly predators act. We also have the two adults must be present rule.

 

We may be speaking of the same Church.

[Harriet Vane]

The thing I dislike background checks is that it gives parents a false sense of safety. Most child predators have never been caught and convicted. I think parents are more likely to take a less proactive role in getting to know their childcare providers and looking for the warning signs that may be there. I mean, most people's guard is already going to be down since it's a church, right?

 

You're absolutely right about this. That's why it's so key to also have a policy of two leaders present (or more) at all times. It's also a good idea to have supervision, training, and interviews as standard pieces of church participation.

 

(In light of the other thread on this topic, I will just make it clear that I do NOT in any way agree with requiring former victims to share or document what happened to them. Rather, the interview process should cover the logistics and expectations of the job and seek to understand the volunteer's doctrinal agreement with church doctrine. General maturity is good to assess too when a volunteer is put in authority over children.)

 

Part of the value of the background checks is to create an environment that is not easy for a predator to infiltrate. On its own it's not the most effective. When partnered with other solid child safety policy it contributes to a safer environment.

[Twilight Woods]

Yes. I think background checks should be mandatory when working with children.

 

 

I was not offended.

 

 

and I passed. :)

[Orthodox6]

Likely some of us are connecting the dots.

Perform background checks.

. . . leading directly to

Never have only one adult around any child(ren).

 

Nothing is fail-safe, but that seems a good start.

[LittleIzumi]

No, but no adult is allowed to be alone with a child, period. There are also specific rules about just two men teaching together--it's not allowed in many circumstances.

[elizabeth]

Former catholic. Hard to answer since the wolves were guarding the henhouse and why on earth would the bishops want to admit their complicity by virtue of background checks that would reveal all manner of malfeasance. All the way to the top. I hope Pope Benedict can restore dignity to the priesthood for the sake of the many fine ones I have had the privilege to know.

[Parrothead]

to work with kids?

 

Would it be offensive if they did?

 

Would you not go to a church that didn't do background checks?

Yes. I've had one.

No.

I think it is just one level of security, not the only security. I consider it my responsibility to keep my child safe no matter where she is. So, yes, I'd go to a church (If that were an option.) that did not preform background checks for adults working with kids.

[K&Rs Mom]

I do background checks as a side job, and before kids I worked as a court clerk. So I know how useless they are. It wouldn't bother me if a church didn't use them, because they don't actually protect anybody. I also wouldn't be offended if I was asked to undergo one to volunteer, because it's just a blanket policy, not a personal accusation.

[Farrar]

I do background checks as a side job, and before kids I worked as a court clerk. So I know how useless they are. It wouldn't bother me if a church didn't use them, because they don't actually protect anybody. I also wouldn't be offended if I was asked to undergo one to volunteer, because it's just a blanket policy, not a personal accusation.

:iagree: (with the sentiment, not the specific experience)

 

Ours does not. If they started, that would be a hassle if I had to go get it done myself to teach Sunday school. DH had one done so he could do volunteer work with kids and it took several months and a whole lot of bureaucratic nonsense - there's some sort of certification here and it involves medical records and all kinds of different things. I'm guessing it's easier most places (most things like that are just more annoying here). So while I wouldn't mind at all if they asked me to do it, I might not logistically make it happen.

[shinyhappypeople]

nm

Edited June 24, 2011 by shinyhappypeople

[Chris in VA]

Yes, ours does. We also have to attend a several-hour seminar/training for sexual misconduct--everyone does it. Also, a youth worker can't be alone with a child--no running them home after youth group, etc.

[Giraffe]

1. Yes

2.No

3. Once upon a time I wouldn't have cared about background checks, but now, I'm glad they do them.

 

:iagree:

[Beth in OH]

Yes, we do. I have been fingerprinted, background checked (including credit reports), and my background checks have been updated periodically through the years. I am not offended--this information not only protects children, but speaks to my qualifications as someone who lives out my professed faith.

[OnTheBrink]

My church does background checks on every single person that works with our children... including volunteers that only help for 1 hour during worship services 1x a month. You are not allowed to help with any age group (even teens) until the background check results come back.

 

Same with my church. And, I passed. :)