Safe Environment-Safe Parish

 

“OUR COMMITMENT TO CREATING AND MAINTAINING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS IS ABSOLUTE AND WILL NOT BE COMPROMISED”- Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

MISSION STATEMENT

The Safe Environment Office serves the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by assisting the archbishop in fostering an environment in all archdiocesan institutions and ministries in which children and vulnerable adults are treated with respect and dignity and protected from harmful and abusive behavior.

Contact the Cincinnati Safe Environment Office at Phone: (513) 263-3347 or bmitchell@catholicaoc.org

 

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati regards child abuse in all its forms as gravely sinful and criminal. Anyone who knows of or suspects child abuse by a legitimate member of the clergy or hierarchy, employee or volunteer of the archdiocese should first report the abuse to the appropriate secular legal authority and then click here to Report Misconduct.

If you are a victim of abuse or have suffered abuse in the past, please contact the archdiocesan Ministry to Survivors of Abuse coordinator, Ms. Teresa Maley, at (513) 263-6623 or 1-800-686-2724 ext. 6623.

SafeParish™

To access or register for your SafeParish account go to http://www.aocsafeenvironment.org 

Contact your local safe environment coordinator for the registration passcode or click here to access the SafeParish™ registration instructions.

Risks and Subjects Covered:

  • What constitutes child sexual abuse: including legal definitions, as well as the physical and behavioral signs of child sexual abuse.
  • Child safety risks: the types of conduct that create unsafe child environments; children who perpetrators target; grooming techniques of perpetrators, including the use of alcohol, drugs, and pornography; violating boundaries, in-person and online; and the harm of child sexual abuse to victims, families, parishes, employers, and the community.
  • Risks of improper online behavior: including using the Internet to groom targets and the harms of child pornography.
  • Creating and maintaining child safe environments: including following policies and procedures; online, physical, emotional, and communication boundaries with children; how to maintain a physical safe space for children; how to protect children outside the parish; and how to report child sexual abuse if suspected.

SafeParish™ is a learning management platform that provides a broad array of training, education, information, and programs for Catholic organizations. It is a child and workplace safe environment program specifically designed for Catholic entities. The technological core of SafeParish™ is McCalmon’s proprietary learning management software. McCalmon has more than 100 learning management platforms built from that core. McCalmon also supplies most of the content. McCalmon’s experts research, write, edit, and publish blogs, articles, podcasts, videos, and alerts on SafeParish™

The SafeParish™ edition of Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse is fresh, innovative on-demand child safety training program for the prevention of child sexual abuse that incorporates video, interactive elements, testing, and reporting functions.  SafeParish™ educates adults who work with or around children on the vigilance and steps necessary to protect children from child sexual abuse. Trainees learn how to be safe adults—vigilant, educated people who protect children and young people by building a culture of safety.

Every person in a position which requires contact or interaction with youth or vulnerable adults must complete the SafeParish™ edition of Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse training session before they are permitted to work or volunteer within any of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati parishes, schools, or institutions. No one under the age of 18 is permitted to complete the training.  

In addition to completing the training, employees and volunteers must stay current in completing their interactive video-based SafeParish™ quarterly bulletins on Child Protection in order to remain in compliance with the requirements of the Decree on Child Protection. Non-compliance will result in SafeParish™ account non-approval and non-compliant employees and volunteers will no longer be permitted to work with youth or vulnerable adults until compliance is reestablished. Please contact your local safe environment coordinator with questions regarding your SafeParish™ account or if your account is non-approved due to non-compliance with the decree.

While completing the SafeParish: Protecting Children From Sexual Abuse – Arch. of Cincinnati Edition Trainees will learn:

  • The risk of child sexual abuse
  • The definition of child sexual abuse
  • What acts are considered child sexual abuse
  • Who are the targets of child sexual abuse
  • The truths and myths surrounding child sexual abuse
  • The harms of child sexual abuse
  • The barriers to victims reporting child sexual abuse
  • How to recognize the physical and behavioral signs of child sexual abuse
  • Who are mandatory reporters and why all adults should report their reasonable concerns and suspicions about child sexual abuse
  • Who commits child sexual abuse
  • Signs offenders may display that safe adults can recognize
  • How alcohol, drugs, pornography, and improper online relationships are used to commit the crime of child sexual abuse
  • How perpetrators groom targets, caretakers, families, parishes, and communities in order to violate boundaries with children
  • Appropriate and inappropriate interactions with children,
    in-person and online
  • How to create and maintain a physical space safe for children
  • What to do if child sexual abuse is witnessed or reported to you
  • How to report concerns about child sexual abuse