It was three o'clock and time to load the bus and head back to the church We had just finished a wonderful Saturday afternoon picnic at the park. Dozens of children had enjoyed kick ball, tag, and several other games. As the last child boarded the bus, Ben's mother drove up and asked to take Ben to his little league ballgame. In the process of counting each child, I noticed that Ben wasn't on the bus. In fact, Ben was nowhere to be found. No one knew where Ben was or where he had gone. Embarrassed, I began to search with Ben's mother throughout the park for him.  Fortunately we found Ben, but I had lost the respect of a mother in the process. We had not properly supervised each child that had been entrusted to our care

Incidents like this happen in many churches. In many churches facilities are unclean, equipment broken, policies outdated, children inadequately supervised and volunteers improperly screened. When accidents happen, they usually involve children. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, 72,000 children under the age of five years were treated in hospital emergency rooms in 1997 due to an accident involving equipment or supplies. Injuries involving toys resulted in 65,000 emergency room visits and sports and recreation activities resulted in 172,000 visits to emergency rooms.

Child safety must be a priority in every children's ministry. It only takes one incident to devastate a ministry. Every church should develop comprehensive policies and procedures to minimize risks and ensure a safe environment for children. Our church recently developed such policies and procedures. Policies for registration, event safety, volunteer screening and supervision, facility safety, emergencies, and infectious disease were included in an attractive brochure and given to parents. In this two-part article, I will cover the basics of each division in our comprehensive safety policies

"Unfortunately, the church has often been a place where students have been abused by those in authority. The church has in some cases even turned a blind eye to the abuses of students hoping the problem would die or go away. In other situations the church has, in its desire to be open to all, unwittingly also opened the doors to abusers, often without regard to the potential for harm to students" (Church and the Law Update)

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR SCREENING PERSONNEL

• Six month rule
• Children's ministry application
• Signed background check authorization form
• Written or phone references
• Auto safety form registration, vaild insurance card, seat belts
• Basic teacher training completed
• Signed ministry description
• Signed church policy document
• Wear church authorized name tag for identification

REGISTRATION

Parents are asked to complete a "Child Information Card" that not only lists biographical information on their child but any allergies and unique situations their child may have. Each parent of a nursery or preschool child is given a security card that corresponds with an identification tag the child wears. Parents must present their security card to retrieve their child. In larger churches security systems are becoming quite common even for elementary children.

Event safety

All events involving children must be pre-approved by the proper leadership. Partners should be notified of a scheduled event as early as possible. Outings must be supervised by a minimum of two approved adults. Parents must sign parental consent forms. Consent forms include emergency medical treatment authorization, health insurance information, and parental permission to take part in an event. Make sure your church insurances covers events that are held off campus.

Drivers transporting children must be approved. All traffic laws must be observed while driving. If personal vehicles are used, proper insurance must be verified. Children must wear seat belts at all times. Children are not allowed to sit in the front passenger seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger airbag.

Volunteer Selection and Supervision

We classify volunteers as primary and secondary. Primary volunteers are in charge of a small group of children. Secondary volunteers assist primary volunteers. All primary volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Volunteers must attend the church for a minimum of six months before serving children. Volunteers are taught basic guidelines for proper display of affection, rest room guidelines, discipline procedures, and basic teaching principles. Volunteers must complete a children's ministry volunteer application. Two volunteers must be present with each small group at all times or the room must be easily observable by a coordinator. Photo ID badges are made available to each volunteer and must be worn at all times while ministering to children.