PASSPORT

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PASSPORT

• Safe Harbor Training

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Some Facts Figures

• 899,000 victims of abuse in US in 2005, or
  12.1 children in 1,000
• 50.7 of victims were girls
• 47.3 of victims were boys (remainder
  unidentified)
• 16.7 of perpetrators were non-family
  members/primary caregivers

Reported by U. S. Department of Health Human
Services
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Definition of Child Abuse

• Child abuse consists of any act of commission or
  omission that endangers or impairs a child's
  physical or emotional health and development.
  Child abuse includes any damage done to a child
  which cannot be reasonably explained and which is
  often represented by an injury or series of
  injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature.

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• Forms of abuse include
• Neglect
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• The perpetrator is usually an adult but can also
  be an older child or a teenager.
• In about 1 out of 5 instances, the perpetrator is
  not a family member or caregiver.
• In 9 out of 10 instances, the perpetrator is
  known and trusted by the childs family.

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Effects of Child Abuse

• Difficulty in forming long term relationships.
• Sexual risk-taking
• Physical complaints and physical symptoms
• Depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide
• Links to failure of the immune system and to
  increases in illnesses.
• Correlates to higher risk of substance abuse.
• 1 in 3 victims becomes a perpetrator.

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Reasons for a Protection Policy

• Scriptural mandate to protect children
• Perpetrators gravitate to vulnerable institutions
• The church should be a sanctuary and its members
  held to the highest level of accountability
• Legal requirements

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Scriptural Foundation

• Isaiah 117 (defend orphans and help those in
  need)
• Matthew 1016 (be shrewd as serpents and innocent
  as doves)
• Matthew 1324-30 (weeds grow among the wheat and
  are hard to recognize)
• Matthew 186 (woe to those who cause little ones
  to stumble)
• Mark 1013-16 (children belong to the kingdom of
  God)

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Community Effort

• Preventing child abuse is a collective effort.
• PASSPORT is committed to providing a safe harbor
  for our campers.
• We want to equip churches and parishes to do the
  same.

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PASSPORT Staff Requirements

• Thorough application
• Multiple references
• Background Check
• Thorough training knowledge of our polices and
  procedures for protecting children and youth.

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PASSPORT Protection and Prevention Policies

• Staff must avoid being alone with campers.
• Campers are treated with respect.
• A system of staff-led peer discipline is used.
  Corporal punishment is never to be used.
• Written procedures include appropriate
  counseling, discipline, first aid and basic CPR,
  incident and accident reporting, housing of
  children and youth with adults, and guidelines
  for every program area.

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Church Parish Recommendations

• Have all paid and volunteer workers with children
  and youth fill out an info form.
• Conduct a background check on all workers with
  children and youth.
• Develop and implement child protection policies.
• Train all workers in the policies and ways to
  identify abuse as well as minister to victims.

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Resources

• American Baptist Church
• www.nationalministries.org/children/policy.cfm
• Episcopal Church USA
• www.nathannetwork.org
• Presbyterian Church USA
• www.pcusa.org/children/peace/we_wont_let_it_happe
  n.pdf
• United Methodist Church
• www.gbod.org/ministries/family/safe/need_help.htm
  

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Passport, Inc. 2008 Safe Harbor Requirements

• Each church or parish must conduct its own
  background check on all adults attending camp.
• The Group Leader Packet will include a Safe
  Harbor Commitment form which a church or parish
  staff member must sign. The form will assert
  that your church or parish has conducted a
  background check on each adult you are bringing
  to camp.
• The form must be mailed or faxed to the Passport
  office by May 1, 2008.

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Sample Form

• I, _________ (name, staff position), certify that
  our church/parish/diocese, __________, in
  _____________ (city, state), have conducted a
  background check on each of the adults listed
  below. This list includes all adults from our
  church/parish/diocese who will attend Passports
  camps in 2008.
• List of Adults
• Staff Persons Signature Date ___________

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Questions?

• Thank you for your help
• And your advocacy for children
• and youth!

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Possible Signs of Abuse

• Fear of a parent or fear of the perpetrator
• Increased signs of anger and/or aggression
• Withdrawn or isolated behavior
• Overly compliant or cooperative when that is not
  their usual behavior
• Sexually precocious, i.e., involved in play that
  crosses personal safety boundaries.

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• As we discuss the signs of abuse, its important
  to note that very few of these findings are
  totally specific for abuse. That means that we
  can see these signs in a child who is not being
  abused. The converse is also true. A child can
  be a victim of abuse and show no outward signs.
• Dr. Janet Squires
• Childrens Medical Center of Dallas

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Strategies of Perpetrators
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Strategies of Perpetrators

• There is usually little a child can do to resist
  force, which is a very infrequent act of abuse.
• The perpetrator may attempt to use bribery by
  giving gifts or other favors to the interested
  child.
• The perpetrator may try to shift the blame to the
  child by telling them it is their fault the abuse
  took place.

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Strategies of Perpetrators

• Other ways that perpetrators maintain secrecy
  during abusive relationships are
• Embarrassment
• Displaced Responsibility (similar to blame)
• Loss of Affection (98 of the time the
  perpetrator is a wonderful person in the childs
  life and the child values that relationship in
  spite of the abuse.)
• Threaten the child or someone in their family

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Responding to Abuse

• If a child discloses abuse to you
• The most important thing you can do is listen.

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Responding to Abuse

• You should believe the child.
• You should affirm the child.
• You should protect the child.
• You should refer the child.

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Reporting Abuse

• For reporting child abuse, most states require
  only that you have reasonable suspicion that
  abuse has occurred. Each state usually has its
  own child abuse hotline.
• Local authorities should also be contacted about
  the suspected abuse. 
• Many states require by law that clergy and others
  who work regularly with children report abuse
  (see this website for further info
  http//www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_polici
  es/statutes/clergymandated.cfm.
• Persons reporting abuse are permitted by law to
  remain anonymous, even if the agency requests
  your name.

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Other Helpful Web Resources

• Childhelp.org
• Childwelfare.gov
• Childstats.gov
• Childrens Defense Fund
• www.childrensdefense.org

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• Some of the material in this presentation was
  derived from the Texas Department of Health, the
  Riverbend Retreat Center, and Forest Glen
  Christian Camp.