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Safe Church, Safe Communities

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The guiding principle of Safe Church is to protect the vulnerable and offer the opportunity for us, as Episcopalians, to be good neighbors to one another. The new and updated program, Safe Church, Safe Communities, was launched in the summer of 2021. Safe Church, Safe Communities provides new and updated training modules for clergy, laity, and parish staff. These resources give dioceses and parishes across the church the tools necessary to ensure that the most vulnerable among us find an Episcopal Church community of faith that is welcoming and safe.

The Diocese of Missouri is committed to keeping all people safe in our churches and community spaces and ask all our churches to comply with this program.

Safe Church, Safe Communities Training Information

Please note: The Episcopal Church and The Diocese of Missouri are in the process of updating our training for congregations, clergy, and diocesan leadership to prevent sexual misconduct.

The Task Force to Develop Model Sexual Harassment Policies and Safe Church Training began releasing new courses (and removing old courses) on July 14, 2021. At the same time, the platform we use to access the training changed from Praesidium Armatus to a new learning platform named Praesidium Academy.

Please click these drop-down links for important details:

Praesidium Academy - online Safe Church training modules.

Please contact Jillian Smith or the Rev. Erin Pickersgill, the Diocesan Safe Church, Safe Community Coordinators, for additional details about the program.

Who does what training?

This training is required for:

  • All clergy - those ordained and those in the ordination process
  • All employees
  • All volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults
  • Agencies of the Diocese
  • Maintenance and clerical employees

Here is a spreadsheet of recommended courses for certain staff and volunteer positions! We will continue to update this spreadsheet with courses as they become available.

How often do we do it?

Safe Church, Safe Communities training is required to be done at least every 3 years in the Episcopal Church.

How do we keep track of it?

There is a learner dashboard on your Praesidium Academy account that will help show you which courses you completed! We hope to eventually have an administrator at each parish who can access records on Praesidium Academy.

For parish administrators: Here is a document to help you keep track of in-person trainings held for your ministry.

How do I register?

Please close this drop-down box and open the next drop-down, titled "Register for Safe Church, Safe Communities Training."

Thank you for beginning your Safe Church, Safe Communities training. Please follow these steps to register and begin your training.

If you have any questions, you can contact the Praesidium Academy Support Team at support@praesidiuminc.com or 817-801-7773 or contact Jillian Smith or the Rev. Erin Pickersgill in the Bishop's Office.

To Enroll:

  1. Go to https://www.praesidiumacademy.com/redeem
  2. Fill in your contact information including First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and desired Password.
  3. Enter the appropriate registration code for your organization.
    (Download the spreadsheet to find your parish's registration code)
    *If you can't find your church on the list, click "control-f" to search
  4. Click Validate to confirm registration code.
  5. Click the checkbox to agree to the Terms & Conditions.
  6. Click Redeem.
  7. Write down your user login and password for future reference.
  8. Answer the Registration Questions about your status and role within the organization.
    (View the required courses by position/role in your parish.)
  9. Click Save & Continue.
  10. To begin taking training immediately, scroll down and click a course to start the content.
    PLEASE NOTE: On Praesidium, you must scroll past the initial list of courses to find Safe Church, Safe Communities Courses.

Helpful Downloads/Links:

Diocesan Policies on the Protection of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults

Congregational leadership, either clergy or warden, will need to digitally attest that everyone who is required to take the Safe Church, Safe Communities Training (along with Vestries and Bishop’s Committees) has read and reviewed the Safe Church Model Policies by March 31 of each year.

These policies, along with a letter from the Bishop and a digital attestation form, may be downloaded here:

Click this button to fill out and submit the form (due March 31 of each year):

COMPLETE THE DIGITAL ATTESTATION.

 

Helpful Links and Information

  • Missouri Mandated Reporting Laws
    Anyone can report suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation to the Missouri Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline.
  • Responding to Concerns:
    Information on responding to concerns within your ministry context may be found on page 19 of the Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth and on page 15 of the Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults.
    • “Title IV” of the Episcopal Church Canons details the grounds and process for ecclesiastical discipline. It is a church-wide structure to address claims that Bishops, Priests, or Deacons may have engaged in conduct constituting an offense under the Canons. It encourages accountability, justice, reconciliation, restoration and pastoral responses.
    • The Diocese of Missouri has a Disciplinary Board to help in cases where clergy have been presented with charges under the Ecclesiastical Disciplinary Canons (Title IV) of the Canons of The Episcopal Church.
    • If you are ever in doubt about who to contact, please reach out to the Safe Church, Safe Communities Coordinators, Jillian Smith or the Rev. Erin Pickersgill, in the Diocesan Offices.
    • We investigate any charges against a member of the clergy immediately upon receiving that charge.
  • Background checks:
    For information regarding background checks, please contact Rita Benson in the Diocesan Offices. Background checks are required for the following:
    • All clergy
    • All employees
    • All volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults
  • Social Media:
    Guidelines for social media and youth may be found on page 25 (Appendix B) of the Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth and page 20 (Appendix B) of the Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults.
  • Examples of release forms for trips and events, photo releases, will be forthcoming.

“The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is committed to fully living out our Baptismal Covenant by keeping our siblings in Christ within our diverse communities of faith safe. We best live our Baptismal call by recognizing and honoring the divine presence in everyone we meet. Misconduct by clergy, lay employees, or members of our congregations violates the vows of our Baptism and harms the members of the Body of Christ.”

Bishop Deon K. Johnson