Child Protection Policy

Introduction

It is the desire of Bethlehem Baptist Church to provide a safe environment for everyone who participates in various Preschool, Children and Student Ministry activities. Bethlehem Baptist Church is committed to devising and implementing policies so that everyone working with children accepts their responsibilities to safeguard children/students from harm and abuse.

The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children and students with appropriate safety/protection while in the care of Bethlehem Baptist Church and to allow staff and volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

The Pastor of Administration has the specific oversight of these policies, with the support of the Senior Pastor. The Pastor of Administration should review the policy annually and make any necessary changes.

For the purposes of this document, a child/student is defined as a person under the age of 18.

Code of Conduct

The possibilities of child abuse or accidents or misunderstandings happening in any setting where children and students gather are a reality that cannot be ignored. Therefore, it is important that the programs at Bethlehem Baptist Church clearly state what it believes is acceptable behavior between teachers, volunteers and children/students. The following Code of Conduct (Do's and Don'ts) concerning Preschool, Children, and Student activities are policy and must be adhered to.
 
2.1  To the best feasible practice, always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets).
 
2.2  As much as possible, make the experience of classroom or activity enjoyable: promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying.
 
2.3  Treat all children/students equally and with respect and dignity.
 
2.4  Always put the welfare of the children/students first, before your own
 
2.5 Avoid unnecessary physical contact with children/students.
 
•    In the case of babies and toddlers, if it is necessary to assist with diaper changing and/or going to the bathroom, do so ONLY in the presence of other volunteers. Only female volunteers, 18 or older, may change diapers. 
•    Do not inflict any discipline or play that would cause physical pain  (i.e. hitting, slapping, shaking, squeezing).
•    Do not touch the sensitive areas of ANY participant (genitals, breast, and buttocks) or allow any casual contact with those areas, which might be misunderstood by the participant. Sitting on someone's lap or sitting on their shoulders is not allowed.
•    Do not hug (for more than a few seconds of embracing, or arms around a participant) unless to physically assist a disabled person to be mobile.
•    Hugs in public view that are quick may be appropriate. It's important to let participants know we care. However, opposite sex hugging, especially in Middle and High School, should only be done briefly from the side.
•    Holding hands with participants if it is part of a worship/prayer service and in the presence of others is acceptable. Holding hands with small children or toddlers when leading them to a location is also acceptable. In other situations, do not hold hands with a child/student participant.
 
2.6  Involve parents wherever possible, e.g. where children/students need to be supervised in changing rooms, encourage parents to take responsibility for their own child. If a child has a bathroom accident, a staff member will request that the parent be present for the child's changing of clothes. If groups have to be supervised in changing rooms always ensure parents, employees and volunteers work in pairs.
 
2.7  Avoid putting yourself in a situation where you are alone in a building or room with a single child/student. If you must speak with a child/student in private, do so in plain view of others and never in a room with the door closed. Leave doors open. It is the goal of Bethlehem Baptist Church to have more than one adult in all situations -if not in each classroom then to have multiple adults in an open area to prevent one adult one-child situations.
 
2.8  Do not let young children wander around the building/church campus alone during scheduled activities. All children/students should be supervised at all time when under our care.
 
2.9  Never leave any preschooler unattended at any time.
 
2.10  Do not let preschoolers or children in elementary (through 5th grade) go to the restroom alone. All children should have adult supervision when going to the restroom. (Elementary volunteers- Alert the other adult in the classroom that you will stand in the classroom doorway while the child goes to the restroom on the hallway.)
 
2.11  Dismissal time  -Make sure the children are dismissed to their parent(s) or legal guardian or those designated by the parents to pick up the children by collecting the child's security tag from the parent/guardian. Do not let them run around the building to find their parents.  Make sure they are handed over to the correct adult(s). Students 6th grade and up can be dismissed on their own.
 
2.12  For children 5th grade and under, leaders need to be aware of all allergies of children in your classroom. Please alert a staff member if allergies are not noted on the child's security tag.
 
2.13  Be aware of dangers from certain craft items -for example be aware of choking hazards or sharp scissors.
 
2.14  Written parental consent is required for any church employees or volunteers to transport children/students.
 
2.15  Medical Consent forms are required from each child/student for all activities, on campus as well as off (with the exclusion of regular church services). Only one consent form is required for all activities and will be valid for one year. These consent forms will be kept by the Minister/Director of the specified ministry area.
 
2.16  All pictures/videos of children/students will not be placed by the church, on the internet without written permission from the parent or legal guardian.  This includes all social media.
 
2.17  No one under the age of 18 will be baptized without permission from the parent or legal guardian. The permission can be verbal directly with the Minister/Director or written.



Emergency Procedures

3.1  General Information
3.1.1  Emergency Number is 911 and can be called from any phone on campus.   Church address is 624 GA-197 Clarkesville, Georgia 30523.

3.2  Medical Emergencies
       3.2.l Major Medical Emergency Procedures
       •    Call 911 first if child is unresponsive. (When in doubt go ahead and call 911)
       •    Contact staff member and inform of (who, what, where...) Wait with the child/student
      •     Bethlehem staff will assist in getting the ambulance to the
            right location
      3.2.2 Other Medical Issues: First Aid Kits are located in the classrooms. 
  • 3.2.3  Incident/Injury and Accident Report Form
    In the event of an injury or accident, an incident/injury report should be filled out as soon as possible. This is done in order to ensure that proper procedures and care has been followed. In addition, if during an activity or session an inappropriate conversation, fight, altercation, or theft occurs an incident report should also filled out. In the event that a conversation or situation may be taken out of context or misinterpreted, an incident report should be filled out. Staff members are responsible for filling out the incident reports and making sure that incident reports are kept in a secure and confidential manner and will be investigated as necessary.
     
    3.3  Fire
    Be aware of the Emergency Fire plan.
     
    3.4  Tornado
    Be aware of the Tornado plan.
     
    3.5  Strangers
    Be aware of new visitors to the church as well as any strangers who enter the building. If they are wandering around the building - please ask if you might direct them to the worship area. Contact the Minister/Director and let them know of anything suspicious.
     
    3.6  "Lock Down"
    Lock Down is a time when someone(s) has been identified as a person(s) that poses a threat to inflict serious bodily harm. Communication regarding a "lock down" will come from a staff member to your phone.
    In the event that Bethlehem Baptist Church goes under lock down:
    •    Remain Calm.
    •    Move your students away from any doors. Turn off the lights. Lock the doors if possible.
    •    Stay completely quiet.
    •    Do not leave the room unless ordered to do so.

Child Abuse

4.1  Introduction
Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm, it commonly occurs within a relationship of trust or responsibility and is an abuse of power or a breach of trust. Abuse can happen to a young person regardless of their age, gender, race or ability.
There are four main types of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. The abuser may be a family member, someone the young person encounters in residential care or in the community, including sports and leisure activities. Any individual may abuse or neglect a young person directly, or may be responsible for abuse because they fail to prevent another person harming the young person.
Abuse in all of its forms can affect a young person at any age. The effects can be so damaging that if not treated may follow the individual into adulthood
Young people with disabilities may be at increased risk of abuse through various factors such as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, isolation and a powerlessness to protect themselves or adequately communicate that abuse had occurred.
 
4.2  Types of Abuse
  • Physical Abuse: Where adult physically hurt or injure a young person e.g. hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, biting, scalding, suffocating, and drowning.  Giving young people alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute child abuse. This category of abuse can also include when a guardian reports non-existent symptoms or illness or deliberately causes ill health in a young person they are looking after.
  • Bullying: May come from another young person or an adult. Bullying is defined as deliberate hurtful behavior, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. There are two main types of bullying. It may be physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, slapping), verbal (e.g. name calling, graffiti, threats, abusive text messages), emotional (e.g. tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating, ignoring, isolating form the group), or sexual (e.g. unwanted physical contact or abusive comments).
  • Emotional Abuse: The persistent emotional ill treatment of a young person, likely to cause severe and lasting adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It may involve telling a young person they are useless, worthless, unloved, and inadequate or valued in terms of only meeting the needs of another person. It may feature expectations of young people that are not appropriate to their age or development. It may cause a young person to be frightened or in danger by being constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make the young person frightened or withdrawn.  Ill-treatment of children, whatever form it takes, will always feature a degree of emotional abuse.
  • Sexual Abuse: Occurs when an adult caretaker has any sexual contact with a child. This can happen through intercourse, which is considered rape. It includes any oral, genital or anal penetration. Sexual exploitation and molestation are also considered abuse. These are defined as contact or interaction with a child that is used to satisfy an adult's sexual needs and desires. This includes any verbally enticing language, as well as fondling, masturbating or exposure of sexual organs by the adult. Sex between adults and children is never considered consensual.
  • Neglect: Occurs when an adult fails to meet the young person's basic physical and/or psychological needs, to an extent that is likely to result in serious impairment of the child's health or development.
 
4.3  Indicators of Abuse
Even for those experienced in working with child abuse, it is not always easy to recognize a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place. Most people are not experts in such recognition, but indications that a child is being abused may include one or more of the following:
 
•    Unexplained or suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, particularly if situated on a part of the body not normally prone to such injuries
•    An injury for which an explanation seems inconsistent
•    The young person describes what appears to be an abusive act involving them
•    Another young person or adult expresses concern about the welfare of a young person
•    Unexplained changes in a young person's behavior e.g. becoming very upset, quiet, withdrawn or displaying sudden outbursts of temper
•    Inappropriate sexual awareness
•    Engaging in sexually explicit behavior
•    Distrust of adult's, particularly those whom a close relationship would normally be expected
•    Difficulty in making friends
•    Being prevented from socializing with others
•    Displaying variations in eating patterns including over eating or loss of appetite
•    Losing weight for no apparent reason
•    Becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt
•    Behavioral changes such as reduced concentration and/or becoming withdrawn, clingy, depressed, and tearful, emotionally up and down.
•    Physical signs such as stomach aches, headaches, difficulty in sleeping, bed wetting, scratching and bruising, damaged clothes, bingeing e.g. on food, alcohol or cigarettes
•    A shortage of money or frequents loss of possessions.
 
It must be recognized that the above list is not exhaustive, but also that the presence of one or more of the indications is not proof that abuse is taking place. It is NOT the responsibility of those working in Bethlehem Baptist Church to decide that child abuse is occurring.  It is their responsibility to act on any concerns.
 
4.4  Responding to Suspicions and Allegations
It is not the responsibility of anyone working in Bethlehem Baptist Church in a paid or unpaid capacity to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities so that they can then make inquiries and take necessary action to protect the young person. This applies BOTH to allegations/suspicions of abuse occurring within BBC and to allegations/ suspicions that abuse is taking place elsewhere.

4.4.1 Receiving Evidence of Possible Abuse
We may become aware of possible abuse in various ways. We may see it happening, we may suspect it happening because of signs such as those listed in section 4.3 of this document, it may be reported to us by someone else or directly by the young person affected. In the last of these cases, it is particularly important to respond appropriately.

If a young person says or indicates that they are being abused, you should:
          o    Stay calm so as not to frighten the young person.
          o    Reassure the child that they are not to blame and that it was right to tell.
          o    Listen to the child, showing that you are taking them seriously
o    Keep questions to a minimum so that there is a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said. The law is very strict and child abuse cases have been dismissed where it is felt that the child has been led or words and ideas have been suggested during questioning. Only ask questions to clarify.          
          o    Safety of the child is paramount. If the child needs urgent medical attention call follow the Medical Emergency Procedures 3.2.
          o    Write down all information.
          o    Report the incident immediately to Pastor/Director of the ministry area.

4.4.2  Recording Information
To ensure that information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always
be made at the time of the disclosure/concern. In recording you should confine yourself to the facts and distinguish what is your personal knowledge and what others have told you. Do not include your own opinions.

Information should include the following:
o    The child's name, age and date of birth
o    The child's home address and telephone number
o    Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their concern or someone else's
o    The nature of the allegation, including dates, times and any other relevant information
o    A description of any visible bruising or injury, location, size etc. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioral changes
o    Details of witnesses to the incidents
o    The child's account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any
bruising/injuries occurred
o    Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their concern or someone else's
o    The nature of the allegation, including dates, times and any other relevant information
o    A description of any visible bruising or injury, location, size etc. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioral changes
o    Details of witnesses to the incidents
o    The child's account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any
bruising/injuries occurred
o    Have the parents been contacted? If so what has been said? Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details?
o    Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record detail.

4.4.3 Reporting the Concern
All suspicions and allegations MUST be reported appropriately. It is recognized that  strong emotions can be aroused particularly in cases where sexual abuse is                suspected or where there is misplaced loyalty to a colleague. It is important to understand these feelings but not allow them to interfere with your judgment about any action to take.
             
Bethlehem Baptist Church Leadership expects its members and staff to discuss any
concerns they may have about the welfare of a child immediately with the Pastor/Director in charge.
 
As mentioned previously in this document the Bethlehem Baptist Church leadership are not child protection experts and it is not their responsibility to determine whether or not abuse has taken place. All suspicions and allegations must be shared with
professional agencies that are responsible for child protection.
 
Social services have a legal responsibility to investigate all child protection referrals by talking to the child and family (where appropriate), gathering information from other people who know the child and making inquiries jointly with the police.
 
Note: If there is any doubt, you must report the incident: it may be just one of a series of other incidences which together cause concern.
 
4.5  Confidentiality
Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only. The Executive Staff will be informed and will determine the extent to which any other information is given. All information will be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people.
 
4.6  Georgia Mandatory Reporter Law
Be aware and informed of Georgia Mandatory Reporter Law. 

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