Herndon Friends Meeting Minute on Protecting Youth from Physical, Verbal, and Sexual Abuse
8 January 2006, revised 30 March 2009
Herndon Friends Meeting (HFM) recognizes its responsibility in assisting parents in protecting children from physical and sexual abuse. The Meeting, which has no paid staff, has established the following procedures to minimize the risk of children being harmed in the course of Meeting connected activities.
Definitions
• “Candidate” refers to an individual expressing interest in serving in an unpaid leadership position in a youth activity sponsored by HFM.
• “Screening”: Process by HFM to verify that a candidate has regularly attended HFM for at least six months plus checking the public VA Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registration for Violent Sex Offenders website against the person’s name and address.
• Youth activity: Any activity primarily aimed for youth participation, such as First Day school, a field trip, a social activity (onsite or offsite), service project, etc.
Procedures for Working with Youth
1. All volunteers must have been cleared for working with youthwithin the past twelve months by the HFM M&O committee before leading any youth activities.
2. There will be at least two adults present in the community room during any youth activity.
3. At least two adults will be at any offsite location for any youth activities held there. At least two adults must accompany the children from the HFM Meetinghouse to an offsite location for any activity.
4. Field trips or day trips sponsored by the Religious Education Committee or the Meeting will require supervision by adults, with a ratio of at least one adult to six children. There will be a minimum of two adults on any field trip.
5. Any overnight field trip attended by both male and female youth should have adult supervision by both male and female cleared adults.
6. Any vehicle used for transportation associated with HFM youth activities must be operated by a cleared adult.
7. All adult visitors (except for parents or volunteers) wishing to attend a First Day School class need to coordinate in advance with the class teacher or coordinator.
8. HFM does not sponsor any regular or extended one-on-one counseling for youth. Any counseling done with youth (such as a clearness committee) will include at least two adults.
Procedures for Clearing Candidates to Work with Youth:
Anyone interested in volunteering with youth needs to be screened and cleared by the Ministry and Oversight (M&O) committee before they can lead a youth activity. This includes, but is not limited, to the following:
• First Day school teachers
• Primary adult for an HFM-sponsored youth activity (such as game night, service project, or field trip) or any activity primarily aimed at youth participation, or primary adult in a supervisory role (such as child care or escorting children to another location)
The responsibilities of the M&O committee in clearing candidates includes the following:
1. Screening: For candidates to lead a youth activity, confirm that the candidate has regularly attended HFM for at least six months, verify their identity and address with a government-issued photo identification, and verify that the candidate is not listed in the public VA Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registration for Violent Sex Offenders website.
2. Notify the HFM Business Meeting that the candidate has been cleared to lead youth activities. M&O will also maintain a list of people who have been cleared to lead youth activities and will provide this list, and any updates, to all HFM committee clerks.
3. Confirm, on a yearly basis, that cleared volunteers are interested in renewing their cleared status and if so, that they continue to meet HFM criteria for working with youth.
Individuals known by the M&O committee to have charges pending or have been convicted of sexual crimes will not be permitted to lead a youth activity. If M&O determines that a candidate for working with youth does not meet HFM criteria or if there are other concerns, M&O will not clear the candidate for working with youth. In addition, M&O will appoint a clearness committee to consult privately with the candidate and discern whether there are ways that the Meeting can help support the candidate. M&O will also provide guidance to the candidate on participating in HFM and the Religious Society of Friends.
Response to Concerns or Incidents
Anyone who has a youth safety concern about an individual should share that concern with the Meeting clerk or the clerk of M&O. If a concern is raised, M&O will investigate and will contact the individual, if necessary.
Anyone who observes an incident of youth sexualphysical, verbal, or physical sexual abuse during an HFM-sponsored activity or who has knowledge that such an incident has occurred should do the following:
• Take immediate action to protect the child
• Contact M&O to report the alleged abuse. M&O will notify the child’s parents or guardians of the reported abuse. M&O will investigate and determine if additional actions are needed, such as counseling, notifying the HFM insurance representative, contacting child protective services, or legal action. M&O will discuss the incident and the proposed response from HFM with the child’s parents or guardians.
Regular Review of Procedures and Education
HFM currently has no paid staff. If we hire employees or change venues we will revisit these procedures. In any case we will reevaluate our procedures every three years at a minimum. To maintain awareness of our procedures, HFM will post this minute in a visible place at the Meetinghouse. In addition, the clerk of Religious Education will distribute copies of this minute yearly to:
a, Parents of children registered in the HFM religious education program
b, HFM committee clerks and the clerk of HFM
c, Adults serving in a leadership position in activities dealing with youth, including (but not limited to) all First Day School teachers and class coordinators.
HFM will also conduct activities with adults and children to raise awareness of issues related to protecting youth from physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.
Addition adopted on 11/8/09
• Teens of high school age and older may supervise activities of younger children in the Meeting House (such as sandwich making and child care for Adult Discussion) when cleared adults are present in the other room of the Meeting House.
• Cleared adults aged 22 and older may drive children and youth and may supervise activities on-site or off-site, but not overnight.
• Overnight activities require at least one cleared adult age 25 or older.
At overnight events attended by children of both genders, there will be at least one male and one female cleared adult