Safe Church Policy (2024)

As a community of faith, UCC Missoula is committed to creating and maintaining programs, facilities, and a community in which members, friends, staff, and volunteers can worship, learn, and work together in an atmosphere free from all forms of abuse and harassment.

1. Policies
   1. Persons and situations covered by these policies and procedures
      1. These policies and procedures apply to all allegations of abuse or harassment arising in or from church-related activities. These policies apply to both in-person and online interactions and to staff, volunteers, congregants, participants, and visitors. 
   2. Employee and Volunteer Background Checks
      1. Before beginning their employment, all prospective employees over the age of 18 will undergo a background check. Volunteers whose main duty is with children or youth will also undergo a background check. Examples of volunteer positions that require background checks include but are not limited to Sunday School volunteers, youth leaders, and trip chaperones. The background check shall include, but is not limited to, reference inquiries and a criminal history verification by a third-party vendor. The church shall pay the cost associated with any third-party vendor services.
      2. No one with a criminal history of abuse or harassment shall be permitted to work in a supervisory role requiring contacts with youth.  
   3.  Supervision of youth
      1. One on one contact between church workers/volunteers and youth (i.e., those under the age of 18) should be conducted with the knowledge and in view of two adults. 
      2. There is no limit to the number of youth over which a team of adults may assume supervision because there is no set limit to the number of adult helpers who may assist for any given activity. Moreover, the number of adults needed for supervisory responsibilities may vary by the age of the youth and the activity at issue.
      3. n addition to a completed UCC Missoula Youth Program Participation and Release Form, the parent or legal guardian of a child participating in Children’s and Family Ministry activities assigns supervision of a child to UCC Missoula by signing that child in on a written sign-in sheet. The parent or guardian resumes supervision by signing the child out on the written sign-in sheet. The sign-in sheet shall indicate the date and time the parent or guardian relinquished and resumed supervision. Parents or guardians shall otherwise maintain supervision of their children while on church premises.  For youth participating in Youth Ministry activities, attendance will be taken and all participants will have the UCC Missoula Youth Program Participation and Release Form completed and signed by parent/guardian.  Note:  Youth old enough to legally provide their own transportation may do so with parent or guardian permission.  
   4. Trips and overnight events involving unaccompanied children or youth
      1. The parent or legal guardian of a child shall provide written consent before any child is allowed to attend a church-sponsored trip. Written consent may be made by the parent or guardian signing a standard UCC Missoula Youth Program Participation and Release Form (2024) (attached). Trip Authorization and Waiver Form (attached).
      2. All chaperones shall provide UCC Missoula with a copy of a valid driver’s license. Those who are driving their vehicles must also show proof of insurance. Vehicles must be driven by persons 21 years or older and the drivers must fill out Volunteer/Employee Driver Vehicle Forms (attached). 
      3.  Every trip or overnight event must have a UCC Missoula staff person as a coordinator. All chaperones for trips must be interviewed by the staff person of UCC Missoula who is coordinating the trip.
   5. General policies governing youth interactions
      1. A properly trained employee, volunteer, or mentor may spend time with a youth if necessary to achieve appropriate and specific ministry goals provided the meeting location, time spent, and the goals are monitored by other responsible persons on the teaching or ministry team and the meeting is in the presence of at least one other adult, such as in a public venue. Written consent of the youth’s parent or legal guardian must be obtained before spending time with a youth. Workers must also notify an appropriate church leader of such meetings in advance. (This is important for the Confirmation student and Mentor relationship.)
      2. Accompanying a youth to the restroom is permissible. However, the accompanying person must wait outside the restroom unless the youth requires assistance, in which case the person assisting should ensure that the restroom door remains open while that person is in the restroom with the youth.
      3. Church employees and volunteers should take care to avoid physical behavior that might be construed as inappropriate. Use extreme caution and good judgment when considering such activities as wrestling or “rough play.”
      4. Youth may be disciplined using “hands-off” methods such as loss of privileges and/or time-out, removal from the group. There is to be no physical punishment whatsoever including hitting, slapping, painful grabbing, shaking, etc. 
      5. Youth should be always spoken to in a calm soft voice. Firmness and seriousness of voice are required at times, but yelling is inappropriate as are excessively angry and/or hurtful verbalization.
      6. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and best practices from the national UCC, volunteers and staff will not post any image of a child, defined as a person under the age of 18, on the ministry’s official social media pages or website(s), including in streamed services, email lists, events, or any other distribution via internet, regardless of parental consent. 
      7. This policy does not prohibit displaying underage persons’ images in the Youth Room only or during sanctioned UCC events such as worship services, etc., within the entire UCC campus with consent of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s).  Permission for display of underage persons’ images is given by completing the Photo Release section of the UCC Youth Program Participation and Release Form (2024) (attached).  
      8. When communicating with youth via social media, staff and volunteers will adhere to the rules in the Safe Church Policy, section 3, regarding that two adults be present for any interaction with or communication with youth. UCC Missoula strongly discourages staff members and volunteers from accepting invitations to “friend” youth members within personal social networking sites. Contacting or communicating with youth outside the ministry’s youth group may create risks for the ministry workers and alter the dynamic between a youth leader and youth.
2. Procedures
   6. Knowledge or Suspicion of, or Allegations of abuse or harassment involving youth (find RAINN definitions and instructions for reporting, etc., at https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-state-laws.cfm?state=Montana&group=4 and the MT Code at https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0410/chapter_0030/part_0020/sections_index.html )
      1. When abuse or harassment of a child is known, suspected, or alleged, the allegations must be reported to the proper authorities, who will fully assume responsibility for investigating the allegations. The person who learns of the allegations shall contact the authorities by either contacting law enforcement or utilizing the Montana Child Abuse Hotline, within 24 hours. The Hotline number currently is: 866-820-5437. The person learning of the allegations will also notify the Response Team and the UCC senior pastor of the allegations and that the contact has been made.  
      2. All pastors, UCC staff, and volunteers who regularly work with children and youth, are mandatory reporters of child abuse or harassment. 
      3. Mandatory reporter training will be required of the above mentioned personnel on an annual basis. Records pertaining to annual training will be maintained by the church administrator.
   7. Allegations of abuse or harassment involving pastoral staff
      1.  When an allegation of abuse or harassment is made against pastoral staff, the person learning of the abuse or harassment shall notify a member of the UCC Missoula Cabinet to notify the Response Team who will then forward the allegations to the Church & Ministry Commission of the Montana-Northern Wyoming Conference of the United Church of Christ (https://www.mnwcucc.org). If, however, the allegations of abuse or harassment involve a youth, the procedures outlined in section 6(a) of this document shall be followed.
   8. Procedures applicable to all allegations of abuse or harassment
      1. UCC Missoula recognizes that a person who has allegedly been subjected to abuse or harassment may seek recourse either internally, through the procedures described here, or through other criminal or civil avenues, depending on the facts and circumstances. Regardless of the remedy sought by the person alleging abuse or harassment, UCC Missoula will follow the procedures below to protect the safety of its staff, members, volunteers, and friends.
      2. The Cabinet shall appoint a subcommittee of the Cabinet called “The Response Team.” The Response Team shall consist of no less than two members of differing gender expression.  The Response Team shall be appointed annually. The purpose of the response team is to receive and process complaints of abuse or harassment, subject to the requirements and limitations of this document.  
      3. The Response Team shall be familiar with the terms of this document, titled UCC Missoula Safe Church Policy (2024).
      4. UCC Missoula recognizes that, depending on the facts and circumstances, allegations of abuse or harassment may be resolved in a variety of ways. UCC Missoula does not recommend informal attempts at resolution where the person alleging abuse attempts to resolve the allegations directly with the alleged abuser or harasser, but rather does recommend reporting the allegations to a teacher, pastor, administrator, Response  Team, or Cabinet member.  The person alleging the abuse or harassment makes the final decision having to do with steps for resolution and is in no way expected to confront their alleged abuser.  It is their decision alone and will be based on their assessment of their personal safety and capacity.  If it is their decision to attempt to resolve the conflict directly, they may request that a member of the Response Team, Cabinet, or other neutral person be present.  If attempt(s) at resolution are unsuccessful, futile, or outside the person alleging the abuse’s wishes, the person alleging abuse or harassment will request that the Response Team institute formal proceedings which shall include the following steps:
         1. The Response Team shall notify the minister and Cabinet Moderator of the allegations of abuse or harassment and shall keep them apprised of ongoing steps and actions taken. If either pastoral staff or Moderator is the subject of the complaint, this notice requirement shall not apply to that person.
         2. The Response Team shall investigate the allegations of abuse or harassment. Investigation may include gathering statements or other information from the individuals involved in the alleged abuse or harassment and from others who may have pertinent information, such as qualified professional consultants.
         3. The Response Team shall make its findings known after its investigation with a recommendation to the UCC Missoula Executive Committee, which shall then choose to either take action based on that recommendation or seek broader input from the MT-N. Wyoming Conference (httpl://www.mncucc.org).  The Cabinet will be notified of any action taken.  
         4. By becoming a member of The Response Team, the member accepts the responsibility to recuse themself from the resolution process if they are involved in an allegation of abuse or otherwise experiences a conflict of interest regarding the allegations. If any member of The Response Team recuses themself from a resolution process or is otherwise ineligible to serve as a result of a conflict of interest, the Cabinet shall select another Cabinet member to replace that individual on the Response Team for that specific resolution process.
         5. Any person with a conflict of interest for a specific allegation may be prohibited from accessing information in regard to the allegation in order to protect the safety or interests of those involved in the allegations. 

Draft Feb 29 2024

Draft Apr 20 2024

Draft May 6 2024

Final Draft May 17 2024

Adopted by Cabinet May 20, 2024

Rev July 23 2024

Rev Aug 13 2024

Forms:  (click the links below to download the .docx file with forms)

UCC Youth Program Participation and Release Form

UCC Missoula Volunteer/Employee Driver Form