Preventing Abuse

The Archdiocese's Safe Environment Program requires all Archdiocesan clergy, religious order clergy, adult employees and volunteers who work with or near minors and/or vulnerable adults to comply with the following policy requirements:

   Click here for instructions to complete these requirements.

    

The Protecting God's Children program, developed by VIRTUS® and employed by many dioceses, educates participants to identify the signs of child sexual abuse, understand the methods and means by which offenders commit abuse, and be aware of the steps that can be taken to prevent ongoing or future abuse. Over 400 workshops are held each year at the Cardinal Rigali Center, parishes, schools and agencies throughout the Archdiocese. The workshops are led by 175 trained local facilitators who not only share the two videos at the center of the training program, A Time to Protect God's Children™ and A Plan to Protect God's Children™, but who also incorporate our archdiocesan policies and procedures into the training, address the reporting of child or vulnerable adult sexual abuse, explain the screening and selection of employees and volunteers, and share victim advocacy efforts.

    

In addition, students in grades K-9 in archdiocesan schools and parish school of religion programs receive annual age-appropriate instruction in the Safe Touch curriculum to enable them to protect themselves from potential abuse. This local curriculum was developed in partnership with West County Psychological Associates, the Archdiocesan Child Safety Committee, and area educators and school administrators. Discussion topics range from physical boundaries to online safety.

    

Working in conjunction with the Office of Child and Youth Protection, each parish and archdiocesan school and agency employs a Child Safety Coordinator (CSC) whose role is to ensure employee and volunteer compliance with the Safe Environment policy requirements outlined above. The CSC maintains the parish, school or agency's records of compliance which are audited annually by the Office of Child and Youth Protection.

 

The Archdiocese's Safe Environment Program and the Office of Child and Youth Protection are audited annually by Stonebridge Partners.  You may view the results of our most recent on-site audit in 2022 by clicking here.   

    

We invite you read Archbishop Rozanski's letter of support and to join us in our abuse prevention efforts by registering today.  Thank you in advance for your service to the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

 

We also invite you to view the video, "Protecting Our Children: A Family's Response to Sexual Abuse," produced by the Knights of Columbus (scroll to the bottom of the Knights' page) as well as clicking this segment by Dr. Monica Applewhite regarding boundary violations.