Safe Environment
As Christian adults, we have
a moral and legal responsibility and are entrusted by God with the
spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of children and the
vulnerable. As they participate in activities within or sponsored by St.
Francis or our Diocese, it is our responsibility and commitment to provide
an environment that is safe, secure and nurturing. The purpose of this
program is to create that environment for the children and vulnerable who
come to St. Francis to participate in our activities. This program will
reduce the risk of abuse or neglect of any kind by evaluating each person’s
suitability to work with our parish family. All volunteers who represent
St. Francis outside of our facility also complete this program. This gives
community members assurances that the volunteers who represent St. Francis
have been properly cleared. The greatest benefit of this program is
creating a group of volunteers who know what to look for and how to protect
our vulnerable. This deters people with the wrong intentions from
volunteering in our Catholic community.
Volunteers
serving with our youth and vulnerable adults must observe all required Safe
Environment screening procedures before participating in any of the
ministries requiring Safe Environment clearance. Once a volunteer is
cleared at St. Francis through the Safe Environment program, he/she is
cleared throughout the whole diocese and can volunteer in all ministries
without having to repeat the Safe Environment New Volunteer process again.
If you have
recently moved to St. Francis from another parish in the Diocese of Dallas,
your Safe Environment documentation can be transferred to St. Francis. Any
Safe Environment Training/requirements completed outside the Diocese of
Dallas will not transfer. This ensures that all volunteers in the Diocese
of Dallas receive the same basic Safe Environment instruction. Contact the
Safety Officer, Ginny Milich
gmilich@stfoafrisco.org or 972-712-2645
ext. 228, to see what can transfer. Many times an interview with the
Safety Officer is still required to help you better understand our parish
and make your transition easier.
Safe
Environment clearance is required to volunteer in the following Ministries:
|
Aids
Supper Club
Babysitters
Bus
Drivers
Catholic
Singles Volunteering
Children’s Liturgy
Children’s Youth (Middle & High School)
Choir
Faith
Formation
Faith
Formation – Preschool
Gabriel’s Angels
Grief
Handyman
Homebound |
Hospital
Just
Me & The Kids
KDO
staff and KDO volunteers
Knights
of Columbus
Mass
Coordinators
Nursery
Nursery
for MOMs
Office
Staff
Scouts
(Cub, Girl & Boy)
Spanish
Ushers
Vacation
Bible School |
SAFE ENVIRONMENT CLEARANCE PROCEDURES
New
Volunteers Procedures
The Diocese has
initial Safe Environment requirements that each volunteer must complete before
serving with our youth or vulnerable. This is called Safe Environment New
Volunteer Training. A new volunteer is a person who joins a ministry that
requires Safe Environment clearance and has never completed the Safe Environment
New Volunteer Training in the past. This training is valid for one year and
must be renewed on a yearly basis to retain the “cleared” Safe Environment
status. Safe Environment clearance is granted when the appropriate
documentation from the option chosen below is submitted to the office,
Attention: Ginny Milich – Safe Environment Coordinator, in person, by fax:
972-712-1087, by mail: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community, 8000 Eldorado
Pkwy, Frisco, TX 75033 or scanned documents sent by email:
gmilich@stfoafrisco.org.
Several Ministries set aside time during their fall meetings to complete Safe
Environment Training as a group. This is something I highly recommend. Check
to see if your Ministry Lead has scheduled time in your next meeting for Safe
Environment Training. If this is something you would like to pursue, have your
Ministry Lead contact the office.
There are 2
ways to complete the New Volunteer Safe Environment Requirements:
CLICK HERE to start the Online New Volunteer Training
Sessions are scheduled on the
1st Thursday at 9:30 am and the 2nd Wednesday at 6 pm of every month (except
May, June and July) in English and the 3rd Sunday at 2:30 pm in
Spanish.
Yearly Training Procedures
Safe
Environment training must be updated once every 12 months to retain the
“cleared” volunteer status. The date on your Safe Environment Clearance Badge
identifies the month/year your yearly training must be completed to continue to
volunteer at St. Francis.
The Diocese will notify each
volunteer via email the month their SE clearance is due if there is a valid
email in the Safe Environment database. This email will identify a website (http://dallas.setanet.org//obligations.php)
with all the Yearly Training Options available to satisfy the Safe
Environment Yearly Training requirement. Your first name, last name and
address are used to access this website. The spreadsheet used to propagate the
SE database in 2007 did not have personal data (only emails and SE clearance
dates). If you are unable to access the yearly training options using your
current address, place an “*” in the address field to get into the
system. Please update the missing fields when you get in so you can properly
access the database in the future. The Safe Environment Database will not
identify Yearly Trainings taken prior to 2008 and may require you to take the
FOF New Volunteer Training to be cleared. If that course was completed prior
to 2008, you can choose any training available. The Safe Environment database
is being updated with Training Classes taken prior to 2008 as quickly as
possible. This issue should be resolved before your next training is due.
Contact Ginny Milich if you are unable to access the yearly training options
using this new system. The system may identify your first name/last name
differently than you expect.
Additional
options to complete the Safe Environment Yearly Training Obligation are:
-
Several Ministries set
aside time during their fall meetings to complete this training as a
group. This is something I highly recommend. Check to see if your
Ministry Lead has scheduled time in your next meeting for Safe Environment
yearly training renewal. If this is something you would like to pursue,
have your Ministry Lead contact the office.
o The
Diocese/VIRTUS “Boundaries and Bullies” program provided for our youth will
satisfy the Safe Environment Yearly Training requirement for adults who
attend. Adults must sign the Attendance Sheet on the Sign-in table in the
Narthex to receive credit for attending this class. The schedule is as
follows:
-
Wednesday, 10/27 at 6:30 pm – Middle School program
-
Thursday, 10/28 at 6 pm – High School program
-
Tuesday, 11/2 at 6 pm – Kinder-5 program
-
Wednesday, 11/3 at 4:00 pm Kinder-5 program
-
Thursday, 11/4 at 5 pm Kinder-5 program
When: See New Volunteer
Class list above
o
CLASS NAME: Bullying
Prevention Program
-
30 minute video outlining
various aspects of Bullying
-
When: Sat 8/28 at 3 pm in
English, Sun 8/29 at 5 pm in English, Wed 9/1 at 8 pm in English, 9/12 at
7:45 pm in English, 9/15 at 7:30 pm in English, 10/5 at 7 pm in English,
10/10 at 1 pm in English, 10/10 at 2:30 pm in Spanish, 10/14 at 9:15 am in
English, 10/15 at 9:15 am in English, 10/20 at 7 pm in Spanish.
-
Read one of the
printed materials below. Complete the Training Renewal Signature form
(Last page of each printed document). Printed Copies in English
(Spanish to follow) are available in the office, KDO workrooms and on
the green table near the Stewardship Cart. Return the completed
Training Renewal Signature Form to the office.
CLICK HERE -- "Caring for the Elderly" Printed
Material
CLICK HERE -- "What can we do about Child Abuse?"
Printed Material
-
Online Seminars are
available on the
www.churchlawtoday.com website. Review the directions below to
access the website. Printed copies are also available in the office,
KDO workrooms and on the green table near the Stewardship Cart. You
MUST complete ALL lessons under at least ONE seminar in order to receive
training credit! Print the "comprehensive self-evaluation" from the
online course and fill in your answers as you complete the test
online. Attach and return your completed evaluation and the Training
Renewal Option 3 Signature Form to the office. The Training Renewal
Option 3 Signature Form is the last page of the document below.
CLICK HERE -- Online Training Seminar Directions
and Signature Form
-
Many volunteers have
professions or outside interests where child or adult protection
training is provided. This will satisfy your yearly Safe Environment
training obligation. The training should review the types of abuse,
prevention measures, recognizing abuse, responding to suspicions, or
reporting requirements to be accepted. Proof of attendance with the
class date and a detailed summary of the class identifying one of the
topics above must be attached to the Training Renewal Option 4 Signature
Form and submitted to the Safe Environment Coordinator for approval.
This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Contact Ginny Milich at
gmilich@stfoafrisco.org or 972-712-2645 ext.228 with the
appropriate documentation.
CLICK HERE -- Occupational Training Signature Form
SAFE ENVIRONMENT CLEARANCE BADGE
A Safe
Environment Clearance badge is issued to each volunteer when all the Safe
Environment requirements have been met. This badge must be worn at all times
when participating in any activities (except Mass) at St. Francis. A special
Usher badge is worn during Mass when all Usher requirements have been
satisfied. St. Francis staff members wear a gold badge identifying their staff
status in lieu of the Clearance Badge. The date on the badge identifies the
month/year the annual Safe Environment Training obligation must be completed to
retain the “cleared” Safe Environment Status. A new badge is issued when the
yearly training obligation is completed each year.
In an effort to
improve security at St. Francis, Safe Environment badges now have the
volunteer’s picture on the badge. If a picture has not been taken during a
training class or at the church office, send a passport type picture (solo
picture of your shoulders/head only) in .jpg format (picture must be less than 3
mg to be accepted) to
gmilich@stfoafrisco.org . The Safe Environment clearance badge will be
created and mailed as soon as the Safe Environment requirements have been met
and the picture is received.
Thank you for
your attention to the program. Contact Ginny Milich at 972-712-2645 ext 228 or
gmilich@stfoafrisco.org
with any questions.
Ginny Milich | 
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