Procedures

1. Record Keeping

a) Standard attendance and record sheets will be provided by OMC.

b) The names, contact & health information of each vulnerable person and their parents/guardians shall be carefully maintained for all relevant ministry events. It will be securely stored by the leaders of the respective ministries and updated by parents/guardians on an annual basis.

c) An accurate sign-in and sign-out procedure shall be maintained for each nursery / toddler child, recording the child's name, parent's/guardian's name, and any special needs of that child a parent chooses to disclose. A child shall only be released to the parent or designated representative.

d) Youth attendance, activities and any unusual events shall be recorded.

e) All documents (applications, questionnaires, sign-in, sign-out, attendance records, abuse allegations etc.) must be kept on file for future reference as required or permitted by law, both to document the organization's efforts and to discourage frivolous claims.

f) A permanent, confidential, historical and current registry of workers shall be maintained.

g) Where abuse or sexual misconduct is alleged or has occurred, confidential records shall be kept indefinitely.

h) All records must be forwarded to the designated Ministerial.

i) Records will be kept confidential, and in a safe secure place.

2. Update

a) This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually, or as the need arises, by OMC appointed leadership.

b) The Administration Board must approve any revisions and updates.

c) All staff and workers shall be informed of any updates to this policy.

3. Classroom settings

a) Supervision

i) It is best to have a minimum of two workers in any area with children or youth.

ii) Because some classes may have only 1 worker, supervisory staff must make scheduled and sporadic hall monitor walks to ensure a safe environment

iii) Our protocol is to have one worker for every 1-6 preschool children, 1-8 children in grades one to six and 1-15 children in grades seven and up.

iv) Workers should always conduct themselves in a godly manner, being an example of obedience, respect, and honesty to those in their care.

v) Preschool children must never be dropped off in a classroom without a worker present. Caregivers/Teachers must be present a minimum of ten minutes prior to class starting time.

vi) It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian, not the church, to supervise their children when they are not actively involved in a program at OMC.

b) Open Door

i) All classes must be observable with clear lines of sight, either through a window or an open door.

ii) At no time shall young children be left in an individual's care behind closed doors or in an isolated and private location.

iii) Individuals who work with vulnerable persons including children and/or youth must avoid potentially compromising situations in which an allegation of abuse could be made.

c) Illness

i) Workers need to be conscious of the health of children in their care. A child who is ill should not be received into the classroom, exposing other children and workers to illness.

ii) If a worker has health concerns, including communicable diseases, they should withdraw from contact with children or from preparing and serving food.

d) Display of Affection

i) Appropriate Touch

Touch is an essential responsibility in nurturing lives. Workers need to be aware of, and sensitive to, differences in sexual development, cultural differences, family backgrounds, individual personalities, and special needs. Physical contact with children should be age and developmentally appropriate. We recommend the following guidelines as pure, genuine, and positive displays of God's love:

· Bending down to the child's eye level and speaking kindly; listening to him or her carefully.

· Taking a child's hand and leading him or her to an activity.

· Putting an arm around the shoulder of a child who needs comforting or quieting.

· Taking both of the child's hands as you say, "You did such a good job." (or "I'm so glad to see you. We've missed you!" etc.)

· Patting a child on the head, hand, shoulder, or back to affirm him or her.

· Holding a child by the shoulders or hand to keep his or her attention while you redirect the child's behavior. (No Shaking!)

· Gently holding a child's chin to help him or her focus on what you are saying to him or her (important for children with Attention Deficit Disorder).

· Holding a preschool child who is crying.

ii) Inappropriate Touch

· Kissing a child, coaxing a child to kiss you, extended hugging, and tickling.

· Touching a child in any area that would be covered by a bathing suit (except when assisting a child with toileting as outlined in iii) Washroom below.

· Carrying older children or having them sit on your lap.

Note: All children and youth are protected from sexual exploration. Regardless of age, consent is not valid if the person touching them for a sexual purpose is in a position of trust or authority over them, or if they are in a relationship of dependency with that person. (Note: this has important implications for youth workers.)

iii) Washroom

· Preschool children must not be sent to the washroom alone, they must be accompanied by a parent/guardian or a supervising adult, or in the case of older children, with another child.

· If children require assistance and a parent/guardian is not available, another adult may assist under the following guidelines:

- A second adult is within visual range. If this is not possible, inform another adult when taking a child to the washroom, and when returning.

- Same gender assistance is encouraged where possible.

e) Discipline

God's definition of discipline is outlined in Hebrews 12: 5 - 11. " The word discipline comes from the root word "disciple", which means training that molds character, behavior, and values. The Heavenly Father will never discipline out of rage or selfish desire. He will never lose control, "... God disciplines us for our good" (Hebrews 12:10). God's actions are always intended to nudge us lovingly, wisely, and persistently toward the life and character we can't accomplish without help. Rather than seeking to merely maintain control or keep children quiet, our goal in managing children's behavior should be to shape their character in such a way that they will become disciples.

i) Preventative Discipline

· Create a loving, caring atmosphere. Arrange your environment for children and for learning. To gain respect you must grant respect.

· Establish and communicate realistic expectations for the children.

· Be sure the activities that you provide are meaningful and age appropriate.

· Be fair and consistent with all children.

· Be sure your focus is on positive actions.

· Be aware of children with special needs to ensure your interaction is always age and developmentally appropriate.

ii) Remedial Discipline

Explain the consequences of unacceptable behavior by defining the correct way to behave as well as the results of the wrong behavior. Consequences of persistent unacceptable behavior shall be removal from the group activity for a 'time out' or being returned to the child's parent or caregiver. Physical discipline (spanking, slapping, pushing, shaking) is never acceptable in our church ministries. The only physical force allowable is the minimum force required to restrain a child from hurting others or themselves. If a child has become upset and uncontrollable, seek help and contact the parent or caregiver immediately. Verbal discipline must never include yelling, insulting, name calling or threatening. Seek superior help if you feel you are losing your self-discipline.

· Try to deal with the problems individually.

· Explain to the child why the behavior is unacceptable.

· Redirect the child to positive actions.

· Offer choices that are acceptable to both you and the child.

· If discipline problems persist, contact the overseer of your ministry.

iii) The following practices are not permitted methods of child management with respect to a child enrolled in our programming. http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/freelaw/documents/English/Regulations/Regulations/C7-31R1.pdf

· Corporal punishment;

· Physical, emotional or verbal abuse;

· Denial of necessities;

· Isolation;

· Inappropriate physical or mechanical restraint.

iv) Classroom Rule Suggestions

· One voice talking at a time.

· Quiet hands get answered.

· Use inside voices.

· Obey directions the first time.

· Use good manners.

· Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

· Respect each other.

· Be friendly.

· Visit the washroom before class begins.

f) Emergencies

i) Workers are not to give or apply any medication. If a child needs medication, the parent/guardian must give it. Medication shall not be left in the classroom or with a worker or child. In extreme cases (i.e. peanut allergies, ventilators, etc.) arrangements should be made with written instructions and the permission of the child's parent/guardian.

ii) All workers are to be made aware of the location of first aid kits.

iii) When dealing with cuts or injuries involving blood, separate the injured vulnerable person from the others. Isolate the area where any blood may have dropped, carpet toys, etc. Contact the parent or guardian. For clean-up, use disposable non-latex gloves. To disinfect areas, consider using ¼ cup bleach to a gallon of water on surfaces not sensitive to discolouration. Dispose of contaminated garbage. Follow-up with your superior who may choose to document the event.

iv) All workers are to be informed of fire emergency procedures. These procedures are to be posted in a visible place in each classroom, stating the planned route of escape to the nearest fire exit.

g) Overnight and Special Events

For any field trips or special events, the following precautions need to be taken.

i) All overnight activities must be organized by the leaders of the respective ministry.

ii) Parental consent and medical release forms are required for each child participating in the overnight events.

iii) All overnight activities or outings should have a minimum of two leaders. Each leader should have an assigned group of children/youth for whom they are responsible during the overnight event.

iv) All supervising adults must be approved workers.

v) A current church insurance policy must be in place which includes liability coverage for off premise activities.

4. Other Considerations

a) Counselling: Cease using the term counselling if you don't uphold the legal expectations of such a service including the professional training/certification. In place of that loaded term, consider pastoral care, shepherding, spiritual guidance clearly indicating this is not counselling.

· All such interactions must be done with an "open door" and /or "team" approach, to discourage abuse and allegations of abuse and harassment.

· Teachers and others in a position of trust must be informed of relevant changes on legal issues, legislation regarding child safety, abuse prevention and other issues affecting their ministry.

· Accountability between staff, counselors, and church leadership must be maintained.

· Cross gender care/advising shall only be practiced with the "open door" / "team" approach guidelines mentioned above.

b) Waivers, releases, guarantees: Some people have the impression such a 'paper' is going to save them from a liability claim on one extreme, on the other extreme some people consider them useless, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Informed consent and parental permission is an effective way to communicate - it's about communication!

i) Youth/children - Any form is a record of communication, especially when kids & teenagers are involved.

ii) Adults, assumption of risk means they are partial to wholly responsible for their own risk and damage. For them, waiver, release - drafted properly - along with informed consent is worthwhile.

c) Building relationships within the body of Christ at OMC will lend itself to some time spent one on one to listen to, encourage, and pray for each other.

· No worker connected with OMC shall engage in one on one time unless it is same gender and the worker has completed prior training on our Safe Place Policy. This includes clear instruction and understanding of Canada’s abuse laws, Position of Trust dynamics, and our biblical mandate for mutual respect to understand the risks to both parties and to OMC.

· While group settings are always encouraged, best practices for one on one time includes using open or public spaces or transparency habits such as an open-door policy with clear lines of sight. Consider rescheduling or relocating an impromptu meeting to a time or location where others can see but not hear you. Private, secluded spaces carry a greater risk of abuse or false allegations and are discouraged for the safety and reputation of all involved.