Are you snowed under? 

Happy New Year! We hope this will be your best year ever. We are committed to providing you excellent service in 2022 and providing you the most updated best practices in safeguarding. 

However, whether you are experiencing the beauty of a white winter or not, you may be entering the New Year not feeling very hopeful but feeling overwhelmed with the pressures facing you as you begin a New Year. We have heard from many of you, that you are scrambling to get policies updated, and training and screening in place. We would love to continue to be your service provider for all things that fall under safeguarding children, youth, and adults. 
Let’s start the New Year off right! Each year I identify 6-8 goals I want to accomplish this year. With the help of my Full Focus Planner and a lot of effort, I realized almost all those goals every year. You can too.  
Other services we offer include:

o Consulting
o Policy review and updates
o Policy audits
o Inquiries and investigations
o Training 
o Screening 
o Professional development 
o Resources
Soon to be hot off the press. Reserve your copy today!
Last year we set out to complete the newest version of Plan to Protect: A Guide for Churches Safeguarding Children, Youth and Adults. This is the first major update we have made to the manual in the last 15 years. This manual will replace our existing manuals. We encourage you to reserve your copy today. We are going to print by the end of January and will be shipping out manuals in March.
This manual will provide you updated content from our previous manual and so much more including updated case studies, general policy and procedure statements for the whole church, power differentials, sexual harassment, clergy misconduct, progressive steps of discipline, spiritual abuse, new immigrant settlement, visitation, documentation management, and dealing with offenders. Melodie has also included some of her learnings from her doctoral thesis into the manual elevating the voice of the victim in the manual.
A complimentary copy of the manual will be sent to
all members of Plan to Protect®. To confirm your status
as a member, call 1-877-455-3555 ext. 10.
SRP of the manual is $79.99 plus tax and shipping. 


Plan to Protect: A Guide for Camps, Schools, Sporting Leagues and Daycares Safeguarding Children, Youth and Adults will be published later in 2022.
FAQ
Question: We’ve been accused of spiritual abuse ... what should we do?

Answer: Being accused of spiritual abuse is a very serious complaint. Unfortunately, there are many variations of definitions of spiritual abuse out there. You can see from these definitions that the interpretation of spiritual 
abuse can be very subjective. Two common definitions that we have heard include: 

#1:  Spiritual Abuse is the use of spiritual or religious language and/or beliefs to unduly influence and exert control over individuals, exploiting them for the apparent benefit of an organization or a person in a position of greater authority.

#2:  Spiritual Abuse includes but is not limited to interaction, guidance, 
communication, or counseling between church leadership members and/or lay volunteer leaders and past and current church members, which has caused harm to the members. Spiritual abuse can involve using the Bible to counsel or guide in a way that causes harm, or scripture used in an abusive or controlling manner.... Read more.

January Safeguarding Tips
Are you prepared if a crisis hits in 2022? 
We have already experienced two very difficult years. Can it really get worse?  
Yes, unfortunately it can. As I write this, I am watching the news hearing of tornadoes that have caused havoc and taken over 100 lives in the United States mid-west, I turn the channel and I read about the restoration that is happening in the lower mainland of British Columbia as a result of flooding. I receive an email from a colleague in Lebanon telling me that they are under such difficulty, and I wonder if my Christmas travel plans to see family for the first time in almost three years will be cancelled due to Omicron. 
Are we ever really ready for a crisis? 
We have twenty-five clients that are better prepared today than they were one year ago. Having successfully completed the Crisis Response and Management course, they now have a Crisis Plan in place and a crisis team ready to go into action, to immediately respond to a crisis that could occur, be that fraud, theft, abuse, a natural disaster, arson, a clergy misconduct, or a social media smear campaign.
Check out Our Training in January!
January 18, 2022
12:30pm-1:00pm Eastern Time

This is a complimentary webinar. Register to participate LIVE with Q&A time, or to receive access to an instant replay.

for details and registration.
January 20, 2022
8:00pm - 9:30pm Eastern Time

This webinar is great for individuals and groups who need to be refreshed in Plan to Protect® policies and procedures.

for details and registration.
January 22, 2022
1:00pm - 3:30pm Eastern Time

Join us for this 2 hour orientation training covering awareness of abuse and so much more!

for details and registration.
January 25, 2022
2:00pm - 3:00pm Eastern Time

A one-hour seminar designed to raise the awareness of Elder Abuse. During this community event, we will learn what Elder Abuse is, how to recognize and respond to it, and valuable strategies to prevent Elder Abuse from happening. Everyone is welcome! Let's plan to protect!

for details and registration.
Special Interest: Deeper Dive into Spiritual Abuse with Melodie Bissell and Naomi Wright from Emboldened
January 27, 2022 @ 12:00pm - 1:00pm Eastern Time
Spiritual abuse is real. Individuals are walking away from their church, and often times,
even their faith, because of the harm they've experienced under narcissistic leaders and abuses of power. Join the conversation as Melodie and Naomi explore: What is spiritual abuse? How can we help prevent this devastation within our churches and organizations through policies and training? and so much more!
Become a Member Today!

You are missing so much by not being a member. Our membership benefits just got better. Memberships start as low as $225 per year. The value far exceeds the cost. Let us help you not get snowed under this year. 
Services we offer include:
o Consulting
o Policy review and updates
o Policy audits
o Inquiries and investigations
o Training
o Screening
o Professional development
o Resources
January Special!
Start your year off right with a package that will help you avoid getting snowed under this year with a critical incident you were not prepared for!

Package offer -- $120* ($280 value)
The package includes:
  • Access to our series of four special interest webinars on managing CRITICAL INCIDENTS (valued at $140).
  • 30-minute consulting call with our Director of Consulting on the topic of CRITICAL INCIDENTS - past, present or future (valued at $90).
  • Credit on Crisis Response and Management course ($50 value).

Conditions:
* Plus tax, no other discounts apply.
Credit on Crisis Response and Management Course and consultation credit good until Dec. 31, 2022.
January Package special available until January 31, 2022.