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Dear Mission & Community Justice Ministry Team Leaders,
We are writing to remind you of the First Community policy for working with minor volunteers. Please review the Child Safety Code of Conduct for an overview of the policy. The Minor Policy Quick Reference Graphic is a visual representation of The Code, and may be helpful for your ministry team.
Waivers
Each Minor volunteer is required to have a signed waiver form prior to volunteering for the first time. To streamline procedures, we have created a blanket Minor Waiver Form to use for all First Community Missions. It is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure each minor volunteer has a signed waiver form on file with the church. If you are unsure, please check with Mission staff prior to their first volunteer session.
Parent/Guardians should complete and sign this form prior to the Minor volunteering. The Minor can bring it with them to their first volunteer session, or submit it to you or the church ahead of time. If you receive a signed form, please submit it to Mission staff as soon as possible. You can drop off the form at either church location marked to deliver to the Mission Dept. or you can email a photo/scan of the form to mission@fcchurch.com.
Additionally, all adult (ages 18+) volunteers working with or in close proximity to minors (17 and under) and vulnerable adults are required to complete the Darkness to Light sexual abuse prevention training.
Darkness to Light
In January 2016, First Community Church made a commitment to protecting all children from abuse by offering training in the nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention program, Darkness to Light. First Community staff (whether they work with children or not) and volunteers who work with children are required to attend a Darkness to Light sexual abuse prevention training. Re-certification for staff and adult volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults is required every three years.
In-person trainings are provided by First Community at no cost to attendees. If you are unable to complete a free in-person training, please complete it online for $16 from Darkness to Light. Once the course has been completed, forward your certificate of completion to us at mission@fcchurch.com to be recorded. We do not need completion certificates for those who have attended in-person sessions, as the instructor will provide that information to us.
The information learned in this training applies to everyone, not just those we encounter at church. All of us interact with young people and it is everyone’s responsibility to protect them, ourselves, and the church, from harm. If you have been affected by abuse and are emotionally unable to take the training, or if you have any questions, please reach out to Rev. John Girard.
The response to our commitment to keeping all children and vulnerable adults safe has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to all of you who have already completed the training. The next opportunity for in-person training is coming soon:
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