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Plan to Protect®

PLAN TO PROTECT®

WITH DR. MELODIE BISSELL

Copyright Plan to Protect® 2025

Creating a Ministry of Safety

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Katie and Kellie

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Jim and Shelly Vasey

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Jim and Shelly Vasey moved into their southeast Wichita neighborhood in 1992, with Jim earning a living in the claims department for State Farm.

She kept busy with their son and daughter, and Bible studies, and Sunday and Wednesday attendance at Countryside Christian Church on South Rock Road.

A couple of years after they moved in, little kids from across the street came knocking, led by a cute blond boy begging food. His name was Andrew Henderson.

“Could we have eggs and milk?” they’d ask.

Sweet-looking kids, Shelly thought. Soft yellow hair, big eyes, kids maybe three to five years old, boys and girls. They’d ask for milk, eggs, cheese and Band-aids on some days, and cereal and cookies on another day.

“Don’t you have food at your house?” Shelly asked.

“No.”

They begged at other houses too. Cunning scroungers, they never asked for the same things at the same house in the same week.

�Read more here: https://www.kansas.com/news/special-reports/article1049792.html#storylink=cpy

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¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,� because he has anointed me� to proclaim good news to the poor.�He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners� and recovery of sight for the blind,�to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18&19

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“If you truly believe in the value of life, you care about all of the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.” – Joni Erickson Tada

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Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed, speak up and judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

Proverbs 31:8

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Protects their innocence and their faith!

01

To Children

Demonstrates your duty of care to your people, protection from wrongful allegations of abuse.

03

To Volunteers & Staff

A gift to parents & grandparents demonstrating you care for and will protect their children.

02

To Parents & Grandparents

Answer to their prayers that no one else will be harmed, and instrumental to their spiritual healing.

04

To Victims

A Ministry of Safety

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Protecting them from clergy sexual misconduct and abuse.

05

To Vulnerable Adults

Establishing parameters and creating a place for them to discover a just and loving God.

07

To Offenders

An example that your church is the safest place in the community.

06

To the Community

Demonstrating your duty of care for the church and leadership.

08

To the Church

A Ministry of Safety

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If children are abused outside the Church, they question the existence of God.

If children are abused within the Church, this becomes their view of God.

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Teach your church that any form of abuse is NEVER acceptable to God, no matter who does it or how important the abuse is. Call people to holiness in all the corners of their lives.

Diane Langberg

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“Plan to Protect® is not about us not trusting you, it’s about our community trusting us.”

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Does your standard of protection reflect your vision?

Vision

Does your standard of protection reflect our mission?

Mission

Does your standard of protection reflect your vision and mission?

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The Highest Standard of Protection

Customized written policy
Definition of abuse
Screening of volunteers and staff
Training of volunteers and staff
Modify the premises
Organizational procedures including permanent documentation of information
Reporting and response

We Mirror Insurance Company Requirements

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Written Policy

Formally approved, implemented and periodically reviewed under the direction of the board

Commitment to providing a safe environment

Declare zero tolerance for abuse, harassment and neglect

Clearly state the purpose of the policy

Prevent harm to those who are vulnerable

Protect staff and volunteers from false or wrongful accusations

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Written Policy

Define acceptable interactions between staff / volunteers and children / youth / vulnerable adults including electronic communications

Communicated and distributed in written format as well as orally to staff and volunteers

Requires volunteers and staff to sign a Covenant of Care indicating they will cooperate fully with the policies

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Policies – �Your Role

You have been provided a customized Plan to Protect® policy and procedure handbook

The Plan to Protect® manual and team can help you!
Legal Counsel Review
Board Approval

Once You Have Completed It

Your role will be to review and revise the handbook with additional changes

Maintain Your Policies!

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Definitions and Categories of Abuse

Your Role!

Incorporate types of abuse, definitions, indicators in your policies and training

Five Types of Abuse

Physical
Sexual
Emotional
Neglect
Spiritual

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10 Steps of Screening

1. Determine the Risk

2. A Position Description

3. Recruitment Process

4. Application

5. Interviews

6. References

7. Criminal Record Check

8. Training

9. Approval

10. Supervise and Evaluate

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Screening: �Your Role!

Prepare position descriptions for each staff and volunteer role
Confirm you have an employee and volunteer personnel file for each individual
Develop a detailed screening process map
Keep documentation permanently

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“Screening volunteers and staff does not mean we don’t trust you, rather we want our community to trust us.”

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At Plan to Protect^® our recommendation is that your organization adopt a broad and inclusive definition of a “Person in a Position of Trust.” I like to think of a lost child, who in your services or on your teams would that child see as an individual whom they should/could trust?

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Operational Procedures

Your procedures included in your customized handbook for summarizing your organizations specific guidelines for mitigating risk

What Are They?

Document your procedures. The manual and Plan to Protect® team can help you.
Ensure they reflect your organization
Only include those that are relevant, but know the manual contains many more examples that you can add when needed

Your Role!

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Sample Procedures

Off-site trips

Registration & Attendance

Transportation

Social Media

Two person

Communication

Documentation Management

Washroom Guidelines

Classroom Management

Appropriate Touch

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Premise Modification

Clear sight lines into every classroom

Hall monitors, randomly visiting classrooms and washrooms

Controlled access / entry for your children

Ensure adequate lighting inside and outside of building

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Premise Modification

Appropriate design of washroom and shower facilities and/or adequate supervision of washroom breaks

Locking rooms and closets when not in use during children’s programs

Mechanism / tool for feedback from constituents to report areas of concern of malfunction

Annual walkthroughs of the facility from a safeguarding perspective, adding locks, windows or mirrors as needed

What’s your role?

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Safeguarding Training

All staff members and volunteers who regularly work with the vulnerable should be thoroughly trained for their roles in safeguarding

Who Gets Trained?

Scheduled training
Circulation of handbooks, policies, and pocket guides containing the organizations policies and procedures
Recording attendance
Certified and knowledgeable trainers and supervisors

What Are Some Best Practices?

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Safeguarding Training

Initial orientation training (2 hours)
Annual refresher training (1 hour)

How Long Should a Training Be?

Awareness of abuse (definitions, indicators)
Insurance standards
Legal requirements (reporting and response)
Risk identification and mitigation
Protection procedures
Organizational policies
Documentation management

What Needs to be Included?

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Training – Your Role

Self-paced online training
Onsite training with a Plan to Protect® trainer
LIVE online training
A certified in-house trainer

Identify the Delivery Method

Train the Trainer Level 1 – Orientation
Train the Trainer Level 2 – Refresher
Train the Trainer Evergreen – Keeping the content fresh

We Recommend our Train the Trainer Course

Schedule trainings annually & keep a record!

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The duty to report is the most important law in Canada regarding child protection.

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Nehemiah 9:27

But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

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Reporting and Response

Completing incident report forms

Satisfying statutory legal obligations including police authorities and/or child protective agencies

Consulting a lawyer for advice

Initiate a whistle blower policy and offender’s policy

Expressing concern to the complainant and their families, assuring them of your commitment in assisting the investigation

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Reporting and Response

Assuring confidentiality for both the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator

Immediately suspending the alleged perpetrator from duties without presuming guilt, pending outcome of police investigation

Avoiding public statement to individuals, the media or from the pulpit, without obtaining legal counsel

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Reporting and Response

Contacting your insurance agent or broker to report the incident in order to satisfy the statutory conditions of your liability policy and to avoid jeopardizing any available coverage response

Insure you respond with trauma-informed care when responding to reports

Appointing a trauma-informed victim advocate

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Reporting and Response – Your Role

Take every report seriously

Support mandatory duty to report

Document all suspicions/indicators of abuse and reports of abuse. Do not influence what is written on the report

Immediately call Child and Family Services for all allegations/disclosures of abuse

Post report – develop a care plan for the students involved

Support the reporter

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Katie and Kellie

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Thank You

Questions

www.plantoprotecte.com

1-877-455-3555

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