research and implement the best practices of Children's Ministry safety and ... will have people to call on when they're
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10 Essential Children’s Ministry Safety Best Practices Vanderbloemen Search Group
Your church members and visitors feel comfortable leaving their children in the hands of your Children’s Ministry staff and volunteers, and why wouldn’t they? Church is supposed to be a safe place full of good people, right? Ideally, yes. But even in environments filled with people you love and trust, the feeling of familiarity can make you overlook the possibility of unwanted accidents and incidents that could potentially harm the children entrusted to you in your Kids Ministry. Whether you’re the Senior Pastor of a church, a Children’s Ministry Director, a KidMin Volunteer, or a parent of young children, your church’s track record of keeping kids safe needs to be squeaky-clean. In order to do everything in your power to prevent the possibility of accidents and mishaps, it’s necessary to research and implement the best practices of Children’s Ministry safety and preparedness. To protect your kiddos and help build healthy Family Ministries at your church, here are ten essential child safety practices:
1. Equip. You wouldn’t put someone on stage to lead worship if they’ve only ever played tuba in a marching band. Just like being a musician doesn’t make you a Worship Leader, having experience with kids doesn’t make you a Children’s Pastor. Have an established process in place for vetting and training new Children’s Ministry hires and volunteers. Your KidMin staff members and volunteers need training in basic First Aid, child protection practices, emergency preparedness, your church’s check in/check out protocols, any age-specific or ability-specific care, and the materials and methods for instruction being used.
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2. Rotate Volunteers. You need more than just one or two adult volunteers for each Sunday school class and nursery room. Make sure you have an adequate amount of adults to children in each age group. I know things happen at the last minute; your trusty volunteers may get sick or decide to take a spontaneous vacation on Friday night, leaving one of your KidMin classrooms unattended for the upcoming weekend. But if you have a slew of properly trained and vetted volunteers, you will have people to call on when they’re needed unexpectedly instead of wrangling the first willing (and untrained) person you find.
3. Background Check Everyone. And I do mean everyone. Your church should be running official criminal checks on every man, woman, and teenager who works on staff, volunteers, or interacts with the kids in your Children’s Ministry. Keep the background checks on file and get them updated routinely. Also, have a protocol in place for if a background check comes back with information that may disqualify someone from helping with the Children’s Ministry (this will rarely happen, but it will protect you from legal action if you have policies in place beforehand). In this protocol, write out a script template for how to engage those hard conversations and include your church’s written Children’s Ministry policies and a list of non-negotiable “disqualifiers" from helping with KidMin.
4. Establish “Potty-Time” Rules. Not having established bathroom protocol and rules could allow for a lot of confusion and potentially uncomfortable situations for both your volunteers and your kids in your care (especially if your volunteers have never been parents themselves). Encourage the children to do as much for themselves as they are capable of (i.e. undressing, wiping, flushing, etc.). It’s not only good form, it also teaches the kids good habits and boundaries.
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! When taking a potty-trained child to the restroom, there should always be at least two volunteers that go with them. Ideally, each room of kids should have at least two childcare workers with the rest of the kids as well, which brings me to my next best practice.
5. Assign Floaters. Have at least two designated volunteers whose only assignment is to go roomto-room and check on volunteers. These people can relieve adults who need to tend to emergencies, take a child to the restroom, find a parent, or assist with a messy clean-up or replenishing resources. I’ve been at churches from 200 to 4,000, and this rule of thumbs works for every size church.
6. Install Dutch Doors. I never understood why so many nurseries have doors that are cut in half and unlatch separately until the day that a parent showed up at the nursery room I was working and we couldn’t find their kiddo. He had toddled out amongst all the caring adults and was already wobbling down the hall when we realized he had escaped. Luckily, he didn’t get far and was reunited with his parents immediately, but the situation could have had disastrous consequences had the child wandered farther or been kidnapped or injured. This is just one example of why your church should install Dutch doors. Once you do, always keep the bottom door latched and pass small children (walkers up to 1st grade) over the door to their guardians. This prevents general anarchy as children trample each other to get to their parents and it also keeps children from running free and getting lost or hurt.
7. Check In / Check Out Security. Check in and check out security and organization is vital for any Children’s Ministry. You can easily print matching identification tags using sticky label sheets and an excel spreadsheet. Print them in pairs and put one on the child’s shirt back and give one to the parent. You can also write phone number and
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! names on the stickers in case a parent needs to be contacted to come get their child during the worship service or event. This is an especially important practice for churches with large Children’s Ministries. We never think that someone at church would try to take a child that is not theirs, but if someone wants to kidnap a child, where would they go? To where kids are accessible and parents are unsuspecting, of course. This system also protects children who may have strict custody regulations. The matching sticker system requires an adult to prove that the child in question belongs with them. The rule is you can’t claim your kiddo if you don’t have the matching sticker. It is best to enforce this rule universally even when you are extremely familiar with some families, this way no one feels singled out and everyone is equally protected and cared for. If your church is tech savvy, you might want to consider using an application like Kid Check, Planning Center, or Church Community Builder.
8. Practice Emergency Preparedness. Every childcare room should be equipped with a first aid kit, disinfectant, and children’s Benadryl (for emergency allergic reactions when no epi-pen is available). Volunteers need to know where fire extinguishers and exit plans are, have access to first aid, and have immediate access to a phone and water source. Additionally, keep a list of children with food allergies posted somewhere and send routine reminders to staff and volunteers of any medical conditions to be aware of. Have lists of parents’ and emergency phone numbers easily accessible. If addition to having all of these resources handy at every moment, make sure your volunteers are regularly trained on what to do in case of any type of emergency – where the exit plans are, how to handle a medical emergency, who knows CPR, who to call in each situation (and in what order to call them), etc.
9. Spot Abuse.
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! I highly recommend requiring a training seminar for all staff (even nonChildren’s Ministry staff) and regular volunteers about how to spot physical and sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is particularly easy to overlook and presents itself through peculiar behaviors. Also, make sure your staff and volunteers know who to go to if they suspect any child is suffering from physical or sexual abuse. There are many private agencies that offer these seminars and awareness certifications. Darkness to Light has great resources and training on child sexual abuse prevention and awareness. No matter the cost, if it spares one child from the pain of enduring abuse, the worth is invaluable. I can’t think of a better way to show a child the character of God than to see them and shelter them when no one else can or will. We can only do that if we know the signs of physical and sexual abuse.
10. Mandatory Reporting. Many people do not know that childcare workers and clergy are mandated reporters of child abuse. In 27 states, clergy are mandated by federal law to report any suspected child abuse to law enforcement or family services. Failure to report suspected abuse, if substantiated, is considered illegal for mandated reporters and can result in charges or legal action being taken against the professional. As mentioned, there should be an established channel for reporting suspected child abuse from the volunteer up to the Director of Children’s or Family Ministry, and this person must report a credible suspicion to DFACS or a police officer. All reports may be made confidentially. If you are a Children’s Minister and you do not know how to report abuse, please schedule a time in the next two weeks to do research or enroll in training. It is vital that we know what to look for and how to respond when a child is being hurt. As a former social worker, I know what a difference it makes when the community is on the look out for the welfare of its children. Understanding that many feel guilt for reporting suspected abuse to authorities and potentially disrupting family life, it is important that you remember that just because a child is experiencing abuse doesn’t mean it is at the hands of a parent. Reporting abuse is best for everyone because a child may be taken advantage of by another adult without his or her parents knowing. Click here for more information on mandated reporting.
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! The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453) Children’s Ministry staff and volunteers are the growth engine of the church, as a happy and safe child keeps parents engaged in the church. Use these best practices to help ensure that your Children’s Ministry is set up for long-term health and growth.
_________________________ Vanderbloemen Search Group is a retained executive search firm that helps churches and faith-based organizations find great staff. For more insights on helping you build and maximize your staff, visit our blog.
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