A. Church Personnel
For the purposes of this policy, the following are included in the definition of Church Personnel when they are functioning in their respective roles for the church:
- All clergy whether stipendiary, non-stipendiary, or otherwise who are engaged in ministry or service to the church.
- All paid personnel whether employed in areas of ministry or other kinds of services by the diocese, its congregations, schools or other agencies. For example, Camp Cross.
- Those who contract their services to the diocese, its congregations, schools or other agencies.
- Volunteers, including any person who enters into or offers him or herself for a church related service, or who actually assists with or performs a service, whether or not they have been selected or assigned to do so. Volunteers include members of advisory boards, vestries, Bishop’s Committees, and boards of directors. For example, Eucharistic Visitors.
B. Children and vulnerable adults
By law, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years. For the purposes of this policy, a child is under the age of 12 and a youth is a child generally 12 or older and younger than 18. Child or youth also includes an individual who is 18 years or older, but is still in high school.
A vulnerable adult is defined as anyone 18 years or older who, because of impairment of mental or physical function or emotional status, is unable or unlikely to report abuse or neglect without assistance.
C. Regularly or Occasionally Work With or Around Children or Vulnerable Adults
For the purpose of this policy, the following are included in the definition of Church Personnel who Regularly Work With or Around Children, Youth or Vulnerable Adults.
- All clergy whether stipendiary, non-stipendiary, or otherwise who are engaged in ministry or service to the church.
- All paid personnel.
- All persons who supervise or assist with supervising children, other than church school teachers, in ministries, programs or activities more often than occasionally.
- All persons whose ministries of pastoral care take place in people’s homes and hospital or nursing home rooms more often than occasionally.
- All persons who provide transportation to children or vulnerable adults without other adults in the vehicle more often than occasionally.
- Any paid personnel whose living quarters are on the grounds of the church, school or other related agency.
- All vestry members or other members of similar decision-making groups who have the authority to approve the creation of ministries, programs or activities for children or vulnerable adults.
Examples of Church Personnel who Regularly Work With or Around Children, Youth or Vulnerable Adults include, but are not limited to:
- Children’s choir directors
- Organists who work with children or youth
- Lay youth ministers
- Volunteer youth directors
- Eucharistic Visitors
- Members of a pastoral visiting team who visit more than four times a year
- All Church Personnel who work or assist in the nursery more than four times a year
- All Church Personnel who work in the nursery if they are the only person over 21 present at any time
- All staff, whether volunteer or paid, at church camps
- Adults who participate in overnight activities with children or youth more than twice a year
For the purpose of this policy, the following are included in the definition of Church Personnel who Occasionally Work With or Around Children, Youth or Vulnerable Adults:
- Church school teachers.
- All persons who supervise or assist with supervising children or youth in ministries, programs or activities infrequently, generally no more than three times a year or for one program or activity during a year that lasts less than a month (i.e. assisting with preparation for the Christmas pageant, or teaching one “unit” of Church School for a month).
- All persons who provide transportation to children or youth without other adults in the vehicle infrequently, generally no more than three times a year.
- All persons who work or assist in the nursery four or fewer times a year, whether on an emergency basis or otherwise.
- Adults who participate in overnight activities with children or youth once or twice a year.
D. Types of Abuse
- Physical abuse is non-accidental injury, which is intentionally inflicted upon a person.
- Sexual abuse perpetrated by an adult is any contact or activity of a sexual nature that occurs between an adult and a child, youth, or vulnerable adult.
- This includes any activity, which is meant to arouse or gratify the sexual desires of the adult, child, youth, or vulnerable adult.
- Sexual abuse includes any contact or activity of a sexual nature that occurs between two people when there is no consent, when consent is not possible, or when one person has power over the other. This includes any activity which is meant to arouse or gratify the sexual desires of any another person.
- Emotional abuse is mental or emotional injury to person that results in an observable and material impairment in a person’s growth, development or psychological functioning.
- Neglect is the failure to provide for a child, youth, or vulnerable adult’s basic needs or the failure to protect a child, youth, or vulnerable adult from harm.
- Economic exploitation is the deliberate misplacement, exploitation, or wrongful temporary or permanent use of a person’s belongings or money.
E. Additional Definitions
Adjudication – the action of issuing a decision or judgment.
Advocate – one who has been specially trained to understand, support and help people who have survived violent and abusive situation. Advocates can offer assistance in understanding legal and canonical processes as well as provide referrals to a variety of support systems.
Affiliated function – an activity associated with service in the diocese.
Allegation – an assertion or statement yet to be proved.
Any person of the Diocese of Spokane – any person who is a member of or employed by the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Spokane.
Canonical – conforming with or ordered by canon law.
Cleric – a member of the clergy.
DCFS – Department of Child and Family Services or Division of Children and Family Services. The child protection unit of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
DSHS – Department of Social and Health Services. The child protection department in Washington state.
Diaconal – of or concerning a deacon.
HOPE Center – an agency licensed by DSHS to provide temporary residential placement and other services to street youth.
Jurisdiction – the legal power to administer and enforce the law; the exercising of this power; the region within which this power is valid or in which a person has authority.
Litigation – the action of contesting a law.
Mandated reporter – any individual who is required by state law to report suspected child abuse and/or neglect to the proper authority in his/her state.
Mentor – an experienced and trusted friend and adviser.
Postulant – one who is in an early stage in the process towards ordination.
Presentment – the formal statement of a matter to be dealt with that is to be presented to the appropriate authority.
Referral – the transfer for the attention or action of someone else.
Seductive – tempting; leading aside or away.
Sexual harassment – a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual misconduct – a general term that includes sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual harassment. With a minor, sexual misconduct includes sexual molestation or sexual exploitation of a minor and other behavior by which an adult uses a minor as an object of sexual gratification.
Statute – a law passed by a legislative body and formally placed on record in a written or printed form; the written or printed record of this law.
Statutory – of or relating to or having the nature of a statute or statutes; conforming to a statute; established by a statute; (of an offense) declared by statute to be an offense and therefore legally punishable.