a) General
It is the policy of the Diocese of Spokane that sexual abuse (sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, sexual misconduct) of any kind by any person of the Diocese of Spokane (volunteer, paid, lay or ordained) will not be tolerated, regardless of the jurisdiction in which a person carries out their work or ministry.
In relationships of trust, whether with children or adults, care must be exercised to avoid taking advantage of trust, or abusing a situation of responsibility and caring. Clergy and other Church workers need to recognize the unique dynamics of these relationships and the potential for harm and abuse. Vulnerabilities are exposed, and the very strengths of these relationships, namely the expression of care and love, can easily take on inappropriate forms.
In particular:
- Appropriate boundaries are to be respected and maintained by all clergy and other professionals in the service of the Diocese in every pastoral and counseling situation. The support and/or pastoral care function creates a specific relationship of trust. Exploitation of this trust through sexual activity, or touching for sexual purposes, or the suggestions or depiction of any such activity, will not be tolerated.
- Clergy, staff and volunteers are expected to maintain the ethical standards in all their relationships with those for whom they have responsibility. These standards shall apply whether in the service or employ of the Diocese, any of its parishes, or any affiliated function.
- In a pastoral or counseling relationship, all forms of sexual behavior or harassment are unethical, even when a recipient of care invites or consents to such behavior or involvement. Sexual behavior is defined as, but not limited to, all forms of overt and covert seductive speech, gestures and behavior as well as physical contact of a sexual nature; harassment is defined as but not limited to repeated comments, gestures or physical contacts of a sexual nature.
- We recognize that the relationship between the support counselor or pastoral care provider and their recipient involves a power imbalance, the residual effects of which are operative following the termination of a professional relationship. Therefore, all sexual behavior or harassment with former recipients of care is unethical.
- Sexual abuse (sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, sexual misconduct or sexual assault) of a child by any person of the Diocese of Spokane (volunteer, paid, lay or ordained) will not be tolerated, and must be reported immediately. No notion of pastoral confidence shall interfere with this requirement
b) Training
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training:
- Three hours of child abuse prevention education and training is required for all Church Personnel who Regularly Work With or Around Children, Youth, or Vulnerable Adults before they start their work with children, youth, or vulnerable adults or, if that is not possible, one hour of child abuse awareness training before they start their work and the rest of the training within three months of starting.
- One hour of child abuse awareness education and training is required for all Church Personnel who Occasionally Work With or Around Children, Youth, or Vulnerable Adults before they start their work with children, youth, or vulnerable adults.
- Church Personnel who are responsible for screening, selection and supervision of others in programs for children and youth are encouraged to complete specialized education and training in screening, selection and monitoring.
Adult Sexual Abuse Prevention Training
A minimum of four hours of initial training on issues of sexual harassment in employment, mentor and colleague relationships and sexual exploitation in pastoral relationships will be required of all clergy and paid personnel in program ministries. Although other paid personnel are not required to attend the adult sexual abuse prevention training, it is encouraged for all paid personnel in the diocese. The training is also strongly encouraged for wardens of the congregations.
c) Screening and Selection
- All clergy, employees and volunteers who will be regularly working with or around children, youth, or vulnerable adults shall:
- Submit a written application that includes an authorization for the release of information to conduct background checks and the Code of Conduct (Appendix G).
- Be interviewed
- Be known to the clergy or congregation for at least six months
- Agree to a criminal records check (see Appendices H and I for the proper procedures for criminal records checks)
- Agree to a sexual offender registry check
- Provide a minimum of 2 outside references
- It is also strongly recommended that all Church Personnel who will be occasionally working with or around children, youth, or vulnerable adults:
- Submit a written application that includes an authorization for the release of information to conduct background checks and the Code of Conduct (Appendix G).
- Be interviewed.
- Be known to the clergy or congregation for at least six months.
- Agree to a criminal records check (see Appendices H and I for the proper procedures for criminal records checks)
- Agree to a sexual offender registry check.
- Church school teachers who work with children exclusively during public church school hours and in physical spaces where other adults routinely are present would be exempt from this requirement, although many parishes may wish to engage in the above screening and selection process.
- All information gathered about an applicant will be carefully reviewed and evaluated to make a determination, in consultation with others as necessary, of whether or not the person is appropriate to work with children or youth.
- Church Personnel who work with or around children or youth must have a personnel file that is kept where other church records are kept.
- It is recommended that criminal records checks and sexual offender registry checks be conducted every five (5) years for Church Personnel who Regularly Work With or Around Children or Youth.
- Church Personnel who transfer within the Diocese of Spokane and apply for or are asked to or who do undertake a position working with or around children or youth are required to undergo the same screening and selection process in Section A above. This requirement may be met through a transfer of a copy of their personnel file to the new congregation, school, agency, or program together with completion of a new application, individual interview and reference checks with the congregations, schools, agencies or other programs for which the applicant has worked with or around children or youth since the screening was last done as shown in the applicant’s personnel file.
d) Employment by or transfer to other dioceses
No priest or deacon of this diocese with a record of sexual abuse will be transferred to a ministerial position in another diocese. The Bishop will notify local ordinaries of other dioceses concerning the status of priests/deacons of the Diocese of Spokane who reside in other dioceses. If the Diocese learns that a (former) employee, seminarian, or volunteer with a record of sexual abuse is seeking ministerial placement elsewhere, the Bishop of Spokane will immediately notify the Ordinary or ecclesiastical authority of the facts and circumstances in this Diocese. This information will be disclosed to others making legitimate inquiry.
e) Knowledge of Diocesan Policies and Procedures on Sexual Ethics in Conduct and Ministry
The Diocese of Spokane will use reasonable efforts to obtain and keep on file signed statements by all of its clergy, volunteers who regularly supervise youth activities, vestry members and employees that each such party has received the diocesan policies and procedures and understands the contents.