New River Community Church of God holds a trusted place in the community, and is involved with both children and young people. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the well-being of every person in our community, of whatever age. We believe it is important that each of us prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of every member of our community, and particularly those most vulnerable, including children and young people. As the people of New River Community Church of God we are concerned with the wholeness of each individual within God's purpose for everyone. We seek to safeguard all members of the church community, of all ages. It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children and young people. It is the duty of a person working with children and young people to prevent abuse and report any abuse discovered or suspected.
1. It is therefore a requirement of all those who work with children and young people, under the auspices of New River Community Church of God, that they agree to a criminal history background check, to prevent harm and abuse of any and every kind, and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.
2. Churches can significantly reduce their risk of legal liability for negligent selection (and the likelihood that an incident of abuse or molestation will occur) by having every applicant for youth work (volunteer or compensated) complete a “screening application.” At a minimum, the application should ask for the applicant’s name and address, the names of other youth-serving organizations in which the applicant has worked as an employee or volunteer, a criminal record check, a full explanation of any prior criminal convictions, and the names of two or more references. The application should be completed by every applicant for any position involving the custody or supervision of minors. The application should also be completed by current employees or volunteers having custody or supervision over minors.
3. Ensure that every situation involving minors includes two adults. This minimizes the opportunity for anything harmful to happen to a child or a false allegation of abuse from a child.
4. Make paid and volunteer appointments conditional on the successful completion of a probationary period.