Creating Sexually Safer Congregations
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Training Description
A prevention plan for sexual abuse within congregations is necessary to create a safe environment. This training will review how to create a prevention plan which includes a code of conduct that details what behavior is and is not allowed within the congregation, as well as how to report abuse. Having a prevention plan will assist a congregation in being proactive should sexual abuse take place, as well as to use past violations involving sexual misbehavior as learning experiences.
Trainer Biography
Debra W. Haffner, MPH, MDiv is Co-founder and President of Religious Institute, Inc. A sexologist and ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she is the endorsed community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut. In collaboration with the New England Adolescent Research Institute (NEARI), Rev. Haffner developed a course entitled Balancing Acts that is designed to train ministers and other religious professionals in how to keep children and youth safe from sexual abuse. She works frequently with congregations who are struggling with including sex offenders in their congregations, and she addresses the concerns faith communities face when discerning how to discern appropriate involvement for these individuals. It suggests the formation of a "limited access agreement" to determine what activities the individual may participate in and suggests rules and guidelines to prevent the occurrence of future abuse.
Learning Objectives
This training is designed to help you:
- Develop a prevention plan to prevent a sexual abuse crisis within congregations
- List appropriate and inappropriate behaviors within the congregation to avoid a crisis
- Build an open community where past violations are used as learning experiences