The policy for Safe Environments and the Protection of Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults acknowledges the need to provide safe pastoral environments and protect those most vulnerable in our parish communities.

It establishes best practices not only to protect those to whom we minister, especially children, youth and vulnerable adults, but also to ensure the integrity, safety and reputation of those who minister, namely, clergy, religious, staff and church volunteers, and the ministries they provide.

Together, we can better promote wholeness, accountability, trust and care within the Church by fulfilling our spiritual, ethical, moral, and legal responsibilities.

Screening and Training

Volunteer and Employee Screening

All parish and eparchial individuals providing ministry, including all clergy, religious, seminarians, laity, employees and volunteers, will undergo volunteer and employee screening according to eparchial procedures to determine their suitability for ministry and/or employment.  This is to ensure current and new volunteers and employees meet set standards and to ensure that ministries, programs and activities are managed in a safe and professional way. 

Screening checks (police record checks) include information that is available to police services at the time the check is being processed. There is no guarantee that the information will still be accurate and complete within a few months, weeks, or even days. For this reason, applicants may be asked to repeat the process when seeking new positions or when seeking a move to existing positions that they do not currently hold.

Safe Environment Training

All parish and eparchial individuals providing ministry, including all clergy, religious, seminarians, laity, employees, and volunteers, will undergo Safe Environment Training as required by their ministry and/or employment.

Safe Environment Training teaches us how to identify abuse, not only in our Church, but also in our families and communities, and sets standards of appropriate behaviour within the Church so that inappropriate behaviour is easily noticeable and can be addressed immediately.  It also teaches us when and how to report abuse to church and civil authorities.

Requirements 

All parish and eparchial individuals providing ministry, including all clergy, religious, seminarians, laity, employees and volunteers will:

1. 1.  Complete a Police Record Check
   2.  Complete the online safe environments training modules
   3.  Complete the Ministry Suitability Form
   4.  Read the Sexual Abuse Policy of the Eparchy of New Westminster
   5.  Sign the Code of Conduct