Sacred

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Sacred Safe

• The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
• Safe Environment Formation Programfor Children
  Youth in Grades K-12

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History Rationale for Sacred Safe

• USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and
  Young People, 2002 ARTICLE 12.
  Dioceses/eparchies are to maintain safe
  environment programs which the
  diocesan/eparchial bishop deems to be in accord
  with Catholic moral principles. They are to be
  conducted cooperatively with parents, civil
  authorities, educators, and community
  organizations to provide education and training
  for children, youth, parents, ministers,
  educators, volunteers, and others about ways to
  make and maintain a safe environment for children
  and young people.

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Archdiocesan response

• In 2003, VIRTUS - a safe environment program for
  all adults, 18 years old, maintaining regular
  contact with children in our parishes/Catholic
  schools provides adults with the tools to
  maintain a safe environment and help protect
  children from sexual abuse.
• 2010, Jeremiah 17 - a program for high school
  age youth who regularly assist adults ministering
  to children under the age of 18 provides high
  school age youth with age appropriate knowledge
  and skills needed to foster a safe environment
  with the children whom they serve.
• 2011, Sacred Safe - a program which provides
  faith-based safe environment lessons for children
  and youth in K-12th grades. Includes one
  grade-specific lesson each year to help children
  and youth develop the skills to protect
  themselves from sexual abuse.

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A Human Response A Christian Response

• Discussing sexual abuse often makes people feel
  uncomfortable. It touches that which damages the
  very essence of the dignity and sacredness of the
  human person.
• Helping the most vulnerable is at the heart of
  the Christian mission (John 2540)

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Safe Sacred

• A directive from Cardinal DiNardo for all
  parishes to implement this program

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Sacred Safe A faith-based perspective

• God created the human person as good and holy
• God loves people and wants them to be safe and
  feel secure
• Every person has the right and responsibility to
  care for themselves
• Words and touch can be loving or harmful
• God wants people to make loving choices
• Children can learn to distinguish between persons
  who provide a genuine sense of safety and those
  who want to sexually abuse them through trickery
• Children can learn to distinguish between loving
  and harmful words and touch
• Children can learn how to protect themselves from
  sexual abuse
• Love is experienced in the context of the family
  and community of faith

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Prayer

• Leader Our Creator lovingly made each of us in
  His image and likeness. We are all adopted
  children of God in Jesus Christ. We are called to
  celebrate this goodness by treating one another
  with respect. God wants us to be free from fear
  and harm. God calls us as children of the Light
  to care for ourselves and for the least of His
  people, especially children and the most
  vulnerable among us. God calls us to be vigilant
  from the darkness that would rob human beings of
  their full dignity especially those who would
  sexually abuse others. Let us listen to Gods
  Word as we are reminded of who we are and what we
  are called to do.

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Prayer

• Reader Ephesians 56-14
• Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for
  because
• of these things the wrath of God is coming upon
  the
• disobedient. So do not be associated with them.
  For you
• were once darkness, but now you are light in the
  Lord. Live
• as children of light, for light produces every
  kind of goodness
• and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what
  is pleasing to
• the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of
  darkness
• rather expose them, for it is shameful even to
  mention the
• things done by them in secret but everything
  exposed by the
• light becomes visible, for everything that
  becomes visible is
• light. Therefore, it says "Awake, O sleeper, and
  arise from the
• dead, and Christ will give you light.

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Prayer

• Everyone Lord, God, made in your image, we only
  want to do what is pleasing to you. Give us the
  Spirit of wisdom to distinguish between truth and
  falsehood and the courage and love to speak out
  when we see injustice.
• Give us the Spirit of understanding that we might
  be mindful of the tender hearts of the children
  and youth that we serve. Help us to have the
  Spirit of right judgment to know when to confront
  the injustice of abuse and the Spirit of courage
  to do so. Let the power of the Holy Spirit
  strengthen us to be good examples for the young
  and a loving support for all those who are hurt
  by sexual abuse. Help us to be beacons of your
  light so that truth and love might reign supreme.
  We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
  Amen.

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Training

• The objectives of formation include
• Examine the reality of sexual abuse and the
  vulnerability of children and youth to
  perpetrators of sexual abuse
• Develop pastoral skills to respond to reports of
  alleged sexual abuse by children and youth.
• Provide implementation plan involving parents.
• Develop a parish plan for reporting attendance to
  the Safe Environment Office.

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Overview on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention

• Primary objective of Sacred Safe that no child
  ever experience
• the trauma of sexual abuse to enable children to
  experience
• their true dignity as sons and daughters of God.
• Target a shared, concerted effort within the
  Christian community
• Parents as Primary Educators
• Children as learners
• Church as support
• Approach
• Through policies and procedures which foster safe
  environments for children, and
• Education which provides the necessary skills and
  resources to safeguard their well-being from
  sexual abuse.

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Reality of Child Sexual Abuse
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Statistics of child sexual abuse

• 95 of victims know their perpetrators
• 1.3 million children are sexually abused every
  year
• 20 of children under age 8 are sexually abused
• 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually on the
  Internet
• 9 is the median age when child abuse is reported
• 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused
  before the age of 18
• An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood
  sexual abuse exist today in the USA
• 44 of all rape victims are under the age of 18
• 50 of teenage rapes go unreported
• Only 33 of abused 13-18 years admit to be
  sexually abused
• Sexual abuse is an act of violence that effects
  every gender, race, culture, faith, and
  socioeconomic class
• 68 of teen mothers have been sexually abused
  Statistics from Beyond the
  Bruises, Sherri Mabry Gordon

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The faces of child sexual abuse

• Excessive crying
• Sleep eating disorders
• Inability to concentrate anxiety disorders
• Role confusion
• Drugs, alcohol problems
• Urinary, bowel, genital problems
• STDs

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The faces of child sexual abuse

• Poor self image
• Inability to form stable relationships
• Depression
• Suicide

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The faces of child sexual abuse
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The faces of child sexual abuse
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How Sexual Abuse HappensA Covert Operation

• Key Dynamics
• Power
• Secrecy
• Grooming

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Three Tactics of Sexual Perpetrators

• Power control
• Secrecy intimidation, manipulation, fear
• Grooming process of building trust

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Warning signs of sexual predators
Red Flags

• Adults who
• Prefer the company of children and youth to
  adults.
• Hang out with youth in youth-oriented places,
  such as coffee shops, malls, etc.
• Find ways to spend time alone with a child or
  youth, especially overnight
• Provide gifts, trips, favors, or affection to a
  specific child/youth or select group of youth.
• Hugs, pats, or touches youth more frequently than
  is appropriate.
• Provide items of interest (e.g. video games) to
  children/youth and invite them to make use of
  them in private locations
• Insist that children/youth share deep personal
  feelings with him or her.

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3-part approach to protection against sexual
abuse
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3 realms of protection against sexual abuse

• 1. Communal collaborative effort with parents to
  help children guard against and respond to
  attempts at sexual abuse
• 2. Disclosure Prevention Skills defeat
  secrecy empower against abuse
• 3. Raising a sexually healthy child

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Sacred SafeLesson Plans

• Three options
• Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Sacred Safe,
  K-12 grade specific lessons
• Archdiocese of New York Catholic Community
  Right, Safe, Good Relationships Sexual Abuse
  Awareness Training
• RCL-Benziger Family Life Program, K-8 grade
  program

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Option One Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Sacred Safe, K-12th grade specific lessons

• Key components
• 1 lesson each year (K-12th grade) separate from
  regular catechetical lesson
• Lesson Length K-8th (60 min) 9-12th (90 min)
• Faith-based objectives content
• Opening closing prayer
• Skills for prevention
• User-friendly directive lesson
• Suggested timeline for each component of the
  lesson
• Handouts for each lesson

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Primary Learning Objectives

• Primary Grades (K-2nd grades)
• Objectives To help children distinguish the
  difference between good and bad (appropriate or
  inappropriate) touch. To affirm a childs right
  to say no to an adult who makes them feel
  uncomfortable.
• 1. Examine kinds of touch and a childs right to
  privacy
• 2. Develop skills to avoid bad touch
• Middle Grades (3-5th grades)
• Objectives To help children recognize the lures
  used by those who sexually victimize children. To
  offer children strategies for keeping them from
  being tricked into uncomfortable and dangerous
  situations
• 1. Examine people who provide a sense of safety
  and well-being
• 2. Identify lures or tricks which manipulate or
  use people3. Develop responses to lures or
  tricks which foster personal safety

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Primary Learning Objectives

• Junior High (6th-8th grades)
• Objective To help youth recognize lures or
  tricks by those who sexually
• victimize others via the anonymity of the
  Internet. To develop skills to avoid
• being victimized by internet predators.
• 1. Maintaining safety awareness when having fun
• 2. Identify lures or tricks that sexual predators
  use to harm children
• 3. Create rules for internet safety
• High school (9-12th grades)
• Objective To help teens set appropriate
  boundaries in their relationships with
• both adults and peers. To develop skills for
  addressing situations where
• boundaries are compromised or violated.
• 1. Know how to distinguish between healthy and
  unhealthy characteristics in
• relationships
• 2. Recognize how boundaries maintain healthy
  relationships
• 3. Develop refusal and assertiveness skills for
  safeguarding boundaries

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Option One Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Sacred Safe, K-12 grade specific lessons

• Each grade parent take-home resource to
  reinforce lesson with practical tips
• Always give resource directly to parent
• Never give the resource to the child to take home
• Language used for anatomy no explicit mention of
  genitalia except in parent take-home resource
• Language should reflect private parts or parts
  of the body covered by a bathing (swim) suit

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Option TwoArchdiocese of New York Catholic
Community Right, Safe, Good Relationships

• Key components
• 1 lesson each year (K-12th grade) Catechist
  adapts 1 of 4 age appropriate sexual abuse
  prevention lessons with a theme from the regular
  catechetical lesson (e.g. The Good Shepherd cares
  for his flock the Holy Familys love Penance as
  a sacrament of healing forgiveness)
• 4 Faith-based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
  Lessons
• Primary (K-2nd grade)
• Middle (3-5th grade)
• Junior High (6-8th grade)
• Senior High (9-12th grade)
• Resource provides correlation between child
  sexual abuse prevention lesson and grade-specific
  catechetical themes

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Pastoral Care Legal Issues

• Responding to childrens disclosure
• of abuse

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Pastoral Care Legal Issues when responding to
childrens disclosure of abuse

• Key questions that arise when a child approaches
  an adult to disclose sexual abuse
• What should I do?
• How do I respond to the child?

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When responding to a childs disclosure,there
are three primary goals

• 1. Protect the child from further abuse
• 2. Stop the abuser from exploiting or hurting
  other children
• 3. Address the childs symptoms and the harm done
  to the child and the childs family
•  

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Response Summary

• Pastoral Respond with loving compassion to the
  child
• Legal Report the disclosure to proper state
  authorities
• Professional Exercise appropriate internal
  organization reporting

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How to respond to the child?Children Assessment
Center (CAC) SummaryCatechist Handout 2

• Do
• Allow the child to use his/her own words to
  describe the incident
• Assure the child he/she is not to blame for what
  happened
• Treat the child normally
• Take care of the childs emotional needs
• Listen and take notes
• Allow the child to talk about the incident if
  he/she brings it up
• Write down concerns and questions for CPS, police
  officers and therapists
• Love and support the child

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How to respond to the child?Children Assessment
Center (CAC) Summary Catechist Handout 2

• Dont
• Use your language to help the child describe what
  happened
• Try to interview or investigate
• Overreact
• Express fear, anger and anxiety
• Initiate conversation about the incident
• Let personal feelings influence the child
• Reward the child for giving information

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Legal Responsefor Reporting Abuse to Texas Legal
AuthoritiesCatechist Handout 3

• Texas has a mandatory reporting law stating that
  any person responsible for a childs care,
  custody or welfare who has cause to believe that
  a child is being abused or neglected must report
  the crime within 48 hours. Child abuse may be
  mental, emotional, physical or sexual. Neglect is
  leaving a child in a situation where they would
  be exposed to substantial risk of physical or
  mental harm.Failing to report child abuse and
  neglect is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas. If you
  have cause to believe that a childs physical
  health, mental health or welfare has been or may
  be adversely affected by abuse or neglect, you
  must report the offense. Call the Child Abuse
  Hotline at 1-800-252- 5400 or call local law
  enforcement immediately.
• To Report Abuse, Call TDFPS at 1-800-252-5400

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Procedures in Case of Suspected Child
AbuseCatechists Responsibility to Report
Suspected Child Abuse- prepared by the
Archdiocesan Legal DepartmentCatechist Handout 4

• REPORT DO NOT INVESTIGATE
• When reporting abuse to the hotline, you will be
  asked to provide the following information
• a. Childs name, age and address.
• b. Primary caretakers name and address.
• c. Physical indicators observed.
• d. Behavioral indicators observed.
• e. Other indicators observed.
• f. Your name, position and contact
  information.

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Procedures in Case of Suspected Child
AbuseCatechists Responsibility to Report
Suspected Child Abuse

• After reporting the information, ask for a case
  reference number (proof report has been made).
  Soon after the call, write a narrative
  description of your report the reference number
  (needed by the Archdiocese when there is an
  on-site investigation)
• Keep Confidential your suspicion and reporting
  (it is reasonable to advise the pastor, DRE,
  DYM) it is reasonable for them to inform other
  personnel who have contact with the victim.
  Beyond that, do not disclose to other catechists,
  the childs family, your family, friends, etc.
• Investigation The Pastor or other appropriate
  parish personnel are
• responsible for verifying credentials of
  on-site investigators and
• examining in touch with the Archdiocesan
  Legal department. Please
• review additional information regarding
  parish on-site investigations.

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How Childrens Protective Services (CPS) responds
to reports of abuseCatechist Handout 5

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• I have heard reporting abuse to CPS can sometimes
  makes matters worse?
• After I report abuse, how does CPS respond?
• How do professionals assist the child and the
  family of the child who has been abused?

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Documentation Reporting Attendance

• All documentation and reporting of program
  attendance is between the local parish contact
  and the Safe Environment Office manager

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PCL/CatechistClosing Prayer

• Leader Gods love for us is unconditional. God
  has called you to be leaders
• and teachers of his love through word and action.
  Let us listen to Gods Word.
•  
• (Reader) Philippians 44-9, 13
• Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again
  rejoice! Your kindness
• should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no
  anxiety at all, but in
• everything, by prayer and petition, with
  thanksgiving, make your requests
• known to God. Then the peace of God that
  surpasses all understanding will
• guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
•  

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PCL/Catechist Closing Prayer

• Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
  honorable, whatever is just,
• whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
  gracious, if there is any
• excellence and if there is anything worthy of
  praise, think about these
• things. Keep on doing what you have learned and
  received and heard and
• seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with
  you. I have the strength for
• everything through him (Christ) who empowers me.
• Everyone
• Lord, Jesus, as parish catechetical leaders and
  catechists, we pledge to
• faithfully care for the young people entrusted to
  our care through our words
• and actions. Strengthen us through the Holy
  Spirit with the gifts of
• knowledge, courage, and right judgment that we
  might protect and guide
• them so that they might experience your promise
  of abundant life. Protect
• them, their parents, and their families from all
  evil.
• We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Acknowledgments

• The Offices of Continuing Christian Education,
  Youth Ministry, and Safe
• Environment would like to thank the following
  persons for their
• involvement and contributions in the planning and
  development of this
• effort
• Archdiocesan Steering Committee for Safe
  Environment Formation
• Jim Barrette, Secretariat Director for Pastoral
  and Educational Ministries
• Anne Comeaux, Director, CCE Office
• Brian Johnson, Director, OYM
• Norma Torok, Associate Director, OYM
• Mark Ciesielski, Associate Director, CCE/OYM
• Julie Blevins, Manager Safe Environment Office
• Sally Leonard, Past Manager Safe Environment
  Office

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Acknowledgements

• Writers of Safe Sacred Lessons
• Gabriela DePavia Waldemar Karaszewski
• Mary Wright
• Nannette Coons
• Marty Matulia
• Sacred Safe Spanish translator Gabriela
  DePavia
• Technical Assistant Brian Garcia-Luense
• Archdiocesan Sacred Safe Website Designer
  Paige Tomas
• Contributors of resources
• The Archdiocese of New York
• The Childrens Assessment Center, Houston, Texas
• The Global Childrens Fund. KeepYourChildSafe.org