Youth Group Safety and Teacher Accountability
One “Youth Pastor” thought it was fine to lower the kids into a culvert that came out on a 700′ sheer drop off. WHAT WAS HE THINKING!
Whenever parents leave their kids with you, for a mission trip or even Sunday School, they are entrusting you to keep their children safe. Youth group safety should be given top priority when conducting any youth ministry activity. Bad things can and do happen.
My daughter was killed on a Sunday youth group outing (for more info about Catherine and the loss of a child click here to jump to Coconut Mountain Website). You must give some thought to what you would do if the worst happens.
The idea that your preparations are good enough for your own kids is not enough. If disaster strikes the parents must rest assured that you’ve done everything possible to ensure their children’s safety.
Here are a list of things you must be prepared for on any outing:
Permission Slip/Parent contact form:
You must keep this information with you at all times. In the chaos of an emergency, communication with doctors and parents is essential. You must be able to give an emergency care provider and hospital specific information for them to treat an injury. Never take a child anywhere without a permission slip. Click here for suggested permission slip. This is a long-term permission slip. However, another youth leader recommended getting a new form from the parents for every outing and trip because people are changing insurance companies frequently so the information on even a seasonal medical form get outdated quickly. See the link for the book below that offers many forms.
Basic Medical Information and Identification:
You should be able to supply an emergency responder a list of allergies to foods or medicines. You must also have a current photo and physical description to supply searchers if a child is lost.
Free youth ministry forms from Youth Worker Resource.
What Do I Do When Teenagers are Victims of Abuse? – eBook
By Steve Gerali / Zondervan
Nobody can prepare you for all the issues you’ll encounter when it comes to teenagers. Whether you work with teens or are trying to parent them, chances are that you’ve already run into a few things that you felt completely unprepared or ill equipped to deal with. You’re not alone!
In this hard-hitting series of books, you’ll find answers to the difficult questions you face when challenges arise. ” What Do I Do When Teenagers are Victims of Abuse?”
Dr. Steven Gerali will help you: * Grasp the realities and myths associated with abuse * Explore how theology informs the issue * Understand the different forms of abuse teens encounter, such as physical, emotional, sexual, and self-abuse * Identify the profile of abusers * Learn your role in mandated reporting * Equip teens to identify and avoid abusive situations or relationships
With this practical book, you’ll have what you need to identify and help victims of abuse, and you’ll find plenty of resources for help beyond what you’re able to give.
Local emergency contact numbers
Make a list of the local emergency contact numbers for the area you will be in. Do not assume that dialing 911 on your cell phone will work. Have an alternative plan in place before you go that includes the local sheriff/police phone numbers. Let people know exactly where you are going and when you’ll be back.
Cell Phone Numbers
Make sure all the leaders have the cell phone numbers of all the other leaders. Make a list and pass it out or program the numbers into your cell phones memory. Get the kids numbers too.
Read the book: “Better Safe Than Sued”, by Jack Crabtree (shown below).
Better Safe than Sued: Keeping Your Students and Ministry Alive Audiobook
By Jack Crabtree / Zondervan/Youth Specialties
Most youth workers will admit that they don’t spend a lot of time thinking about safety in their youth ministry. Sure, they shout, “Seat belts!” when the crew loads into the van, or they use the buddy system when at theme parks. But beyond that, they’re mostly concerned with introducing students to Jesus.
Nothing’s wrong with looking after their spiritual well-being, but overlooking their safety can lead to pain and problems for you, your students, your church, or your community. The reality is, whether it’s a game of dodgeball in the church gym, or a rock climbing trip during a summer retreat, you have precious cargo in your care, and it’s your responsibility to make sure they return home safely and in one piece.
Better Safe Than Sued is an essential guidebook for anyone in youth ministry—paid or volunteer, veteran or rookie. Along with questions to get you thinking about your own ministry context after each chapter, inside you’ll discover how you can make your ministry a safe place for students and leaders as you read about: • Safety while riding in buses, vans, and cars • Camps, retreats, and conferences • Selecting staff • Avoiding sexual misconduct • Establishing a No-Bully Zone • How to handle injuries, and much more Make sure your ministry is safe and that you’re protected so you never have to be the one saying, “I never took safety seriously until …”
Suggested Youth Ministry Policy for Youth Group Safety and Teacher Accountability:
The purpose of this policy is to assure a safe environment for children, protect the reputation of people in youth ministry, and shield your church against liability. These policy guidelines are necessary due to relevant laws, court rulings, and insurance recommendations. They have been developed thru many years of experience with the help of several churches, pastors, and forums. Download .pdf click here.
Teacher Accountability Partner:
Every Youth Pastor or youth leader should have an accountability partner. This should be a mature person you feel comfortable with, who is trustworthy, and exhibits wisdom and confidentiality. They do not need to be a member of the same church or live nearby but you must be able to share everything with them.
Group’s Emergency Response Handbook for Youth Ministry
By Group Publishing
Equip yourself and your youth ministry team with the right words and actions in those critical moments when your youth need a timely and wise response to difficult situations. 12 critical situations are addressed, including: academic problems, family conflict, stress & anxiety, and destructive behavior. Each topic is co-authored by a psychological and ministry professional.
This is a book you think you’ll never need. I used mine the day got got it. It gave solid, trustworthy information and direction. You hope you’ll never need a book like this but if you’re in the game long enough you will. Order a copy today and keep it handy. I have had to refer to this book several times and the advice is always right on.
Promote Youth Group Internet Safety and Teacher Accountability
Facebook, e-mails, and other social sites:
Facebook is a good way to keep an eye on the kids interactions. I encourage parents and youth leaders to jump into the game but keep your comments to a minimum. All of your friends are notified when you post events, activities, and meetings. I prefer Facebook. Be careful of posting group pictures of kids unless you have parents permission. I have a Facebook group set up for the kids in our church. The security is set very tight and membership is private. We use it to communicate about events.
Someone wrote:
Everything you ever write for the internet is:permanent & indelible, discoverable, international, instant, reproducible, misquotable, and susceptible of misrepresentation, decontextualisation and satire.
E-mail is a great way to get word out about your youth group activities. Ask your kids if they actually check their e-mails anymore as most use Facebook or texting. Parents are still using e-mail. Avoid personal e-mails with students. If one is received we suggest sending a blind-copy of your reply to your “accountability partner”. Both of you should make a copy of the e-mail and keep it on file. If you send an e-mail to a kid do a copy to their parents too.
Texting: Kids do most of their communicating by texting on their cells phones. Warn them against sending photos as these later can be used for bullying. Visit my page on bullying for more information.
MINISTRY SAFE
Our mission is to protect children and those who serve them. After decades of litigating sexual abuse cases and providing consultation and crisis management to ministries, Gregory Love and Kimberlee Norris founded Ministry Safe to help ministries meet legal standards of care and reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. Ministry Safe grew out of a desire to provide ministries of all sizes with the tools and resources to prevent child sexual abuse proactively.
Safe Mission Trips:
Many opinions have been put forward as to the value of taking junior high Kids on mission trips. I will not hazard an opinion myself but I will suggest a mission that is safe, inside the United States, and has junior high age specific opportunities: Click here for Mission Discovery.
From their website: “Mission Discovery began in 1991 as an effort to serve Jesus Christ by combining and coordinating mission resources and US churches to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the world’s poor. Since Mission Discovery’s beginning, over 20,000 students and adults have built homes and churches and have shared the gospel with hundreds of people in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Africa, and the United States.
Mission Discovery projects are organized around 5-10 day outreaches. Each team will be involved in a vital construction project along with an outreach led by team members that communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ. Hundreds have decided to follow Christ each year through Mission Discovery outreaches such as Children’s Bible School and door to door evangelism.”
Next Step
Next Step Ministries is a Christ-centered, 501c3 nonprofit with the heartbeat to do missions differently. They are passionate about the experience students can have on a mission trip—serving others while encountering a living God who offers freedom and grace. They are passionate about communities thriving—developing from within and restoring dignity.
To this end they lead thousands of students on one-week missions trips that connect them with sustainable community-led initiatives they support on a year-round basis.
After reading When Helping Hurts in 2012, like many, they were tempted to throw short-term mission trips out the window. But through a process of learning they have been inspired to create a space where the beauty and power of short-term trips can connect to real sustainable community development. It’s a tall task, and one they are constantly falling short of, but its also one that when done right, can provide an incredible God-sized experience for both students and communities alike.
https://nextstepministries.com/films/
Keep an accurate youth group database:
Having an accurate data base with contact information, e-mail addresses, allergies, and photos, is vital to any organization that wants to grow. Have the information handy also makes sending cards, notes, and news letters a lot easier. Accurate photo’s are invaluable for law enforcement and rescue personal. Print this handy info card and keep a stack in your class room. Have every kid fill one out. Call their parents for the rest of the information. Keep them in a recipe box made for holding 3 x 5″ index cards. Enter them into your data-base program when you get home.
For youth group safety and teacher accountability print and review a copy of our suggested policies shown above.
