Policy

Purpose

It is the responsibility of every Reliant employee, associate, and volunteer to act in the best interest of children and vulnerable adults. Through enforcement of this Policy and by educating employees, Reliant will seek to prevent, correct and discipline behavior that violates this Policy.

Reliant has zero tolerance for abuse. All incidents of abuse will be promptly reported in accordance with this Policy and state law. 

Any employee of Reliant and any employee of any other ministry serving at Reliant-sponsored events (all referred to in this Policy as “employees”) or Reliant volunteer who engages in, or fails to report, any allegation or incident of abuse will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including immediate termination of employment or volunteer service and notification to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Managers and supervisors who knowingly allow or tolerate abuse, including failing to immediately report allegations of abuse to Human Resources (HR), are in violation of this Policy and subject to discipline.

Any violation or variance of this Policy should be immediately reported to a local ministry supervisor and the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

Definitions

“Child” means any person under the age of eighteen years. Throughout this Policy, guidelines applicable to a child also apply to a vulnerable adult.

“Vulnerable adult” means a person eighteen years of age or older whose ability to perform the normal activities of daily living or to provide for his or her own care or protection is impaired due to a mental, emotional, sensory, long-term physical, or developmental disability or dysfunction, or brain damage, or the infirmities of aging.

“Grooming” is the process used by child abusers to create access to children, select a specific child, prepare that child for sexual interaction, and then keep the child silent.

Physical Contact

Reliant is committed to creating and promoting a positive, nurturing environment that protects children from abuse.

The following guidelines are to be carefully followed by all employees, associates, and volunteers working around or with children and vulnerable adults:

• Brief hugs, pats on the back, and other forms of appropriate physical affection between employees, associates, or volunteers and children are important for children’s development. They are generally suitable in the church and ministry setting.
• Inappropriate touching and inappropriate displays of affection are forbidden. Any inappropriate physical contact, touching, or displays of affection should be immediately reported to a local ministry supervisor and the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.
• Physical contact should be for the benefit of the child and their development and never be based upon the emotional or physical needs of an employee, associate, or volunteer.
• Physical contact and affection should be given only in observable places or when in the presence of other children or employees, associates, and volunteers. It is much less likely that touch will be inappropriate or misinterpreted as such when physical contact is open to observation.
• Physical contact in any form should not give even the appearance of wrongdoing. The personal behavior of employees, associates, or volunteers must foster trust at all times. Personal conduct must be above reproach at all times.
• Do not force any physical contact, touch, or affection upon a reluctant child, youth, or vulnerable adult. Their preference not to be touched must be respected at all times.
• Employees, associates, and volunteers are also responsible for protecting children and vulnerable adults under their supervision from inappropriate or unwanted touching by others.
• Any inappropriate behavior or suspected abuse by employees, associates, or volunteers must be reported immediately to a local ministry supervisor and the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

Informal Contact (Independent of Church Activities) 

Informal contact refers to phone calls, text messaging, social media messaging, letters, or face-to-face contact between an employee, associate, or volunteer and a child in which the contact is not connected to official church or ministry activities. The church or ministry recognizes that informal contact between employees, associates, or volunteers and youth frequently occurs. The employee, associate, or volunteer must first receive from the parent written permission to send text messages to or have other informal contacts with the child. Parents are responsible for monitoring this informal contact.

Supervision 

No child will ever be left unattended or unsupervised during children’s or student ministry programs or meetings. Employees, associates, or volunteers are prohibited from being alone with an individual child, unrelated to them, in any room, building, or vehicle. If an employee or volunteer finds himself/herself alone with a single child, that employee, associate, or volunteer will take the child to a room or building occupied by others, or to a location easily observed by others. (Example: If a child desires additional conversation or counsel with an employee, associate, or volunteer after regular programming has concluded or if a child is the last in a class to be picked up by a parent, move to an adjoining room where other employees, associates, or volunteers are present, or into a public space.)

Any two children or children alone together in an unseen or less easily viewed area should be redirected to another (more open) area.

Procedure for Reporting Suspicious or Inappropriate Behavior

Reliant is committed to providing a safe, secure environment for children and vulnerable adults. To this end, any report of inappropriate behaviors or suspicions of abuse will be taken seriously and will be reported, in accordance with this Policy and state law, to Child Protective Services, or another appropriate agency.

In the event that any employee, associate, or volunteer observes any inappropriate behavior (i.e., Policy violations, neglectful supervision, poor role-modeling, etc.) or suspected abuse or neglect (physical, emotional, or sexual), it is that individual’s responsibility to immediately report these observations to his or her immediate supervisor and to the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org. If the employee, associate, or volunteer reports observations to his or her supervisor, the supervisor must immediately notify the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

Because sexual abusers ‘groom’ children for abuse, it is possible an employee, associate, or volunteer may witness behavior intended to ‘groom’ a child for sexual abuse. Employees, associates, and volunteers are asked to report ‘grooming’ behavior, any Policy violations, or any suspicious behaviors to an immediate supervisor and to the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org. If the employee, associate, or volunteer reports observations to his or her supervisor, the supervisor must immediately notify the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

Any employee, associate, or volunteer who receives a report of abuse or a violation of this Policy must immediately notify the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

All questions or concerns related to inappropriate, suspicious, or suspected grooming behavior should be directed to the local ministry supervisor and to the Reliant HR Director at notifyHR@reliant.org. 

Enforcement of Policies

Employees, associates, and volunteers who supervise other employees, associates, or volunteers are charged with diligently enforcing all Reliant policies.

If an employee, associate, or volunteer receives an instruction to behave in a manner that is inconsistent with this Policy, the employee, associate, or volunteer should make a report to a local ministry supervisor and the Reliant HR Director by emailing notifyHR@reliant.org.

Consequences of Violation

Any person accused of committing a prohibited act or any act considered by Reliant or a partner ministry to be harmful to a child or vulnerable adult will be immediately suspended from participation in ministry. This suspension will continue during any investigation by Reliant, law enforcement, or Child Protective agencies.

Any person found to have committed a prohibited act or any act considered by Reliant or a partner ministry to be harmful to a child or vulnerable adult or have failed to report a Policy violation will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination, and may be prohibited from future participation as a Reliant employee, associate, or volunteer in all activities and programming that involves children, youth, or vulnerable populations. 

Failure to report a Policy violation is grounds for termination of an employee, associate, or volunteer.

Reporting Suspicions of Abuse to Law Enforcement Agencies

All suspicions or allegations of sexual abuse of children or vulnerable adults will be reported to the appropriate Law Enforcement Agency by Reliant.

Additional Policies for RELIANT Employees in Children’s and Student Ministry Settings

Discipline

It is the Policy of Reliant that employees, associates, and volunteers are prohibited from using physical discipline in any way for the behavior management of children. No form of physical discipline is acceptable. This prohibition includes spanking, slapping, pinching, hitting, or any other physical force as retaliation or correction for inappropriate behaviors by children. If a child is unruly or fails to comply with verbal warnings or instructions from employees, associates, or volunteers, that child will be asked to leave (if not endangered by doing so), or the child’s parent or guardian will be contacted to pick up the child. In the event of a fight or physical altercation, employees, associates, and volunteers will verbally redirect the children involved and will avoid physical intervention. Uncontrollable or unusual behavior should be reported immediately to parents and the supervising pastor, minister, or ministry leader.

Intoxicants

Employees, associates, and volunteers are prohibited from the use, possession, or being under the influence of alcohol or any illegal drugs while in any church or ministry facility, while traveling with children, or while working with or supervising children. For purposes of this Policy, “illegal drug” is defined as any controlled substance listed in schedules I through V of the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 812), medication or other chemical substance that (1) is not legally obtainable; or (2) is legally obtainable, but is not legally obtained, is not being used legally or is not being used for the purpose(s) for which it was prescribed or intended by the manufacturer. Thus, “illegal drugs” may include even over-the-counter medications if they are not being used for the purpose(s) for which they were intended by the manufacturer.

Nudity

Employees, associates, and volunteers of Reliant should never be nude in the presence of children in their care. If there is a situation that may call for or contemplate the possibility of nudity (i.e., changing clothes during a pool party, weekend or overnight retreat, etc.), the employee, associate, or volunteer will change clothes in a bathroom, alone and out of the view of any children.

One-to-one Interactions with Children

Reliant recognizes that meeting the emotional needs of children may occasionally require employees, associates, and volunteers to minister to them individually. Employees, associates, and volunteers should observe the following guidelines when interacting with children:

• Employees, associates, and volunteers should conduct one-to-one meetings with an individual child only at a time when others are present and where interactions can be easily observed.
• In the rare occasion that a closed-door meeting must occur, the employee, associate, or volunteer must inform a supervising pastor or another minister BEFORE the meeting occurs, and the closed door must remain unlocked.
• No communication between a child and a Reliant employee, associate, or volunteer is considered privileged.

Parental Contact

Parents whose child is participating in Children’s or Student Ministry activities and programs will be contacted if their child becomes severely ill, injured, or has a severe disciplinary problem while participating in Children’s or Student Ministry programs.

Parental Involvement

Parents have an open invitation to observe all programs and activities in which their child is involved. However, parents who desire to participate in or have continuous, ongoing contact with Children’s or Student Ministry programs will be required to complete the Church’s volunteer application and screening process.

Sexually Oriented Conversations

Employees, associates, and volunteers are prohibited from engaging in any sexually oriented conversations with children and are not permitted to discuss any inappropriate or explicit information about their own personal relationships, dating, or sexual activities with any child in the program. However, it is expected that from time to time, Student Ministry discussions and lessons may address issues related to purity, dating, sex, and human sexuality. These lessons will occur in group settings and will convey the church’s or ministry’s views on these topics.

Sexually Oriented Materials

Employees, associates, and volunteers are prohibited from possessing (or transmitting to any child) any sexually oriented materials (magazines, cards, images, videos, pictures, films, etc.) or in the presence of children, including those in electronic form.

Sleeping Arrangements

It is anticipated that certain ministry activities may occasionally require that overnight sleeping arrangements be made for children and employees, associates, and volunteers (i.e., lock-ins, mission trips, etc.). In the event, an activity requires sleeping arrangements, employees, associates, and volunteers will strictly observe the following rules:

• The 2-adult rule must be followed; a single child shall not be alone with an employee, associate, or volunteer.
• All adult leaders must have previously completed Reliant’s screening and training process or a screening and training process commensurate with Reliant’s process.
• Overnight sleeping arrangements must be submitted in writing to and approved by a pastor in the local ministry prior to the activity.
• As long as any children are awake, one trip leader must be awake and monitor children to ensure safe behavior. If there is only one child awake, two trip leaders must be awake and monitor the child to ensure safe behavior.
• Leaders should check with parents and use good judgment regarding PG or PG-13 movies. No R-rated movies are permitted.
• Appropriately modest sleeping attire must be worn and must include both tops and bottoms.
• In a sleepover involving both boys and girls, boys and girls must sleep in separate rooms, properly supervised by employees, associates, or volunteers of the same gender.
• Employees, associates, and volunteers will monitor sleeping children by periodically conducting visual bed checks to ensure that sleeping children remain in designated sleeping places. During bed checks, employees, associates, and volunteers should never physically touch a child.
• Whenever possible, at least one employee, associate, or volunteer will sleep in the same room (but not the same bed) as the children, or in an adjoining room with the door between the rooms kept open.
• In the event that overnight arrangements do not include standard beds, each employee, associate, or volunteer, and child will use single sleeping bags or blankets. In these instances, a “one-person-to-one bag or blanket” rule will be strictly observed.

Tobacco

Reliant requires employees, associates, or volunteers to abstain from the use or possession of tobacco products in church or ministry facilities, while in the presence of children or their parents (or guardians), and during church or ministry activities or programs.

Transportation

Employees, associates, and volunteers may, from time to time, be in a position to provide transportation for children. The following guidelines should be strictly observed when workers are involved in the transportation of children:

• Children should be transported directly to their destination. Unauthorized stops to a non-public place are to be avoided. Employees, associates, and volunteers must avoid transportation circumstances involving only one child.
• No employee, associate, or volunteer should be alone with a single child. Two adults should be in the vehicle if only one child will be in the vehicle at some point during transportation (e.g., the last child dropped off).
• Employees, associates, and volunteers are to avoid physical contact with children while in vehicles.
• No cell phones may be utilized by the driver while driving, unless in an emergency.
• No drivers under the age of 25 may drive Reliant-owned or rented vehicles with unrelated children in the vehicle for any church or ministry-related activity.
• Reliant employees, associates, or volunteers must follow the local ministry’s insurance policies regarding age restrictions for drivers of ministry-owned or rented vehicles.

Verbal Interactions

Verbal interactions between employees, associates, or volunteers, and children should be positive and uplifting. Reliant employees, associates, and volunteers should strive to keep verbal interactions encouraging, constructive, and mindful of their mission of aiding parents in the spiritual growth and development of children.

To this end, employees, associates, and volunteers shall not talk to children in a way that is or could be construed by any reasonable observer as harsh, threatening, intimidating, shaming, derogatory, demeaning, or humiliating. In addition, employees, associates, and volunteers are expected to refrain from swearing in the presence of children.