Child Policy Statement
This policy is designed to assist church leaders in recruiting volunteers and to provide guidelines for the safety of children and youth under the age of eighteen (18), as well as guidelines for the support of staff and volunteers.
1. Volunteer Recruitment Procedures
Volunteers will be recruited by the program leader(s), Board of Elders or volunteers helping to administer a particular program.
All names of potential volunteers will be approved by the Board of Elders before they are approached regarding a ministry assignment. If the Board of Elders is aware of any reason why a person would not be suitable for a volunteer position, further investigation and discussion will take place and a final approval, or denial, of the name will be made. If there are medical reasons for a potential volunteer to not be suitable as a leader/helper, he/she will be paired with another volunteer.
In the case of a potential volunteer who is new to the church family, a confidential dialogue will take place to determine interest, experience, and the children/youth ministry readiness of the individual. This dialogue will be conducted by the Board of Elders. A confidential report will be given at the next Board of Elders meeting to determine the suitability of the candidate. If required, further dialogues will take place. Inexperienced leaders for any program will not be assigned to work alone, but will be paired with leaders who are familiar with the program.
In an effort to develop new younger leaders, youth (ages 13-18) are encouraged to assist in the leadership of various children's ministries. These young leaders should be approved by the Board of Elders as leaders-in-training. As such, they should be provided with opportunities to develop their unique gifts, abilities and interests. Leaders-in-training must be paired up with adult leaders who can assist in the development of their gifts.
The Quebec Baptist Church Children's Ministry Information Form must be filled out by potential volunteers. It is a vital part of protecting the church from legal action if a case of an alleged wrongful act is filed against the church. This form must be completed by the volunteer prior to being approved by the Board of Elders. The completed forms are confidential and will be kept on file at the church. (These forms are necessary to show the court(s) that the church has done systematic screening of the volunteers prior to their being accepted for a ministry. If the screening is not completed and an alleged wrongful act is filed against a volunteer, the church could be liable for neglect in allowing a person who has had allegations of child abuse to be given a leadership role of trust over children.) By having all persons involved in children and youth programs fill out a Children's Ministry Information form, we are working to protect our children, guarding the integrity of our leaders and reducing the church's possible exposure to liability.
The Children's Ministry Information Form asks for two personal references. These references will be contacted by a member of the Board of Elders and asked to comment on their knowledge of the volunteer. A careful record will be kept on file of the person making the contacts, the date of the calls and a summary of the reference's comments.
All hired and volunteer staff of Quebec Baptist Church will be asked to have a police check done at the expense of Quebec Baptist Church. Applicants can work with children only after his/her police check has been cleared and not before.
2. Leadership Development Procedures
The methodology implemented in children's ministry must reflect the physical, social, mental and spiritual development of children in the age grouping of a particular program. The curriculum content and program development must be familiar to the leaders in that program. The extent to which a leader is familiar with the developmental needs of the group and the goals of the curriculum will determine the effectiveness of the program.
We value the volunteers and make every effort to develop their skills as leaders and their knowledge of the developmental needs of the children they serve. Our efforts to develop a leader's skills and knowledge may include, but are not limited to, seeking out appropriate workshops or providing in-house seminars on child/teen developmental issues, curriculum development, creative classroom control, children with special needs issues, and team teaching.
Mentors are an effective way to develop one-on-one the leadership skills needed in a position. Where possible, leaders-in-training and new leaders will be paired with a veteran leader, who will pass on wisdom, experience and knowledge relevant to the leadership responsibilities of the position.
Good resource materials are published and an effort will be made by the Director of Christian Education to purchase these materials and have them placed in the Resource Centre or Church library. Leaders are encouraged to read such resource material to keep current on trends in children's ministry.
