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“Female karate teacher sends nude photos to 11-year-old student and invites him over to her house for sex.”
“Youth pastor accused of sending sexual texts to 15 year old.”
“Camp Director sends inappropriate snapchat messages to campers.”
“Teacher sentenced for texting student thousands of times.”
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As we gather together to celebrate Christmas and the holidays, we are mindful that for many of you, this is really a busy time of year. Whether you visit shut-ins, serve meals, hold special services, dress up as Santa and give gifts, you are spreading joy. Your generosity and warmth will be felt by many. Thank you for the investment you make in sharing Christmas joy, love, and hope with others.
At Plan to Protect ®, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! We hope you have a very joyful holiday. We are so grateful for your partnership and business!
Speaking of which, many of you have partnered with us because of our commitment to help you reduce risk in your organizations and communities. Therefore, we want to remind you that the holidays are not cheerful for everyone. Families struggling to feed themselves today will likely struggle at Christmas. A child fearful of a parent or family member will probably still fear them during the special days of the year. Possibly even more so. Often more alcohol than usual is flowing, which can intensify abuse, anger, and harm.
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Can We Use Restraints?
What do we do if parents/guardians request compression hugs or restraints for their loved ones? October 31, 2019This article was originally printed in the spring winter issue of PROTECT .
Physical restraints have long posed an ethical dilemma in mental health services in North America. On one hand, they help prevent self-injury or harm to others. On the other, they can increase agitation, confusion, and distrust due to their coercive nature. What... -
For the past six summers, I have been the Sports Camp Coordinator for a week-long day camp. Each year, we have approximately 60 campers ages 7 to 12 years old participating in various sports, including soccer, ball hockey, basketball, volleyball, as well as many large group games – all on varying terrain. With the heightened...
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I was recently interviewed by Faith Today magazine and they asked, “how many organizations and churches have a plan to protect?”
My hope is that every organization and church that serves the vulnerable sector, would have some sort of a plan to protect but not all plans are the same, nor do they all adhere to the same standard.
As we review and customize hundreds of policies and procedure manuals a year, we see such a wide variety of policies including:
- Policies which range from one page to 500 pages;
- Policies which addressing only sexual abuse, to policies that cover all types of abuse and neglect; and
- Policies which are designed only to protect children, to policies that protect all vulnerable persons.
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We are often asked if schools follow the same standard of protection that Plan to Protect® recommends. Often the standards schools follow are the objections that Board members and leaders use to refute the best practices that are laid out in policies and procedures. How safe are our schools?
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Who do you reach out to when you need care and support?
Last week I was interviewed by a young journalist from Huffington Post and asked why victims of child abuse reached out to clergy to disclose their abuse. The interviewer was writing in response to recent disclosures of abuse: #MeTOO and #ChurchTOO.
As I responded to the questions, I thought of many individual cases of abuse where each individual disclosed their abuse to someone they trusted. Some of the names have been changed to protect the victims.
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A Toronto not-for-profit that specializes in providing inclusive sports and recreation programs has strengthened relationships between staff and clients by increasing its abuse prevention.
Variety Village runs inclusive fitness, sports and recreation programs for people of all ages. People of all ages use Variety Village. Programs range from activities for parents and infants to fitness classes for seniors. Elite athletes train there. Children return each year for summer camps and day camps.
This familiarity creates a family atmosphere, so the organization has to be diligent to avoid anything that could lead to allegations of abuse. Today, staff, volunteers and campers congratulate each other with high fives and fist bumps. All participants must check in and check out for camp programs, regardless of how long staff or volunteers may have known the campers. -
Rapid changes in youth culture and communication can make it hard for adults to know how to teach youth how to build and create healthy relationships. That's one reason why Southwestern Ontario YFC/YU prioritizes consistent training about abuse prevention...
This hasn't hurt staff and volunteers' ability to build good relationships with students, said Deller. Students may wonder sometimes why a staff or volunteer can't give them a ride alone, butthey understand when staff and volunteers explain the safety reasons for it. These are the same reasons why staff and volunteers give students side hugs or fist pumps instead of letting them sit on their laps or giving them hugs.
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An Ottawa-area church plans on spending part of 2018 teaching their community how to recognize and prevent elder abuse.
Cedarview Alliance Church in Nepean has prepared workshops about the topic, with funding from the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors Program. The grant from Employment and Social Development Canada helps organizations deliver programs that benefit seniors, including public education about elder abuse.
"I think some people may be at the hands of abuse and not realize it," said Mills. Seniors need to feel confident to report suspected abuse. Community members need to know warning signs so they know when they need to contact someone if they suspect abuse. People are often more educated about recognizing and responding to child abuse than they are to elder abuse, said Mills.
