Safe Church Policies and Guidelines
for Minors under the care of Westwood Baptist Church
Purpose
The preschool, children, and student ministries of Westwood Baptist Church exists to partner with families to guide and direct children from birth to 18 years, to a loving relationship with Christ. We feel their physical, spiritual, and emotional safety are of the utmost importance to be protected while in our care. These policies and guidelines are an acceptable standard Westwood will abide by. Some of the following policies and guidelines are very pertinent to our preschoolers and not as vital to our middle and high school students. Those areas will be noted as such. Children, as stated in these policies, imply Birth-17 years of age.
Qualifications of Teachers and Leaders
1. Must have a personal relationship with the Lord that is demonstrated in your personal and public life.
2. Must be an active Church Member of Westwood Baptist Church for at least six (6) months to serve as a teacher, assistant leader, or adult volunteer.
3. Must be at least 18 years of age to serve as an adult in a classroom for preschool and children’s ministry.
4. Youth wanting to assist in a preschool or children’s ministry class/activity must be at least 16 years of age to serve.
A person younger than 18, does not count as an adult in any classroom.
5. All paid and volunteers who will serve in any capacity in our preschool, children, or student ministry must complete an application, fill out and sign a consent form for a state and nationwide sex offender and criminal background check for all over the age of 18, and have an interview with the appropriate ministry leader prior to serving.
6. All paid and volunteer “staff” is required to watch the four (4) training videos provided online concerning safe practices with minors and complete a ministry covenant form.
7. All paid and volunteer “staff” will need to be an active attender to weekly gathered worship.
Responsibilities
1. To partner with families to love and nurture all children (B-12th grade) and teach Biblical lessons that are age appropriate
and in a safe and friendly environment.
2. Children should NEVER BE LEFT in the classroom or activity area alone.
3. Follow set curriculum set by the ministry leaders of Westwood Baptist Church
4. Arrive in your classroom at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of the children.
5. Plan your lessons in advance and request any supplies needed at least a week in advance.
6. If you are unable to fulfill your responsibility, make sure the ministry leader is notified as soon as possible to ensure
coverage by approved substitutes.- Preschool & Children’s Ministries
i. Parents/Guardians are responsible for their child/children until they are checked into the classroom and
when checked out, regardless of the age of the child.
ii. Every child, B-2nd grade, is assigned a 2-part clip tag with the child’s name, parent/guardian’s name, and
family ID number.
iii. The child’s part must be clipped to the child’s clothing or diaper bag as soon as the child enters the
classroom.
iv. The parent/guardian’s part must be held by that parent for pick up after service.
v. Children, 3rd -5th grade, do not get a parent tag but they do get a child’s tag. They are allowed to come and go at the end of activities without parental assistance.
vi. AWANA ministry, preschoolers, received a 2-part tag and K-5th receive no tag, but are checked in by a
parent and picked up by a parent.
vii. For pick up
1. No child will be given to an adult without the matching family ID tag. If the parent tag is lost, the
parent must meet with the ministry director immediately and prior to going to the child’s
classroom.
2. No sibling under the age of 13 can check out a preschooler.
3. If a parent/guardian is unable to pick up the child, prior arrangements must be made with the
appropriate ministry leader.
- Middle and High School Ministry
i. Seek to invest in discipling relationships with students and other peers.
ii. Maintain a healthy and vibrant walk with Jesus, maintain a life of purity, commit to prayer with students,
and seek gospel conversations on a regular basis.
iii. Arrive on time for all student gatherings, at least 15 minutes early.
7. Dress appropriately and respectfully at all times.
Supervision of Children
• All paid and volunteer “staff” is responsible for the supervision of children during ministry activities, including observation
of the environment and equipment for unsafe situations, removing children from potentially dangerous
situations/conditions, and reporting problems to the appropriate ministry leader.
• The Preschool and Children’s Ministry Leaders should make sure that anyone who has not been successfully screened does
not have unsupervised access to children.
• TWO-ADULT RULE- There must ALWAYS be two (2) non-related adults, over the age of 18, present when supervising one or more children of any age. This rule is designed for the safety of minors as well as adults and is required across all ministry areas.
- Compliance to the two-adult rule includes the following:
If two related family members, including but not limited to a married couple, are working together, a third adult or youth over the age of 16 must be in attendance also.
The adults working together should always be in sight of each other.
Adult leaders working in Preschool, Children, or Youth ministry areas must not place themselves in one-on-one situations in closed spaces with any age child.
- Unplanned Situations with only one (1) adult leader
Immediately inform the ministry leader
Visible location – for any time when there is only one (1) adult leader present, the group must be in a location that is visible to others with an unobstructed window, open door, etc.
Preschool & Children’s Ministry
o Restrooms/Diapering▪ Children in grades K-5 may use the restrooms on their own. Children younger than 5 may be assisted, if necessary. In this case, the restroom door must remain open.
▪ Diapering may be done in the classroom if facilities are available. Otherwise diapering in the restroom may be done with the door remaining open.
▪ If a preschooler needs assistance in the restroom the door must remain open.
Types of Abuse
o Physical Abuse: injury that is intentionally inflicted upon a child by an adult.
o Sexual Abuse: any contact of a sexual nature that occurs between an adult and a child.
o Emotional Abuse: mental or emotional injury to a child that results in an observable and material impairment of
the child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning.
Physical Contact
o Love and affection are part of church ministry. There are many ways to demonstrate affection while maintaining
positive and safe boundaries with children of any age.
o Respect, safety, and appropriate boundaries are the guiding principles for physical contact between children of any
age and adults. These guidelines are intended to avoid contact that is or may appear threatening or inappropriate.
o These are examples of appropriate and inappropriate interactions, but they are not limited to this listing.▪ Examples of positive and appropriate forms of affection:
• Verbal praise
• Encouragement
• Appropriate jokes
• Positive reinforcement
• Brief hugs or side hugs
• Pats on the shoulder, back, or head
• Handshakes
• High-fives or fist bumps
• Arms around shoulders
• Holding hands while walking with small children
• Sitting beside children
• Kneeling or bending down for hugs with small children
• Holding hand during group prayer
▪ Examples of inappropriate physical or verbal interactions:
• Full-frontal hugs
• Kissing
• Showing affection in isolated areas
• Any type of unwanted affection
• Touching bottom, chest, or genital areas that is outside the authorized and documented personal
care assistance as stated in this policy
• Name-calling
• Off-color or sexual jokes
• Shaming
• Belittling
• Harsh, frightening, threatening, or humiliating language
• Derogatory remarks about the child’s family
o Westwood Baptist Church has zero tolerance for abuse and will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of children in any of our ministries. Any mistreatment or abuse by an employee or volunteer of Westwood Baptist Church will
result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or volunteer service and cooperation with law enforcement.
Bullying
o Bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional, is repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or
strength. Bullying can take on various forms, including:• Physical bullying – when one person engages in physical force against another person, such as by hitting,
punching, pushing, kicking, pinching, or restraining another.
• Verbal bullying – when someone uses their words to hurt another, such as by belittling or calling another
hurtful names.
• Nonverbal or relational bullying – when one person manipulates a relationship or desired relationship to
harm another person. This includes social exclusion, friendship manipulation, or gossip. This type of
bullying also includes intimidating another person by using gestures.
• Cyberbullying – the intentional and overt act of aggression toward another person by way of any technological tool, such as email, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or website postings (including blogs). Cyberbullying can involve:
(i) Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images.
(ii) Posting sensitive, private information about another person.
(iii) Pretending to be someone else to make that person look bad.
(iv) Intentionally excluding someone from an online group.
(v) Hazing – an activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers that person regardless of that person’s willingness to participate.
(vi) Sexualized bullying – when bullying involves behaviors that are sexual in
nature. Examples of sexualized bullying behaviors include sexting, bullying that involves exposures of private body parts, and verbal bullying involving sexualized language or innuendos.
Anyone who sees an act of bullying, and who then encourages it, is engaging in bullying. This policy applies to all including,
employees and volunteers.
Discipline
o Each of us is a Child of God and should be treated with the kind of respect, love, and support that is expected by
the commandment in Scripture to love one another. Occasionally, children will have trouble following the rules or
display disruptive behavior. In these cases, the following steps will be taken:▪ Attempt to redirect to another activity.
▪ Talk with the child and state clearly what the problem behavior is and what the child should do instead.
▪ If the behavior continues, the adult leader should notify the ministry leader to determine the next step.
• Outside Contact of Usual Ministry Functions
o Any communication with children (B-5th grade) should be through the parents.
o Communication directed to middle and high school aged students may be delivered to those students as needed through the Westwood App.
o Texting or communication with any age child that is outside the scope of ministry is prohibited.
o Westwood ministry leaders will not engage in babysitting, tutoring, private lessons/coaching, sleepovers, vacationing, or any other one-on-one activity with any child that is under the care of Westwood Baptist Church.o Attending public events in a shared community such as graduation, sports events, etc. are permitted.
o Outside contact with children may be permissible with written parameters for managing these interactions and with written consent from the child’s parent/guardian.
o Privately giving a child a gift is prohibited. Instructing that child to keep that gift a secret from the parents is inappropriate. Gifts should only be given to the group as a whole.
Social Media
o Westwood prohibits all texting, social media, or electronic communications with minors without the
parent/guardian’s knowledge.
o Posting pictures on Facebook or Instagram of children is prohibited without parent/guardian's permission.
o Please refrain from using your cellphone while serving unless it’s necessary.
Emergency and Injury
o All adult leaders should be prepared to protect our children in case of an emergency.
o In the event of an emergency during a ministry event on campus, one adult must remain with the child(ren) and
one adult must immediately go to the ministry leader for assistance. The ministry leader will contact security and
they will activate the emergency response protocol.
o Dialing 911 from a cellphone is often not a direct call to the local 911 agency. Using a landline or calling the local
emergency numbers is more direct.
o Medical supplies are located in the preschool hallway, 2nd floor workroom, and the Starting Point Information
Desk.
o For minor injuries the adult leader may provide basic first aid.
o For major injuries or medical emergencies that require more serious attention call 911 after the ministry leader
and security team have been alerted.
o For criminal or potentially dangerous activity, alert the ministry leader and security team for assistance.
In the event of an emergency evacuation make sure all the children are accounted for and leave the classroom together as
directed by the ministry leader. Gather in the designated area to recount the class and to prepare for parent pick up.
Food/Drink/Medication
o Leaders are asked to not eat in front of preschoolers or K-5 children unless it’s a group snack or meal.
o There should not be any hot drinks in the preschool classrooms at any time.
o The preschool and children’s ministry area are nut free zones.
o Adult leaders should have posted allergy notices in the classroom for any child with food allergies.
o Medication should never be given to any child (B-5th grade) for any reason.▪ Middle and high school students participating in a church sponsored event must have a parent/guardian signed waiver that includes specific instructions for medication administration.
Responding and Reporting
o All adults are expected to report suspected, careless, or problematic behavior of any other adult in that ministry to the ministry leader.
o All adults are expected to immediately report any suspected abuse or neglect of any age child to the ministry leader. The ministry leader will consult with church staff on how to respond and proceed. Concerns about suspected or actual child abuse or behaviors of leaders and volunteers must be shared only with the ministry leader and those directly involved in the reporting process (church staff, child protective services, and law enforcement) and not with anyone else.
I acknowledge that I have received and read the Safe Church Policies and Guidelines for Minors under the care of Westwood Baptist Church. I understand that violations of the policies contained in this packet could result in disciplinary action and/or termination of employment or volunteer services. Westwood Baptist Church has the right to modify or amend any of the stated policies, procedures, and guidelines at any time. If I have any questions about the interpretation or application of any of the policies, procedures, or guidelines contained in this packet, I should direct these to the appropriate ministry leader. If my questions remain unanswered, I will direct them to the Associate Pastor for further clarification. I further understand that the contents of this packet are not a form or written contract of employment or volunteer service. Westwood Baptist Church has the right to terminate employment and volunteer services at any time.
Revised May 2024 – submitted to legal counsel and approved –
7/22/2024 - submitted in members meeting
8/25/2024 Westwood Baptist Church Safe Policies Acknowledgement
