Father Kleppner - August 26, 2007
Questions and Answers on
Diocesan Safe Environment Database
The Diocese of Pittsburgh is accepting registrations for a
database in compliance with auditing requirements for the
national “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young
People.” The purpose of the database is to track compliance
with diocesan policies requiring church personnel to obtain a
background check, complete training in establishing a safe
environment for children and acknowledge the Code of
Pastoral Conduct.
The following are answers to frequently asked questions
regarding the Safe Environment Program of the diocese.
- Question: Why is the Catholic Church the only institution
that has to do this — background checks, training and
the like? Is it because of the abuse scandal caused by
our priests and bishops?
Answer: The Catholic Church is not alone in this effort. The
abuse of children (physical, mental, sexual, emotional) is a
national problem that requires a national response. Abuse
of children occurs anywhere children are: schools, afterschool
programs, athletic programs and especially in homes.
Federal and state laws have been passed to help in this effort
of protecting children by requiring schools, day-care centers
and other institutions to obtain background checks. At the
same time, while child abuse is not uniquely “Catholic,” the
bishops of the United States have challenged us to be at the
forefront of protecting minors and of ensuring accountability
for the procedures to do this.
- Question: Why is our diocese the only one required to
create a database?
Answer: As part of the effort to ensure accountability for
compliance with the bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People,” every diocese across the
United States is audited by an independent firm. One of the
ways this firm verifies that a diocese is providing a safe
environment for minors is to inspect the diocesan database
for tracking compliance. In this day and age, an electronic
database is the best way to maintain this information, and the
use of the Internet makes it easy for the literally tens of
thousands of people who must comply with the requirements
of providing a safe environment.
- Question: Why is the diocese implementing all of these
new requirements now (database application,
clearances, training)?
Answer: The only thing that is new is the centralized
database. The Safe Environment Program of the diocese
went into effect on July 1, 2004, and requires that all paid
staff and volunteers who have regular contact with children
do three things: acknowledge receipt of the diocesan Code of
Pastoral Conduct, obtain a background check that includes
both a Pennsylvania State Police criminal background check
and a Department of Public Welfare Child Abuse clearance,
and complete the Protecting God’s Children training.
- Question: Who is required to complete an application for
a background check?
Answer: Decisions about who has regular contact with
minors must be made on a parish level. However, parishes
must consider this when making the decision: Are ushers,
lectors, the organist, etc. acting in the name of the church?
Surely, the answer is “yes.” Do ushers ever direct children to
restrooms, water coolers, etc. before, during or after Mass?
Do lectors share the sacristy when altar servers are vesting?
Children view those individuals acting in the name of the
church as authority figures, and children assume that they
can trust them. While they may not know their names,
children certainly know (or assume) that these people are to
be trusted because they recognize them from regular
attendance at Mass, etc. What are children taught? Don’t
talk to strangers. When children see ministers, acting in the
name of the church, they assume those people are safe. The
church must ensure that these individuals are, in fact, safe,
not because the church is interested in someone’s personal
information (certainly not) but because the church has a
responsibility to protect children in her care. When in doubt,
we should err on the side of providing the safest environment
possible for children.
- Question: What do you say to someone who is 82 years
old and feels that they do not have to fill out clearances
for being a minister? While everyone knows it takes
seconds to molest a child, there is a group of parish
volunteers who are going to quit instead of doing this.
Answer: It is not easy for everyone, especially those who
have given many years of service, to understand this
requirement. Unfortunately, those who abuse children come
in all genders, all walks of life and all ages. You cannot tell a
molester from how he or she looks. Protecting children (and
grandchildren) is everyone’s responsibility. People who
provide a ministry or a service in the name of the church are
viewed by little ones as authority figures who can be implicitly
trusted. We need to do our best to ensure that children are
safe.
- Question: What if I work at one parish and volunteer at
another? Do I have to complete the online application
twice?
Answer: One application covers all diocesan, parish and
school positions.
- Question: What if someone refuses to comply with the
requirements of the Safe Environment Program?
Answer: If someone refuses to comply, then they cannot
have contact with children in the name of the church.
Ministry and service in the church is not a right. The church
can and does determine who is suitable to minister or provide
some service within the church, and the diocese has
determined that those who have regular contact with minors
must provide reasonable assurance that children will be safe
when they come into contact with them. If a person refuses,
then that individual must serve in an area of church where he
or she does not have regular contact with children, for
example, as a money counter or bookkeeper.
- Question: What if someone’s background check reveals
a previous infraction?
Answer: Minor infractions that do not provide a threat to
minors will not affect a person’s status as approved to have
contact with children. More serious infractions will be
reviewed by a diocesan examination board, which will make
a decision as to whether the infraction is of such a nature that
the person should be restricted in ministry with minors or
rejected for ministry with minors.
- Question: What guarantees do we have that Austin
Computing, which maintains the secure Web site,
encrypts the data and stores the servers in a secure
location and won’t misuse or lose the information?
Answer: Austin Computing, which was founded by Catholics
specifically to help the church, is not going to jeopardize its
existence by selling data it is legally bound to protect and
safeguard. As a small, family owned business, access is
limited. A bank or a retailer with thousands of employees is
probably a greater risk than a small firm such as Austin
Computing Solutions that uses state-of-the-art techniques to
safeguard the data.
- Question: Are there any other dioceses that are using
Austin Computing?
Answer: Austin Computing provides services to: Austin,
Texas; Tyler, Texas; Victoria, Texas; San Angelo, Texas;
Amarillo, Texas; Baton Rouge, La.; Oklahoma City, Okla.;
Chicago; Raleigh, N.C.; Jackson, Mississippi.; Green Bay,
Wis.; and Santa Rosa, Calif.
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