Safe Environment for Our Children

Both the diocese and our parish insist that all adults who work or volunteer even on a limited basis with children complete the Safe Environment program. It does take effort on our part, but we owe it to our children. This whole program is free and is a valuable way to help protect our children.

It is necessary to complete all of these steps in order to work with children. If you have not yet signed up for the program, please do so soon so that you can be involved in the various activities here at St. Timothy Parish. For more information or to check on your status, please contact Kay Schuele at the parish office (384-1100).
The process involves several steps:

  1. Participate in a “Protecting God’s Children” training session. The sessions take place at various locations in the diocese usually on a Saturday morning or a weekday evening. Register at www.virtus.org.

  2. Complete the volunteer application form and submit to a background check.

  3. Read the diocesan “Policies and Procedures for Addressing Sexual Misconduct”.  Complete and sign the acceptance form for this policy.

  4. Read the required monthly training bulletins at www.virtus.org to continue the education process. By e-mail, you will be notified to complete the monthly assignment.  The status of your online training is shown on the website.

    To simplify the Safe Environment Program in the Diocese of Covington, the following changes are effective on January 1, 2011:

    1. Everyone will be assigned online monthly bulletins and read only monthly bulletins. There will be no more quarterly modules or yearly recertification modules. You will have 30 days from the date assigned to complete the online
      monthly bulletin. Go to www.virtus.org and click onto the training tab to read your assigned bulletins.
    2. If the bulletin is not completed, your account will be suspended. Once suspended, you will stay suspended until the “drop suspension” month.
      (see #3). Please pay special attention to this as if you are suspended, there is nothing that can be done until the “drop suspension” month.
    3. Calls to the Diocese will not be accepted to open suspended accounts. Suspensions will be automatically dropped in December, April and August. You will have 30 days to catch up. After the 30 day period, all non compliant accounts will be put into suspension. This means you will not be able to volunteer during the next 3 months. NO EXCEPTIONS! (Note-the deadline for this first time is Dec. 26, 2010). Reading your bulletins will alert the parish or school that you are available to volunteer during the next quarter.

US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)  Office of Child & Youth Protection.
USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.