OREGON
Catholic Sentinel
Jon DeBellis
Of the Catholic Sentinel
The safety and protection of children in the Archdiocese of Portland is forever on the mind of Cathy Shannon, director of the Child Protection Office for the archdiocese. That’s her job.
But, says Shannon, children also are kept safe because of the work of the people and staff in parishes, a lay-run review board and national support from other diocesan offices.
“Children are safer because of the efforts of a great many people,” says Shannon. “And we intend on keeping it that way.”
Since 1995, employee background checks have been a requirement in hiring procedures for those working with children and since 2002, a background check for volunteers working with minors has been required.
In keeping in compliance with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children, the background checks are just part of the equation. Also required for volunteers and staff is training using the safe environment and protection program named “Called to Protect,” by Praesidium, Inc. For adults, this program teaches about the warning signs of possible sexual abuse or boundary violations with minors, and how to respond to those warning signs. Once this training is completed, those working with children four or more times per year are also required to complete an annual online course called Armatus.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.