Safe Environment

For Children K-8 Grades.  As caring adults, we have the great responsibility of ensuring the safety of children and youth.  The prevention of child sexual abuse requires more than adult awareness, education, and training about the nature and scope of the problem.  We must also give children and youth the tools they need to help us keep them safe by educating them regarding boundaries, safe and unsafe behaviors and healthy relationships.  Research shows that child abuse prevention is most effective when there is a partnership between parents and Lesson Leaders, when material is reiterated in a school setting, and when the training is interactive and activity-based.  Research based and evidence informed, the "Empowering God's Children" is an age-appropriate comprehensive program through which Lesson Leaders (teachers, catechists, youth ministers, etc.) and parents partner to give children and youth the tools they need to protect themselves and know what to do if someone tries to violate their boundaries.  Each year the program provides a theme that introduces and builds on the basic concepts of the "Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide."  The material is developmentally appropriate for each age group and includes content and activities that reinforce the message.  Within each lesson plan is the ability to tailor the activities and messaging to meet the diverse needs of the children and youth at all levels.

For 9th-12th Grades.  High school students who wish to volunteer at any Archdiocesan parish or school must complete Virtus' Healthy Relationships for Teens 2.0 Online Module Expansion with Safe Environment Component.  This will replace Called to Serve and Praesidium's Called to Protect.  This module is entirely online and must be completed individually; there will be no in-person workshops.  Certificates and/or notification of completion of the module will be available to local Virtus parish/school administrators.  

Recertification is required for all existing volunteers and employees who completed Protecting God’s Children (PGC) before January 1, 2020.

• Recertification must be completed by November 1, 2023.
• All 100,000+ AOD-registered Virtus users were sent an email (from Virtus) in late June and early July with links for recertification.
• If you did not receive an email about your recertification, log into your existing Virtus account. You should not create a new account if you have taken Protecting God’s Children in the past. If you do not remember your username or password, Virtus offers a username and password recovery option at bit.ly/Virtus_Account_Recovery. If you have difficulties accessing your account, contact the Virtus Help Desk ([email protected] / 888-847-8870) or send an email to [email protected].
• Once you have logged into your Virtus account you should see the assigned training under the Home tab / Current Training.
• The self-paced modules (Protecting God’s Children and Vulnerable Adults) are entirely online and take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
• You can stop and start as you need to complete training at your convenience.

Existing Volunteers who have NEVER taken a PGC session before:

• A PGC session must be completed by November 1, 2023.  
• The self-paced modules (Protecting God’s Children and Vulnerable Adults) are entirely online and take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
• Register online at bit.ly/Virtus_Registration
• You can stop and start as you need to complete training at your convenience.

• All new employees and new recurrent adult volunteers must register on the Virtus platform (bit.ly/Virtus_Registration)
• You must be certified before commencing your role.
• You are required to register for a live session of Protecting God’s Children training (either in person or by Zoom) and the online self-paced Vulnerable Adults training will be assigned to you.

• You must register on the Virtus platform and complete training before volunteering (bit.ly/Virtus_Registration)
• You may complete your certification either -
  • entirely online at your convenience with the self-paced training modules for Protecting God’s Children and Vulnerable Adults, or
  • by attending an in-person or live Zoom session for Protecting God’s Children and completing the self-paced Vulnerable Adults module online.

• An annual background check is now required for ALL clergy, employees, and recurrent adult volunteers.
• A biennial background check is required for occasional volunteers and those contracted by parishes and schools.
• Contact the Office of Child and Youth Protection for assistance running background checks on employees and recurrent adult volunteers who have not lived in Michigan for at least 7 years ([email protected] / 313-237-5826).