Riverwood Bible Church is committed to providing a safe church environment that will protect children and youth from any abuse while they are involved in church-related activities. To that end, the Elder Board has adopted a child safety policy that we have named the Safe Kids / Safe Workers Policy.
Riverwood adopted this policy not only to maximize safety and prevent any abuse of minors (ages 0-17) or vulnerable adults (those with mental or physical limitations) within its church community, but also to guide and protect volunteers and employees from unwarranted allegations of abuse.
The Safe Kids / Safe Workers Policy applies to all employees of Riverwood and to any volunteers who have any capacity to care for or oversee any programs which include minors. Employees and volunteers who work with minors are required to attend training regarding this policy and undergo background checks. Parents of minors at Riverwood are strongly encouraged to attend the training themselves in order to provide proper parental oversight in this area for their own children. Policy training is provided at various times and will last approximately one hour. There is a separate application and training process for minors who desire to serve in children’s ministry volunteer roles.
Please contact Pastor Daniel Scarbrough to learn about the timing and arrangements of the next scheduled training session. Child care will be provided if needed.
CHILD PROTECTION POLICY PROCESS
There are several steps to working with children and youth at Riverwood Bible Church:
- Read the Child Protection Policy here.
- Fill out the application form. Pastor Daniel Scarbrough can provide a hard copy of the form and answer any questions that you may have. You can also download the form and print it. This form includes a request for identifying information in order to submit your background check. A background check is a mandatory requirement for children’s ministry volunteer involvement with Riverwood Bible Church.
- Training: The mandatory training session is approximately one hour in length to ensure understanding of the policy.
- Approval: Upon receipt of your background check, your application will be finalized and communicated to you. Assuming there are no problems, you are now qualified to serve as a volunteer with our children and youth.
THE VISION
Read our vision statement for the presence and participation of children at Riverwood Bible Church.
UPCOMING TRAINING SESSIONS
Pastor Daniel Scarbrough will normally conduct training sessions on an annual basis during the summer, but additional sessions may be scheduled if there is a need. Contact Daniel Scarbrough if you have questions.
RECOMMITMENT TO TRAINING
If you are a current volunteer, our policy requires that annually you attend a brief refresher session and sign a recommitment to the policy. Pastor Daniel Scarbrough will be monitoring the compliance of all children’s ministry volunteers with respect to this requirement. Current volunteers will not be allowed to continue serving without having completed this annual recommitment to the policy.