Protecting God's Children

contact:  Kristen Kopcio  Local Safe Environment Coordinator
 
email: kristen@ihmcmahwah.org

In accordance with requirements mandated by the Archdiocese of Newark, all adults, staff and volunteers alike, involved with the children and/or teenagers of our parish must comply with the following requirements of the Protecting God’s Children Program prior to being able to volunteer:

After meeting with the staff member responsible for the ministry for which you're interested in volunteering, you'll be asked to:

1. Complete the Volunteer Application
2. Read “Archdiocesan Policies with respect to Conduct with Minors and certain Reporting Obligations”
3. Sign an Acknowledgement Form for the policies
4. Attend a Protecting God’s Children Workshop
5. Complete a background check online OR provide proof of being fingerprinted. Note: If you have ever been fingerprinted, you do not need to order a background check. You must provide Sal Tralongo a copy of a confirming letter from the agency that took your fingerprints.

FIRST TIME ATTENDING A WORKSHOP? You must pre-register at www.virtusonline.org. Click on the "FIRST-TIME REGISTRANT" tab on the left hand side of the page. Select the Newark (Archdiocese). When prompted, you must indicate in the "LOCATION" that you'll be volunteering at Immaculate Heart of Mary. You will also order your background check through this website. Do not complete the background check if you have proof of fingerprinting.

HAS YOUR CERTIFICATION EXPIRED? Volunteers must retrain for a Protecting God's Children Workshop every three years. Email Clarkkar@rcan.org to request retraining & specifiy if you want to register for an in-person workshop or online recertification. If you choose to retrain online, you will be required to complete a short module online every year and read monthly articles. Attending a Protecting God's Children workshop in-person (2.5-3 hrs.) satisfies this requirement for three years.

BACKGROUND CHECKS MUST BE PERFORMED EVERY FIVE YEARS. Please email  to order a new pastor@ihmcmahwah.org background check.

How to Report Abuse: The Archdiocese of Newark takes very seriously any and all allegations of sexual misconduct by members of the clergy, Religious and lay staff of the Archdiocese. We encourage anyone with knowledge of an act of sexual misconduct to inform us immediately so that we may take appropriate action to protect others and provide support to victims of sexual abuse. Individuals who wish to report an allegation of sexual misconduct may do so by calling the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection at (201) 407-3256.