Updates

Erin Neil, Director of the Office of Safe Environments, offers a periodic update on the ongoing implementation of the Safe Environment Initiative in the Diocese of Bridgeport, launched in June 2003.

Summer 2009

2008 Audit Report on U.S. Dioceses Issued
Every year dioceses across the United States undergo an external compliance audit on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People to ensure that each diocese continues to maintain the safest possible environments for children.

The Diocese of Bridgeport was found to be fully compliant in 2008. In fact, we have been found compliant every year since the audits began in 2003.

The 2008 report (posted now on www.usccb.org) notes that the Catholic Church in the United States:

• Trained more than 1.8 million clergy, employees, and volunteers in parishes in how to create safe environments and prevent child sexual abuse.
  
  
• Prepared more than 5.7 million children to recognize abuse and protect themselves.
  
  
• Ran background checks on more the 1,535,000 volunteers and employees, 164,000 educators, 51,000 clerics, and 4,955 candidates for ordination.

In the Diocese of Bridgeport we have held more than 1,700 Safe Environment awareness training sessions for adults and children training more than 60,000 people. We distributed 40,000 training materials including brochures, mandated reporting information, and parent guides so that parents can learn at home and reinforce these safety lessons with their children on an ongoing basis. We also conducted more than 20,000 criminal background checks.

Summer Safety Tips for Parents
Summer is here, and kids have a lot more free time. Staying in touch with friends over summer months may include texting, e-mailing, increased time spent on the Internet, and even live Internet gaming, which is more popular than ever.

Be aware of the risks of texting. Talk to your child often about safety online and offline and discuss rules for appropriate conduct when using any form of technology. If your child has a cellphone that is capable of taking videos or images (most have this capability), discuss the danger and potential consequences of taking inappropriate images of someone including pictures or videos of themselves without clothing. This is often referred to as "sexting" and usually starts as a dare or a joke. These self-created images are appearing at an alarming rate with youth on social networking sites.

Reinforce with your child that they should never assume any text, e-mail, or video is private. As soon as a text message, photo, or video is sent, it can’t be erased or taken back. Treat any image and online communication as if it will exist in cyber-space forever.

If you or your child receives an inappropriate image on the Internet or cell phone, call your local police and do not forward it on to anyone. If a minor or an adult forwards an image containing a nude picture or video of a minor, he/she becomes the sender of child pornography, which is against the law.

Remind children that images, blog postings, social networking sites, and instant messages have future consequences, including the possibility of a school official viewing what they have posted; law enforcement, college admission offices, and even future employers may also be looking.

Be aware of the risks of online gaming. It is important to be aware of the ratings (many online games contain violence and adult content). Parents can look into the safeguards and privacy options that are available for any Internet or “live” game your child may have interest in: visit www.netsmartz.org.

How to Report
If you learn of or observe something inappropriate on a social networking or Internet gaming site, there is usually a “REPORT ABUSE” or “PARENT” tab where you can report activity and have it removed. Depending on what you have observed, you may also need to contact law enforcement.

There is also a mechanism for reporting inappropriate activity online. The U.S. Congress-mandated "Cyber-Tipline" is a means for reporting crimes against children online. Reports may be made 24-hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.com or by calling toll-free (800) 843-5678.

April 2009

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
It is most appropriate that Child Abuse Prevention Month is held during the Easter season. There is no better time than Easter to celebrate the protection of our most valuable gift from God – our children.

For information on how you can become more informed and involved in keeping our children safe by attending a local workshop on child safety and abuse prevention, please speak with your parish Safe Environment coordinator or call me, Erin Neil, L.C.S.W., director of Safe Environments and victim assistance coordinator for the Diocese of Bridgeport: 416-1406

Five Steps
All clergy, employees, volunteers, and independent contractors in the Diocese of Bridgeport learn about child abuse prevention through the VIRTUS program and are required to complete a criminal background check through their school or parish office. All parents and parishioners are welcome and encouraged to participate in this free child abuse awareness and prevention program.

VIRTUS training details five steps to prevent child sexual abuse:

• Know the early warning signs of an inappropriate relationship with a child and stop abuse before it happens! (VIRTUS teaches you to spot these warnings.)
  
  
• Control access to children by ensuring a criminal background check is completed on every employee, volunteer, and independent contractor in schools and parishes.
  
  
• Monitor all programs by ensuring that two or more trained and background-checked adults are present at all times when minors are participating.
  
  
• Be aware of where your children spend their time, especially online!
  
  
• Communicate any early concern you have to your pastor and to one of our two victim assistance coordinators: Erin Neil: 416-1406 or (cell) 650-3265, and Bill Hoey: 241-0987.

For a schedule of upcoming VIRTUS classes, visit the website: www.virtus.org.

Be Vigilant
It is vitally important that we are constantly vigilant – that we always observe the behaviors of those who interact with children and communicate our concerns to the appropriate parties. Sometimes this means communicating our safety concerns to our children.

Parents must also listen carefully to their children and observe both their children’s activities and the behavior of older children and adults who interact with them. When children exhibit dramatic behavioral changes, adults must find out what caused the changes. Being aware of what’s happening with our children means talking to, listening to, and observing them at every opportunity.

Prevent Abuse by Making a Call!
Please do not let child abuse go un-reported – help is available! If you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse by any person from the Church, help is available. Child sexual abuse is never a child’s fault. Please contact one of our victim assistance coordinators: Erin Neil: 650-3265 and Bill Hoey: 241-0987.

If you have any reason to suspect that a child has been abused or could be in danger of abuse, please do not wait! Immediately contact one of our victim assistance coordinators and the State of Connecticut’s Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline: (800) 842-2288.

July 2008

Focus on Internet Safety
On April 29, to close our observance of Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention month, the Office of Safe Environments, together with the Health and Safety Committee overseen by Marie Keogh, director of emergency services, hosted an Internet Safety presentation conducted by New Haven F.B.I. Supervisory Special Agent Tom Lawler.

This presentation helped to raise our awareness of the problem of Internet crimes, with special attention on crimes involving children and crimes involving Internet fraud. It was alarming to learn that, in Connecticut, approximately one person every week is arrested for Internet crimes.

Who are the most at risk online? While anyone using the Internet may be at risk for their personal safety or fraud, those who are unaware of the risks are the MOST vulnerable. Kids often feel as if they are anonymous online and are more likely to engage in conversations and risk taking that they may not regularly take in person. Adults are cautioned to check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) first before falling for any "once in a lifetime opportunity" or any "get rich quick" offer.

Many adults in our state become victims of Internet fraud. Approximately 12 complaints involving Internet fraud are reported weekly to the New Haven FBI.

Internet Safety Tips for Parents
The Number One rule on Internet safety is always to keep the computer out of a child's bedroom and to supervise Internet use in a public area of the home during scheduled times.

Parents should stay updated on the current threats to children, and an excellent resource is www.virtusonline.org where new topics on child sexual abuse prevention are posted monthly.

Tell your child never to post identifying information or arrange to meet with someone they met online. Even a child's e-mail address may give away identifying information about them. And caution children never to make threats or get into fights online, and never take any photographs and post them.

Cyber-bullying and online harassment are becoming an increasing problem among children and teenagers. Talk to your child about appropriate behavior and good manners online just as you would encourage kind and appropriate communication with those whom they meet in person. This is called "netiquette."

Parents can install content filters, website filters, virus scans, firewalls, or keystroke logging software on their home computers. Parents are strongly encouraged to check their child's web browser history.

If you identify inappropriate content directed toward a minor online, you should contact your local police or the FBI office in New Haven at (203) 777-6311. Don't delete it!

Other recommended resources on Internet safety and preventing crimes against children: www.missingkids.com. This website comes highly recommended by the FBI and it contains free online safety programs for children and youth of all ages.

April 2008

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month: Wear a Blue Ribbon!
On April 4, 1983 in the wake of rising reports of child abuse in the United States, President Ronald Reagan declared April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness activities have been promoted across the country during April of each year.

• 1 in 5 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18
• 1 in 10 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18
• 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet
• An estimated 40 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today
• Approx. 29% of victims are abused by a family member
• Approx. 60% are abused by someone the family knows and trusts
• Only 11% of child sexual abuse is committed by strangers

• When trick or treating or attending parties at local halls, haunted houses, and shopping centers, remember that nothing is safer than your supervision. If you have made a decision to permit your child to trick or treat in your neighborhood and you will not be going with them, it is important that your child goes with a group and that an older teenage sibling is with them at all times.
• Let children know that they should never go into the homes or up to an approaching car to get treats or candy, no matter what the person says. Practice a few scenarios with them to be sure they understand. Children should always wait until they get home to sample the candy so that you may inspect everything.
• Set a route and reinforce that they must stick to this route and stay in well-lit areas.
• Place emergency identification tags inside clothing and have your child carry a fully-charged cell phone and a flashlight with new batteries at all times.
• Costumes should have large holes for eyes that give your child full view of his or her surroundings. Your child should be visible to others. Reflective tape placed on costumes or candy bags is an inexpensive way to make sure that your child is visible to traffic.
• Finally, review the safety tips you and your child learned in the Child Lures Prevention Think First & Stay Safe Program.

June 2006

Three Years of Accomplishments!
June 2006 marks three years since the new Sexual Misconduct Policy was issued and the Safe Environment Program in the Diocese of Bridgeport was launched. Since 2003, we have held 850 child abuse prevention trainings for adults in seven languages using the VIRTUS program, and over 250 parent, children, and youth training sessions using Child Lures Prevention. We also hold routine in-services on mandated reporting, conducted by the Connecticut Department of Children and Family Service.

The Diocese of Bridgeport has trained over 40,000 clergy, employees, volunteers, parents, high school youth, and children on abuse prevention, Internet safety, and reporting requirements. We have reached thousands more through informational brochures, online continuing education, and safety guides sent home to families. Child safety materials and information on how to make a report of suspected abuse are available in every school, parish, and program.

Criminal background checks, awareness training, the Code of Conduct and the Sexual Misconduct Policy have all worked together to make our Diocese a safer place for children and adults.

Is It Working?
A participant of a 2003 VIRTUS training recently asked, "How do we know if our efforts are working?"

One measure of a prevention program is a decline in new incidents of abuse. Since the implementation of the Safe Environment Program in 2003, there have been no new allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by a member of the clergy, a lay employee, or a lay volunteer.

Another measure is the reporting of early warning signs or concerns before they become incidents of abuse. VIRTUS and the Child Lures Prevention Program educate adults and youth to be proactive and report concerns or unsafe situations as soon as they occur. We have great success to report in this area. The Safe Environment Office receives regular reports by volunteers, parents, clergy and even members of the community of their concerns or about unsafe situations in their environment. We have even received reports from small children who go through the Child Lures Program. Adults and children trained to detect and report early signs of a problem help us to respond early before a serious situation can occur.

Background checks have proven effective at screening out individuals with crimes against children in their past from working in our diocese. In recent months, background checks have turned up no hits of any person with a conviction of a sex crime or crime against children in their past.

Finally, the Diocese of Bridgeport has undergone three external compliance audits since 2003 with great success.

We may never be able to stop every incident of abuse, but we know for certain that we are lessening the chance of it occurring, going unnoticed, or going unreported.

For more information on the Safe Environments Program, contact Erin Neil: 416-1406 or 416-1301.