Food hygiene

Food hygiene is very important aspect in church nursery security planning. Food should not only be of good nutritional value but its sourcing, handling and presentation should be done carefully to prevent food poisoning or infections from poorly handles food. First, the kitchen area should be large enough to allow all the activities related to food preparation be taken there. Separate access should be provided to allow for food delivery and activities done in the kitchen. Kitchen arrangement is an important factor for church nursery safety. Arrangement should follow a flow of work pattern to avoid crossing over from place to place in the kitchen. There is less risk in the kitchen if things are flowing. All food handlers must be trained on the best practice of food preparation for minors. Good lighting, ventilation should be provided in the kitchen. Children should not be allowed in the kitchen even when part of their activity includes kitchen activity. Another room should be provided for such exercise. A refuse area should be designated with a lid, pests such as rats, cockroaches, crawling and flying insects should not be allowed to thrive in the kitchen. The nursery kitchen is a no go zone for any pets. A first aid kit should be availed in the nursery kitchen.

Health and safety

Health and safety for Church nursery safety would include measures to ensure the premises where children are is safe for them to learn and play. Electrical and gas installation should be done by a certified professional to avoid any mishaps. LPG heaters should not be used under any circumstances in the nursery. It is also important to control access to the nursery area. All employees in the nursery should be vetted to ensure no sexual predators come in to contact with children. Cleaning chemicals and equipment should be kept under lock and key when not in use by a responsible adult. All drugs and medicines should be kept under lock and key and only given to the children upon parent approval. Play equipment that can cause falls e.g. swings, slides, etc or where climbing is involved, special care should be taken to mount the play equipment upon resilient surfaces, e.g. deep back beds to reduce injury. Risk assessment should be carried out to determine all possible causes of accidents and appropriate measures taken to mitigate the same.

Infectious Diseases

Infections are passed from person to person through physical contact e.g. handshakes, or through droplets spread. Most common infections in a nursery are dysentery, salmonella, staphylococcus, hepatitis A and viral infections.

Records of everyone (including all staff members) in the nursery should be well kept and names and telephone numbers of contact persons kept in case of emergency. All surfaces in the nursery should be well cleaned and disinfected. Measures must be implemented to ensure that soiled nappies, clothing etc are cleaned and disinfected prior to normal washing.

Sick care givers or children should not be allowed in the nursery. Children should wash their hands regularly with soap and water and this should be trained early.

Church nursery safety should be an integral part of any church safety activities.

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Hiring

To observe good conduct of children and church safety, hiring of any person who comes into contact with children should be done under very stringent screening process without exceptions. From the youth pastor, to the teenage Sunday school volunteer, screening should be standard. Screening would include, a thorough interview, confirmation of information given by applicants or volunteers, and background checks on criminal history on applicants. A policy on handling of children and teenagers should be developed so that appropriate behavior does not remain ambiguous. All applicants should be made aware of the policy and if possible they should go through the same before applying for positions that deal with the children and the youth.

Supervision

After hiring, the person who deals with children should undergo training on the policy of handling minors and appropriate behavior on the same. Apart from those handling of children, every member of the congregation should be aware of the policy and the procedure for reporting inappropriate behavior by care givers. At no time should an adult be allowed to be with the children alone in under any circumstance without a second adult present even when supervising only one child, a second adult should be present in the room or any enclosed area. Inappropriate behaviors like sitting a child over 6 years of age on the lap, kissing, hugging, touching chest, genital area, upper legs, buttocks, waist, stomach of the minor should be prohibited.

When going to the bathroom, the care giver should be accompanied by another adult and stand outside as the child goes into the bathroom. In case the child needs assistance, the care giver should encourage the child to do as much as (s) he can by themselves assisting then only where necessary. If the parent is within reach, then the parent should be called to assist the child.

The care givers should not administer corporal punishment of any kind to the child. There should be separate bathroom facilities for children and adults, and children of different gender should have separate bathroom facilities.

Correction for unwanted behavior should be gentle and counseling would be appropriate as opposed to yelling to the child or corporal punishment.

Reporting inappropriate behavior

Training of care givers for children and church safety should include training on how to identify inappropriate behavior of adults towards children and the procedure for reporting the same. Other adults in the church should also be educated on the same to ensure that inappropriate behavior does not go unreported.

Children and church safety should be the responsibility of all members.

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1. Establishing the context- This involves establishing the processes and the risks inherent with every process. It is also important to define the priority processes and plan, for example, holding a service would have many processes, holding the service is a priority activity for the church and therefore the context of the risks related to processes holding a service should be established
2. Risk identification- Identifying the risk involves identifying the stakeholders of the process and how the process would affect each one of them. Using our example of the service, the service would have stakeholders like the members of the congregation, the pastors, ushers, and the choir among others. Each of this group would have certain requirements and parts to play in the whole service and so there is risk if any of the stakeholders is affected by any sort of risk.
3. Analyze the risk- This involves determining the probability of the undesirable event happening and the magnitude of the loss that would result from such loss. For example, what is the likelihood that the day’s preacher will not be able to give a sermon, what is the impact of that to the service? This would involve listing all the possible scenarios and their outcomes e.g. the preacher could fall ill, have an accident, or any other scenario that would make him not be able to deliver the sermon should be put down.
4. Evaluate the risk- This involves prioritizing the risks depending on the rate of occurrence and the magnitude of the loss if the unfavorable events occur. E.g. what is the likelihood that a preacher would fall ill during a sermon? What impact will this have to the service? Is this a priority risk management issue? Does it rank before the choir master falling ill? These questions form the basis of evaluating the risk.
5. Treat the risk- This involves putting up measures both operational and resources for defense against the risk perceived. After evaluating the risks, a priority list would be drawn and measures to treat the risks would be put up according to the priority list. For example in the case of the service, if delivering of the sermon is more pressing than the choir, then measures for the sermon being delivered would be taken first e.g. have a back up preacher. This should be documented and reasons for choosing a particular risk clearly defined. Some treatment for risks includes risk avoidance, hazard prevention, risk reduction, risk sharing.
6. Monitoring and review- When identifying, evaluating and treating risks certain assumptions are made, these assumptions may need evaluation as the church changes and also as resources increase or decrease. Monitoring involves checking the processes to make sure that the risk attributed to them is real or imagined.
7. Communicate and consult- This involves getting feedback from the stakeholder on the risk management process. It creates an avenue for reviewing the context of existing risk management measures.

Church risk management is a key process in understanding the threats inherent to the church and how to deal with them.

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Identification and Classification of crisis

Identification of the sources of crisis can effectively enable the church crisis planning more effectively. Crisis can be classified generally to have 8 types of crisis

1. Natural crisis- These are caused by natural disasters and cause massive destruction of not only the organizations property but also infrastructure for supporting the organization and the general public. For a church, being a community agent, preparing for this type of a crisis would also require a plan of dealing with those who might seek assistance from the church. Examples of natural crisis involve, crisis caused by floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mudslides etc
2. Technological crisis- This are crisis caused by misuse of technology or failure of such technology. His occurs when the technology systems become complex and something goes wrong with the system. In enhancing the church security crisis planning technological crisis planning is important especially in regards to electronic records loss and use of software. Examples of technological crisis involve, software failure, industrial accidents etc.
3. Confrontational crisis- This crisis occurs when groups fight within the system for control or for their interests. In a church this would include splinter groups fighting for control, employees going on go slows, sit-ins, boycotts or sabotaging the church’s work etc.
4. Crisis of malevolence- When opponents or disgruntled individuals use criminal or other extreme means to met out hostility or anger toward, or seeking gain from the organization. These include crisis caused by kidnappings, assassinations, malicious damage to property, espionage, rumors, etc.
5. Crisis of organizational misdeeds-This is a crisis caused when the management of the church takes actions which may jeopardize the whole organization. These crisis are divided into 3, crisis of skewed management, crisis of deception and crisis of management misconduct
   1.  Crisis of skewed management- These are caused when the management of the church favors the interests of some stakeholders over others. Eg. The church leaders putting their interests before those of their congregation and the community as a whole
   2. Crisis of deception- These are caused when they is a deliberate attempt to conceal the truth and misrepresenting the church or its management or some misdeeds of members. Eg covering up for sex offenders within the church, condoning  criminal activity etc.
   3.  Crisis of management misconduct- This is where the management not only skews interests to favor some stakeholders, but go further to do so in a criminal manner. E.g. Misappropriation of funds, transfer of church funs to private accounts etc.
   4. Crisis of Violence- This occurs when a member of the congregation, or a non-member, part of the management or any other person results to use of violence against members of the church, employee or the management of the church.
   5. Rumors- This involves attacking the reputation of the church or its leadership by spreading falsehoods and damaging stories.

Church Crisis plan

Before any crisis take place the crisis to be dealt with should be understood to be sudden or from smoldering. Sudden crisis is caused by unforeseen events which the church could not have put measures to mitigate e.g. natural disasters and terrorism. Shouldering causes are those that could be detected early and measures for remedy made early before the crisis e.g. skewed management.

Church Crisis planning involves looking at all aspects of possible crisis and laying plans before they occur so as to enable the church take calculated steps when dealing with a crisis when they occur as opposed to making the decisions under pressure during the crisis.

Church crisis management is an important activity to ensuring continuity of the church.

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Natural Access of Control

It is one of the methods of crime prevention through environmental design for church basic security. This basically means that the access to the church building should be channeled through a natural route by design, which means anyone moving from the norm will be easily identified. Some of the measures to enforce this is maintaining a clear path from all entrances to the specific public areas, for example, a person entering the sanctuary from the gate, should move naturally without the possibility of getting lost. Care should be taken to seal off possible areas of escape a Church basic security measure.

Territory reinforcement

This simply means clearly demarcating the private and public access area for church basic security. Borders can be established using simple methods like waist high fences, signage and other methods that divide the premises.

Inner perimeter security

This refers to use of doors, windows and walls of the building. Protection of the internal perimeter is done using locks, keys, security alarm system, burglary detection devices, fire detection system, and fire extinguishers used for church basic security.

Locks-Single and double cylinder deadbolts are the common types. The single cylinder deadbolt lock uses a key on one side and a knob on the other. They are ideal for doors which are away from windows since if near windows burglars can break the window and open them. The double cylinder deadbolt locks are locked by keys from both sides and would be more ideal for doors near windows.

For churches these locks may be used in internal rooms and offices as fire codes prohibit their use in public places.

Security Alarm systems- Alarm systems are monitored off site by a security company. The company is alerted whenever the alarm goes off. When the alarm goes off, a contact person is informed immediately. Passive monitoring refers to alarm system monitoring where the offsite company contacts the predetermined person when the alarm goes off. While active monitoring involves a detailed log of the activity of the system including, the down time, the active zones etc

Burglary detection devices- Burglary detection devices include, motion detection sensors, magnetic contacts and photoelectric beam device. Motion detection sensors detect infrared body heat. When this heat is detected an alarm is triggered. Magnetic contacts are placed in doors and windows and when contact is lost when a door or a window is opened and contact is lost. Photoelectric beam device one device emits light and another device receives it. When light is obstructed an alarm is triggered.

Fire detection system- These include smoke detectors and heat detectors. Smoke detectors detect smoke by either ionization or by photoelectronic. Smoke detectors detect smoke from small fires which a heat detector may not be able to detect. Heat detectors detect rises in temperatures of the environment. Heat detectors are ideal for Kitchens where smoke alarms may be triggered causing false alarms. The heat detectors can be either fixed temperature, where an alarm is triggered when a threshold temperature is exceeded or rate of rise, ideal for already hot environment like boiler rooms, which detect changes using several thresholds.

Fire extinguishers- These are used to put out fires. There are different types of fire extinguishers depending on the type of fire being put out that can be used for church security basics. Fire extinguishers are also classified according to the fire they are designed to put out. The common classes are:

A: This as a class of fire extinguishers used to put out wood, paper and fires related to these types of combustible materials.

B: This is a class of fire extinguishers used to put out grease, oil and other fires from inflammable liquids.

C: This class of extinguisher is used to put out electrical fires. When fire is on electrical lines, and electronic appliances this is the best extinguisher to use.

Other considerations for the basic church security would be use of glass breakage detectors, Use of supervised lines, and zoning of the premises.

If the Church security basics are observed, there would be reduced incidents of losses occasioned by theft or by fire.

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• METHOD OF SECURING CHURCH PREMISES

• Volunteers or members of the congregation should not be allowed to handle children unless they have been members of the church for 6 months.
• All the times two adults should be assigned to handle children in a class or other enclosures. This should be enforced even when the one child or two children are being supervised.
• Educating workers on the laws and identify inappropriate behavior and report it.
• Check Previous employments, previous church memberships, volunteer history and any other information that might be useful should be collected. Ideally a form can be developed and used to screen potential workers.

Background checks

Checking of the potential employees past may involve a background check.  A background check is the process of compiling criminal, financial or commercial records of an individual. This is done to evaluate the character, qualifications, fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for security reasons. These checks could be done by a government agency or private companies. The most important question is where to start with the background check.

There are many searches which use databases to check for past records of potential employees. While this might be helpful, they might not capture the whole history of a person, even the criminal record. Many background search databases have incomplete records, while others may not capture information that is not electronically captured, there being correctional institutions which don’t electronically store information. The other problem with an all criminal record searches is that there might be a discrepancy with the names of convicts, or people with similar names might be mistaken for the same person.

Recommendation for conducting background searches

The recommended method of criminal background checks which would eliminate the shortcoming of the criminal background checks is the use of combination of name, birth date and social security number in the search so as to eliminate many unreliable results as possible. Reputable firms use these combinations for search together with supplementing the criminal search with county court records, and check on names, together with the other social security details so as to ensure that there was no attempt to erase criminal records. This method is important not only for gathering important information but also to comply with the federal and state laws concerning background checks.

What if there is a record?

Once the results for the criminal background check are received and the potential candidate is found to have a criminal record, several steps could be taken to consider whether to hire or not. The first important step is to verify whether the person whose record you have is the same as the candidate in question, this depends on how the check was conducted. It IS also important to know the guidelines used in the local public school system on the issue. An attorney could be consulted to give legal advice. Apart from that it is important to consider the level of risk the candidate poses if recruited and this can be done by acquiring details of the offences and how serious they are. Criminal background searches should be used to keep our children safe.

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Keeping classrooms safe is a must. These classroom safety tips should help teachers, students, and parents’ safe while in the confines of the classroom. They also keep schools safe from lawsuits! So pay attention:

• Like walk not run
• Point scissors end down,
• Keep your hands to yourself,
• Treat others the way you want to be treated

• Avoid Tripping

To keep both students and teachers from tripping, make sure that there are no electrical wires or telephone wires or even computer wires along the floor. Keep the floor and walkway clear of electrical, telephone and computer cables, boxes, etc. They are tripping hazards waiting to happen.

Don’t allow any running while in the classroom – or anywhere else within school buildings. Running should only be allowed outside or in the school gym.

These classroom safety tips also cover the type of flooring and arrangement of furniture. Ensure that all floors are not slippery or easy to slip on. Any liquid that is spilled has to be cleaned up immediately.

The furniture in the classroom should be arranged in such a way that there are no obstacles on the aisles. There should be no barrier in the way of doors or windows.

• Get Students Involved in  Writing out Classroom Safety Tips

One sure fire way to increase student participation and cooperation in enforcing safety procedures is to have them involved right from the beginning. Get the students actively involved in training on classroom safety tips, and jointly come up with safety rules for all students. Let the students determine what the penalties are for non compliance with classroom safety tips. Appoint safety a martial from among the students who will ensure compliance. Once the rules are established, they have to be posted within the classroom. Train students in first aid and other classroom safety tips.

• Classroom Safety Tips for Emergencies

Each class has to be involved in school fire drills and other such training. Teachers can make sure that their students know where the emergency escape routes are. There has to be a first aid kit prominently displayed in the classroom. Train all the students to know where all nearby phones are and which numbers to call in any emergency situation.

• Classroom Safety tips in the Laboratory

While in the lab, enforce a strict no-smoking policy. Eating and drinking should also be disallowed. Ensure that students do not come to the lab in open shoes or with bare feet. Do not allow any playing of pranks in the lab, and ensure that long hair is tied to prevent it catching fire. There should be safety glasses available whenever needed and there should also be lab coats.

• Classroom Safety Tips for dealing with Bullies

Bullying is a huge issue in schools and no provision on classroom safety tips is complete without it. Take an active stand against bullying and be aware that bullying can be emotional as well as physical. It helps when you have a plan in advance of what to do with bullies. Let students know what behavior is unacceptable and what to do in those situations. Train students to have self confidence and handle difficult situations, especially when they are teased. They feel so much better when they can handle it themselves. When it comes to bullying, create a team of students to handle minor incidents among their peers.

• Be Approachable

As a teacher, ensure that you are approachable and have a way of dealing with information from students without revealing the source. Many students fear reporting bullying or even abuse for fear of social consequences. Be discreet and take time to investigate each claim and don’t tell off a student for giving any information. Occasional class meetings offer a forum for students to raise concerns. Probably the best of classroom safety tips is to create a sense of unity among the members of the class and there will be fewer incidents of bullying.

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When taking out insurance for churches, there is so much to think about. In fact, insurance for churches includes pretty much all the same policies that other organizations need. Insurance companies offer insurance for churches that help churches at risk from fire, theft, robbery, violence, food poisoning, weather risks, workplace risks, professional negligence and pretty much any other risk that other organizations face.

When buying insurance for churches, always consider the financial stability of the insurer. The insurer has to be a stable and well established company. Pay more attention to insurers that have experience and expertise in offering coverage to organizations similar to your own, preferably insurance for churches. Investigate the potential insurer’s history in terms of settling claims. The quality of customer service is very important. Ensure that the product is worth the price. When buying insurance for churches, check that the extent of coverage is enough to meet your specific needs. Finally, the cost of insurance for churches should be proportional to the overall church budget.

Liability insurance makes sure that your church does not have to pay for damages to other persons, or other person’s property. Your clergy also need professional liability insurance in case they are sued for malpractice. Vehicles and other machinery and equipment also require insurance. This includes musical instruments and media equipment.

• The cost of Insurance for churches

The cost of insurance for churches depends on several factors. For one, churches should pay premiums that are proportional to the overall church budget. Obviously whether yours is a ‘small’ church or a ‘big’ church depends on several factors. If for example, your church a healthy population of members or more valuable equipment, fixtures and buildings not to mention vehicles, then the insurance should be expected to cost more.

Often churches end up paying more for insurance than they should because they are not business minded enough. Remember insurance for churches is a business and not a ministry. Church insurance companies do offer a valuable and indeed necessary service, but they are in it for business and as a clergyman you have the responsibility to try and get the best deal for your church. Always negotiate, always compare rates and definitely allow different insurance agents to make presentation. Insurance for churches should not go beyond what is reasonable and within the church budget.

• Here are some of the companies offering insurance for churches

1. Church Mutual Insurance Company provides insurance for churches against property loss, any professional liability, and other forms of coverage for churches among other institutions. Visit the website for resources.
2. According to their website, GuideOne Insurance has churches as its main niche customers. Besides churches, GuideOne insures schools and senior living homes. GuideOne insures churches in 51 states.
3. Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company offers insurance to thousands of churches in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.
4. UK based Ansvar specializes in insuring non profits in the UK.
5. Missouri-based Church Asset Management offers insurance for churches all over the United States.

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• Safe Church Training of staff

Many churches take all their staff and volunteers through safe church training as a matter of policy. This indicates that having a safe church is a priority to many churches and clergymen. All who have gone through the training become safe church certified.

The safe church program typically covers different ways of preventing different forms of abuse, particularly against children. Church staff need to learn how to identify any abuse that may be happening and respond appropriately.

Churches need to have a sexual and physical harassment policy. Safe church program includes methods of dealing with abuse that must be included in the policy.

In many churches, staff must not serve for more than three months before undergoing the training. All staff members, especially those that are salaried have to be taken through the training as a matter of necessity. Many parishes require their personnel to undergo the training on a regular basis, perhaps once every three years or once every five years.

• Issues to be covered

The training covers issues of managing power/authority relationships. There should be guidelines prohibiting any manipulation of children who are under ones authority.

The great thing about the safe church program is that it is specifically designed for churches and not schools or other institutions.

• Safe Church Background Screening of Personnel

The safe church program enables churches to perform background checks and screening on all its staff and volunteers to ensure the safety of parishioners, especially children. This is by outlining standard screening procedures for all church personnel, whether voluntary or otherwise. For example, all personnel can be required to fill in standard applications giving authority to the church to conduct background checks. These background checks should include checks for any criminal records or for listing on a sex offender registry.  This screening must take place at regular intervals, say every three to five years. The church should check out each individual’s references for their track record and character. Any person that will be driving should have their background checked for any driving offenses. These screening measures will ensure a safe church.

• Proper supervision

Proper supervision of children requires that the church sets an acceptable ratio of children to adults. Generally, safe church programs will require that a group of children be supervised by at least two adults. Generally, the ratio must not go below one adult for every ten children.

For the sake of accountability, church personnel must always avoid speaking to children one-on-one unless in a place that is easily observable. Besides accountability, the personnel should not take children through any programs that have not been approved by the church.

The safe church program also guides the church in formulating wise human resource policies, for example that no one should be allowed to work with children and youth unless they have been known to the church leaders for a significant amount of time. Safe Church guidelines will usually require it to allow someone to vouch for their character.

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Coming up with a church security plan is the first step in ensuring the security and safety of parishioners at your church. For one, get together a team tasked with investigating the situation in detail and presenting the options available to you. Always have at least one person on the team who actually has experience in something like law enforcement, military, emergency management or even private security.

• Decide how many people you want in on the church security plan

Choose between three and eight people to be in on the team. The exact number of people depends on the number of people in the church. Always ensure that there are experts within the team.

• Conduct preliminary investigations

The team has to gather facts about the security situation before coming up with a church security plan. They have to identify potential threats and what the church is able to do to deal with those threats. If possible, have the team undergo specialized training using a seminar or something. Invite experts (in house or otherwise) to do that. Aside from that, you can read books and manuals available online to get a general idea of what you can do.

Try to commission a professional team to conduct a security needs assessment on the church. It pays. If that is not possible on the church budget, get a security check list which you can go through as a team. Use law local enforcement agencies as a resource.

• Write a draft church security plan

The team can prepare a draft church security plan to be reviewed y the leaders of the church. Run it by the local police department who can make an assessment of the plan.

The plan needs to take into account different layers of the security team. Plan for the parking lot attendants; include the greeters and volunteers both outside and inside, ushers within the sanctuary and the people involved in security for the pastors. There has to be a system of coordination and cooperation between all the layers. This will ensure that threats are identified and neutralized as fast as possible.

• What to include in a church security plan

For one, all the personnel in different layers must have their duties and areas of responsibility spelled out in the church security plan.

The plan must also spell out the specific ways of dealing with different disruptions. Other scenarios to be dealt with are instances of violence, as well as the personal safety of the pastor and other clergy members who are more vulnerable to attack than ordinary parishioners.

Include within the church security plan detailed procedures for evacuation or lock down if need be. Detail the equipment needed for implementation of the church security plan. These may include security cameras.

Finally, the church security plan has to include information on how to communicate during crises, both within the church security team and to the congregation. This includes communication with local law enforcement agencies which have to be furnished with the church security plan, accompanied by illustration of the layout of the church campus and any other relevant information.  This ensures that they can respond effectively to any distress calls.

The church security plan should include recommended budgetary allocations for personnel, equipment and training. The amount of money to be spent on church security has to be able to fit in with the overall church budget. Look into free training opportunities to save money.

• Security Personnel as part of the Church Security Team

Security personnel can either be hired directly by a church or they can be forwarded by an agency contracted by the church. Hiring security personnel directly makes the church directly responsible for conducting appropriate screening and for any legal consequences arising from the security guard’s actions.

Police officers who are off duty can be hired as part of the church security team cause of their training and experience.  Try to avoid having security personnel armed with guns because it exposes the church to risk of injury or death by stray bullets and the ensuing legal consequences. Make this decision very carefully after consulting church elders, the local police department and insurers.

• Get the Church Security Plan in Motion

Rate the effectiveness of the church security plan by simulating different scenarios. This will help to reveal any weaknesses in the plan. Try out the lockdown and evaluation procedures, the communication between team members and with the congregation. Testing will help to know how good the church security plan is.

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