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Protect your children from accidental poisoning
From fertilizer to antifreeze and medicines to makeup, poisonous
items show up throughout our homes. By following some common-sense
guidelines regarding these items, parents can help prevent
kids ingesting poisonous substances by accident. For instance,
Store all medications — prescription and nonprescription
— in a locked cabinet, far from kids’ reach.
Even items that seem harmless, such as mouthwash, can be
extremely dangerous if ingested in large quantities by children.
Just because cabinets are up high doesn't mean kids can’t
get their hands on what’s in them — they’ll
climb up (using the toilet and countertops) to get to items
in the medicine cabinet. For more tips, please visit the
Household Safety
section at: www.kidshealth.org.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry
at (213) 637-7650. |
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| Additional
Tips Archive |
| Teaching
kids to be safe around unfamiliar animals |
| Safeguard
the Children Parish Committee Handbook |
| Bullying
Is a Form of Abuse |
| Abuse
Prevention Program Tops 100,000 Trained |
| Tips
for Summer Camp Safety |
| Ensuring
Your Child’s School Is Safe |
| Monitoring
Your Child’s Text Messages |
| 2011
‘Working Together to Prevent Child Abuse’ brochure
|
| You
can help create a safer environment for children |
| Five
Tips for Safeguarding Children |
| Listen
to Your Children |
| Internet
Spammers Target Kids, Too |
| Background
Checks and Screening |
| Shopping
Mall Safety Tips |
| Take
the Child Safety Quiz |
| Always
Keep an Up-to-Date Photo of Your Child |
| Abuse
Prevention Training of Kids Nears 6 Million Mark |
| Tips
For a Happy & Safe Halloween |
| The
Prevalence of Abuse in Society |
| Child
Abuse is a National Problem |
| Child
Abuse Data: Breaking Down the Numbers |
| Protecting
Children From Abuse |
| Possible
Indicators of Child Abuse and Neglect |
| How
Is Compliance With Child Prevention Efforts Verified? |
| Mandatory
Background Checks Promote Safe Environments |
| Recognizing
Signs of Child Abuse and Neglect |
| Helpful
Tips for Childproofing Your Home |
| Choosing
Safe Toys for Children |
| Violence
and Teen Dating |
| Who
Are The Perpetrators? |
| Keep
Kids Safe! During Child Abuse Prevention Month |
| Sign
up for Wireless Amber Alerts |
| CyberTipline
|
| Is
Safety Training Effective for Kids? |
| Abuse
Prevention Training Nears 2 Million |
| Help
Reduce Abuse Statistics |
|
| Keeping
Kids Safe After School |
| How
To Understand Your Kids' Text Messages |
| Teach
Kids to Protect Themselves at Home |
| Getting
To and From School Safely |
| Text Messaging - Know the
Warning Signs |
| Text
Messaging - Know the 'Parent Warning Codes' |
| Five Tips for Safeguarding
Children |
| What's
Your Plan in the Event of an Emergency? |
| Keep an Up-To-Date Photo
of Your Child |
| Get
Involved in Parish Safety Programs |
| CyberTipline
Fights Internet Crimes Against Children |
| Is
Your Family Prepared For A Natural Disaster? |
| Safeguard
the Children Parish Committee
Mission Statement
The
purpose of the committee shall be to help educate
all parish members in protecting the children and
young people of the parish from physical, emotional
and/or sexual abuse issues.
This
will be accomplished by:
•Gathering and providing appropriate media
materials, including the Archdiocesan guidelines,
pertaining to physical, emotional and sexual abuse,
neglect, and health and safety.
•Providing a confidential open door policy
which may include making referrals to appropriate
community agencies or family advocates.
•Providing
educational programs to adults and children, including
VIRTUS training and Teaching Touching
Safety classes, and managing records of such
activities.
•Providing
ongoing review of the parish and school physical
plant for safety issues.
This
committee is made up of volunteers from the Visitation
Parish who represent the diversity within the community.
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Teaching kids to be safe around unfamiliar animals
We’ve all had the experience of someone else’s
dog approaching us. Uncertainty about the dog’s intent
can be frightening, especially to young children. The ASPCA
website provides parents with advice on teaching their children
to read a dog’s body language and to identify signs
that it wants to be left alone. The website also helps parents
teach their children how to protect themselves from an overexcited
pet by demonstrating the basics of dog bite prevention,
such as rolling into a ball, protecting hands and face and
calling for help, rather than running or screaming if chased
by a dog. For more information, check out Dog Bite
Prevention and Safety at www.aspca.org. |
|
Safeguard the Children Parish Committee Handbook
The goal of Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Office of
Safeguard the Children is to support and provide training
and resources for the Safeguard the Children Parish Committees
which are the foundation of our efforts to protect children
and young people from child sexual abuse. The Archdiocese
of Los Angeles’ Safeguard the Children Parish Committee
Handbook has been created to help parishes and schools to
fulfill this role. To view the handbook online, please CLICK
HERE. For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry
at 213/637-7650. |
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Bullying Is a Form of Abuse
Did you know that bullying is a form
of abuse, and therefore is forbidden in our Catholic schools?
Bullying is typically
teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, shoving and stealing.
But it might also be indirect, such as spreading rumors
that cause victims to be socially isolated through intentional
exclusion. Cyberbullying, which involves the use of the
Internet or mobile phones to send inappropriate messages
and images to or about others, is also behavior that is
not tolerated in our Catholic schools. If you suspect bullying
of a child at school, please contact the school principal
with your concerns. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at (213) 637- 7650. |
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Abuse Prevention Program Tops 100,000 Trained
Did you know that every person working with children and
youth in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is mandated to attend
VIRTUS training? The Archdiocese of Los
Angeles has trained over 100,000 adults in the VIRTUS
program. Initiated in 1997, the VIRTUS
program is designed to prevent child sexual abuse by making
adults aware of sexual abuse perpetuated by adults as well
as other children. The training details five steps to prevent
child sexual abuse: 1-Knowing the warning signs of an inappropriate
relationship with a child. 2-Controlling access to children
by carefully selecting the adults who work with children
and youth. 3-Monitoring all programs for the safety of children
and youth.
4-Being aware of and sensitive to what is going on in the
lives of the children. 5.Communicating concerns to the appropriate
persons. For more information, please call the Archdiocesan
Safeguard the Children office: (213) 637-7227.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
(213) 637-7650. |
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Tips for Summer Camp Safety
Summer is almost here. School is almost out, and a whole
host of new opportunities for recreation and relaxation
await. Maybe you are sending your children to a music or
sports camp? Or maybe they have been invited by their friends
to go camping in the mountains or at the beach? Whatever
the situation, it is important to remember that parents
still have the responsibility of controlling access that
new people will have to their children. If your children
are attending a summer camp, insist that counselors or anyone
else who might have access to your children have undergone
an application process that includes a criminal background
check and reference checks. For particular help, you may
call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Ensuring Your Child’s School Is Safe
Every teacher, coach, and volunteer who works with children
in the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s parishes and schools
must have a background check before he or she is permitted
to work in any school- or parish-related job or activity
that involves contact with children. But many of our children
attend non-Catholic private or public schools. What steps
do these schools take? Talk with school administrators and
find out what steps they take to protect children from harm.
Suggest that they review other abuse prevention programs
to ensure that their policies and practices are up to date.
And demand that all employees and volunteers who work in
the school be properly screened, including background checks,
before they are allowed to be near your children. For more
information, please call the Archdiocesan Safeguard the
Children office: (213) 637-7227. For more information, please
call the Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children
office: (213) 637-7227. |
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Monitoring Your Child’s Text Messages
Recent news reports included the story
of a 35-year-old man exchanging explicit text messages with
a 14-year- old girl. Being able to recognize text messaging
“meeting codes” can help parents be more effective
monitors of their child’s safety. Meeting codes are
used by strangers to gain information about people they
don’t know or to arrange a first meeting. They can
be used between friends, but most are more commonly used
in other circumstances. For example, “S2R” means
“Send to receive (pictures),” and “WYRN”
means “What’s your real name?” For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at (213)
637-7650. ”How
to understand your kids’ text messages." |
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2011 ‘Working Together to Prevent Child Abuse’
brochure
2011 ‘Working Together to Prevent Child Abuse’
brochure available now. Each year, every parish in the Archdiocese
receives copies of
“Working Together to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse:Keeping
Ministerial
Relationships Healthy and Holy.” Published in English
and Spanish, the brochure is a helpful guide to the sexual
abuse prevention policies,
programs and resources that have been developed by the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles. Please look for the brochure in the parish
vestibule or office. Please read it and keep it some place
for easy reference. For free copies of the “Working
Together" Brochure in English and Spanish
please email Tim at
tolshefski@laarchdiocese.org For particular help, you
may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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You can help create a safer environment for children
You can help create a safer environment for children by
leaving
your parish or community environment safer each day than
when you started. This could be as simple as training yourself
to do a more effective job of keeping your eye on those
around you
when they interact with children. It sounds overly simple
but most of us don’t really do it, and it can be an
easy habit to develop. It just takes persistence and a way
to measure your success. For example, in order to make yourself
“notice” those who are interacting with children,
you could try counting the number of children you see each
day interacting with nonparental adults. Okay…so this
would
be a little unrealistic for a schoolteacher…but for
the rest of us it
could be a very big learning experience. To learn more about
parish efforts to create safe environments for our children,
please
contact the parish office. |
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Five Tips for Safeguarding Children
The Archdiocese mandates that all people who work with children
and youth in our parishes and schools must undergo child
abuse prevention training through the VIRTUS program. The
training details five steps to prevent child sexual abuse:
1. Know the warning signs of an inappropriate relationship
with a child. 2. Control access to children by carefully
selecting the adults who work with children and youth. 3.
Monitor all programs for the safety of children and youth.
4. Be aware of and sensitive to what is going on in the
lives of children. 5. Communicate concerns to the appropriate
person in authority. For more information, please call the
Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children Office: 213/
637-7227. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at 213/ 637-7650. |
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Listen to Your Children
This summer, when your children are out of school, on different
schedules, are meeting new people and going to new places,
make sure that you talk to them often about their experiences
and the people they’ve met. Listen carefully to your
children. If possible, observe and get to know the other
children and adults who are part of your children’s
summertime fun. Above all , communicate your safety concerns
to your children. Make sure they know that they can come
to you with any concerns they may have about the people
they interact with. And, if you hear of or observe behaviors
that may be inappropriate, make sure to communicate your
feelings to people who are in a position to intervene. Communication
is key to creating and maintaining a safe environment all
year round. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at 213/ 637-7650. |
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Internet Spammers Target Kids, Too
Does your child know what to do when
he or she gets an e-mail from an unknown person? If you
are allowing your children to communicate with others online,
be aware that they will be exposed to spam. The easiest
way to avoid spam is to make sure that your children do
not give out their personal information or e-mail address
to anyone they do not know. Adjust the security settings
on their e-mail account to filter or block unwanted messages.
Encourage your children to delete any messages they get
from anyone they don’t know. Even when your children
get e-mail or instant messages from people they know, make
sure that they scan everything they are downloading for
viruses first. You can do this by making sure that you have
your antivirus software up to date. For more information,
please visit: www.netsmartz.org/safety/
safetytips.htm. |
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Background
Checks and Screening
In the Los Angeles Archdiocese, all clergy, paid parish/school
personnel and volunteers who work regularly in a supervisory
role with children or youth must be fingerprinted. For information
call: (213) 637-7411. From the pamphlet, “Working
Together to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse: Keeping Ministerial
Relationships Healthy & Holy,” published by the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The pamphlet is available in
the parish in English and Spanish and online at : http:///www.archdiocese.
la/protecting/index.php.For particular help, you may
call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Shopping
Mall Safety Tips
It’s easy for kids to get sidetracked
with all the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding us at
holiday time. It is especially important to monitor your
children when taking them through the mall during the Christmas
season. If children become separated from you, teach them
to look for a “safe stranger” who can help them.
For example, a mom with kids or the cash register person
can help a child who is lost. Avoid telling children to
go to the “manager.” Any adult in a suit, who
looks important, can look like the manager to a child. Children
must be told never to leave the mall or store to go looking
for you in the parking lot. Let them know that you would
never go outside or leave until you are reunited - - no
matter what anyone else tells them. For particular help,
you may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Take the Child Safety Quiz
Parents, guardians, and adults who
care for children face constant challenges when trying to
help keep children safer in today's fast-paced world. The
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC) offers easy-to-use safety resources to help address
these challenges. NCMEC's website offers a range of practical
information for parents and guardians that will help keep
children safe from harm. The site also features an interactive
quiz on child safety designed for both adults and children.
To take the quiz, visit the NCMEC website www.missingkids.com
and click on "child safety"
in the Topics of Focus menu. For particular help,
call the parish Safeguard the Children
committee. You may also call Assistance Minstry at 213.637.7670. |
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Mandatory Background Checks Promote Safe Environments
Every teacher, coach, and volunteer who works with children
in the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s parishes and schools
must have a background check before he or she is permitted
to work in any school- or parish-related job or activity
that involves contact with children. Around the nation,
Catholic (arch)dioceses have conducted criminal record checks
on more than 1.5 million volunteers and employees; 163,705
educators; 51,000 clergy; and 4,955 candidates for ordination.
For more information on background check requirements in
the Los Angeles Archdiocese, please call the Archdiocesan
Safeguard the Children Office: (213) 637-7227. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650.
WELCOME |
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Always Keep an Up-to-Date
Photo of Your Child
Picture this: A good photo could save a child’s life.
One of the most important tools for law enforcement in the
case of a missing child is an up-to-date (take a new one
every six months), good quality photograph. The photograph
should be a recent head-and-shoulders color photograph of
the child in which the face is clearly seen. It should be
of school-portrait quality, and the background should be
plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
When possible, the photograph should be in a digitized form
and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just
a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan,
resize, and make color corrections before disseminating
it to law enforcement. The photograph should have space
for accurate, narrative description useful to identify the
child, such as name, nickname, height, weight, sex, age,
eye color, identifying marks, glasses, and braces. For more
information, please visit:
www.missingkids.com. |
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Abuse
Prevention Training of Kids Nears 6 Million Mark
Did you know that the Catholic church in
the U.S. has prepared more than 5.7 million children to
recognize abuse and protect themselves? Age-appropriate
child safety programs are mandatory throughout the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles. Please contact the parish office for more
information about the safe environment training programs
for children in our parish, or call the Archdiocesan Safeguard
the Children Office: (213) 637-7227. For
particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at (213)
637-7650. |
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Tips
For a Happy & Safe Halloween
To help ensure that Halloween is a fun and exciting time
for children, here are a few more common sense safety tips:
1. Children should wear light-colored clothing that's short
enough to prevent tripping. Parents also may want to add
reflective tape to the costume. 2. Buy Halloween costumes
that feature a flame-resistant or flame-retardant label.
3. Use sidewalks when available and begin trick-or-treating
before sunset. 4. Each child should carry a flashlight or
glow stick. For more tips, please visit:
http://www.cvshealthresources.com /topic/halloween.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
(213) 637-7650
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The Prevalence of Abuse in Society
In surveys of adults, one out of five women and one out
of ten men reported that they were sexually molested before
they were 18 years old. This means that an estimated 40
million adult survivors of child sexual abuse are living
in the United States today. An estimated 9.6 percent of
all school children will be molested by an educator or an
employee of a school between kindergarten and 12th grade.
Between 13 and 34 percent of all females will be victims
of sexual assault before the age of 18 and 7 to 16 percent
of all males will also be victimized before they are 18.
For particular help you may call Suzanne Healy, Director
of Assistance Ministry at 213/637-7650. |
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Child
Abuse is a National Problem
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
there were 794,000 reported child abuse victims in 2007
alone. Imagine if a disease claimed that many young lives.
What would be our national response? Abuse, even if it is
not fatal, robs a life and damages a child's spirit. It
changes who that person is on a fundamental level. For information
on how you can become more informed and involved in keeping
our children safe, please call the parish office or visit:
http:/
/www.archdiocese. la/ protecting/index.php. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at 213/ 637-7650.
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Child Abuse Data: Breaking
Down the Numbers
Of the approximately 794,000 children found to be victims
of child abuse or neglect in 2007, 59 percent suffered neglect,
10.8 percent were physically abused, 7.6 percent were sexually
abused, 4.2 percent were emotionally or psychologically
maltreated, and less than 1 percent were medically neglected.
In addition, 13.1 percent of victims experienced other types
of maltreatment such as abandonment, threats of harm to
the child, and congenital drug addiction. These maltreatment
type percentages total more than 100 percent because children
who were victims of more than one type of maltreatment were
counted for each maltreatment. More information is available
on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's
Bureau website at http:/
/www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ cb/pubs/cm07/. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at 213/ 637-7650.
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Protecting Children
From Abuse
There are 25,857 Catholic parishes and schools in the United
States. If every Catholic parish or school could stop just
one child from being abused we could make a tremendous difference.
Abuse prevention training programs are available on a regular
basis in English and Spanish throughout the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles. These programs only take a few hours to
complete. To locate a training program near you, please
call the Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children Office, 213/637-7227.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
213/ 637-7650. |
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Possible Indicators
of Child Abuse and Neglect
A key to reporting child abuse and neglect is being able
to recognize common indicators. In a parent, the following
signs may signal the presence of child abuse or neglect.
Shows little concern for the child. Blames the child for
the child's problems in school or at home. Asks teachers
or other caretakers to use harsh physical discipline if
the child misbehaves. Sees the child entirely bad, worthless,
or burdensome. To learn more about child abuse prevention,
visit http://www.archdioces.la/protecting/
index.php. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at (213) 637-7650.
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How Is Compliance
With Child Prevention Efforts Verified?
While background checks and fingerprinting of all those
who work with children in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
are important, they are used in conjunction with abuse awareness
and prevention training programs to help ensure that we
create the safest possible parish and school environments
for our children. An archdiocesan background-tracking information
system, Volunteer and Personnel Information Network (VPIN),
tracks assignment histories and compliance by employees
and volunteers of fingerprinting, background checks and
mandatory VIRTUS sexual abuse prevention training. VPIN
allows parishes and schools to adapt features of the system
to fit their local needs and it assists the archdiocese
to complete its audit reports. For particular help, you
may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650 |
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Mandatory
Background Checks Promote Safe Environments
Every teacher, coach, and volunteer who works with children
in the Los Angeles Archdiocese's parishes and schools must
have a background check before he or she is permitted to
work in any school- or parish-related job or activity that
involves contact with children. Around the nation, Catholic
(arch)dioceses have conducted criminal record checks on
more than 1.5 million volunteers and employees; 163,705
educators; 51,000 clergy; and 4,955 candidates for ordination.
For more information on background check requirements in
the Los Angeles Archdiocese, please call the Archdiocesan
Safeguard the Children Office: (213) 637-7227. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
|
Recognizing Signs of Child
Abuse and Neglect
A key to reporting child abuse and neglect is being able
to recognize common indicators. In children, the following
signs may signal the presence of child abuse or neglect:
Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance.
Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought
to the parents' attention. Is always watchful, as though
preparing for something bad to happen. Is overly compliant,
passive, or withdrawn. Comes to school or other activities
early, stays late, and does not want to go home. To learn
more about child abuse prevention, visit : http://
www.archdiocese.la /protecting/ index.php. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Helpful Tips for Childproofing Your Home
Though we often think of babies and toddlers when we hear
the words babyproofing or childproofing,
unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in kids
14 years old and under, with more that a third of these
injuries happening at home. Have you removed the rubber
tips from all doorstops? Have you checked that all used
and hand-me-down baby equipment hasn't been recalled? For
helpful checklists on how to make your home safer for your
young children, please visit: www.kidshealth.org
and click on First Aid and Safety.
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Choosing Safe Toys
for Children
Millions of toys are out there, and hundreds of new ones
hit the stores each year. Toys are supposed to be fun and
are an important part of any child's development. But each
year, scores of kids are treated in hospital emergency departments
for toy-related injuries. Choking is a particular risk for
kids ages 3 or younger, because they tend to put objects
in their mouths. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) closely monitors and regulates toys. For a helpful
checklist on how to determine which toys are safest for
young children, please visit:
www.kidshealth.org and click on “First
Aid & Safety.” For particular help, you
may call Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Violence and
Teen Dating
Violence and Teen Dating Statistics show that one in three
teenagers has experienced violence in a dating relationship.
In dating violence, one partner tries to maintain power
and control over the other through some kind of abuse.
Dating violence crosses economic, racial and social lines,
most victims are young women who are also at higher risk
for serious injury. For useful tips to recognize the warning
signs that your teenager may be in an abusive dating relationship,
please visit http://www.rcwtf.org
or call Asst. Ministry at 213/637-7650.
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Who Are The Perpetrators?
According to data provided by the L.A. City Attorney's Office,
parents constitute 84 percent of the child abuse perpetrators,
while caregivers, relatives, foster parents and babysitters
constitute the rest. Sixty percent of perpetrators are female
whose median age is 31 years. Forty percent are male, whose
median age is 34 years. The L.A. City Attorney's Office
maintains a webpage of useful information on child safety.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
213/637-7650 |
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Keep Kids Safe! During
Child Abuse Prevention Month
During April, Catholic school and religious education students
throughout the Archdiocese will wear bright blue ribbon-shaped
stickers that say Keep Kids Safe. The Archdiocese!s
Keep Kids Safe campaign coincides with
national Child Abuse Prevention Month. Children will be
reviewing important child safety lessons this month. Keep
Kids Safe stickers may be ordered from the Archdiocese's
Safeguard the Children Office by emailing or calling Tim
Olshefski at:
tolshefski@la-archdiocese.org
or (213) 637-7508. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at (213) 637-7650. |
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Sign up for Wireless Amber Alerts
The first three hours after a child is abducted are the
most critical to recovery efforts. Wireless Amber
Alerts, an initiative of the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children and the wireless
industry, have the potential to reach more than 242 million
wireless subscribers with information to help bring abducted
children home quickly and safely. You can sign up to receive
free text message alerts in one of three easy ways: 1. Test
AMBER followed by a space and the five-digit Zip code to
AMBER (26237); 2 . Visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org;
or 3. Register on your wireless carrier's website. |
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CyberTipline
CyberTipline offers a means of reporting incidents of child
sexual exploitation including the possession, manufacture,
and/or distribution of child pornography; online enticement;
child prostitution; child sex tourism, etc. Mandated by
Congress, CyberTipline allows the public to assist all levels
of law enforcement by providing one streamlined reporting
tool that enhances information sharing and collaborative
efforts to combat these crimes. Reports may be made 24-hours
a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.com
or by calling 1-800-853-5678. For particular help, you may
call Assistance Ministry at 213/637-7650.
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Is Safety Training Effective for Kids?
Did you know that national and international studies show
that children who participated in prevention education programs
like VIRTUS, were six to seven times more
likely to demonstrate protective behavior- to be more assertive,
speak up, and disclose abuse or suspected abuse- than children
who had not participated in such programs? Research supports
the effectiveness of abuse prevention training of our children.
For more information about what our parish and school are
doing to teach children to be safe, please contact the parish
office or the Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children:
(213) 637-7227. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at 213/637-7650. |
|
Abuse
Prevention Training Nears 2 Million
Did you know that every person working with children and
youth in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is mandated to attend
VIRTUS training? The Archdiocese of Los
Angeles has trained more than 100,000 adults in the VIRTUS
program. Nationwide, more than 1.7 million clergy, educators,
employees and volunteers have been trained in how to create
safe environments and prevent child sexual abuse. For more
information, please contact the Archdiocesan Safeguard
the Children Office 213.637.7650. |
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Is Your Family Prepared For A Natural Disaster?
News reports on the recent earthquake in Haiti have shown
how easily families can become separated during the chaos
of a natural disaster. The National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children offers the following recommendations
to all families potentially impacted by a natural disaster.
Know where your kids are at all times. Stay together; Take
photos of your children with you when evacuated. Give children
identification information to carry with them, including
the child's name, date of birth, address, phone numbers,
etc. E- mail digital photos of all family members to extended
relatives and/or friends. Photocopy important documents
and mail to a friend/relative in a safe location. Make a
plan with your children, so they know what to do if your
family becomes separated during an evacuation. For particular
help, you may call Assistance Ministry at 213.637.7650. |
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CyberTipline Fights Internet Crimes Against Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government
agencies all work together to fight Internet crimes against
children. They've established a CyberTipline,
a reporting mechanism for cases of child sexual exploitation,
including child pornography, online enticement of children
for sex acts, molestation of children outside the family,
sex tourism of children, child victims of prostitution,
and unsolicited obscene material sent to a child.
Reports may be made- 24 hours per day, seven days per week
- online at www.cybertipline.com
or by calling 800.843.5678. For particular help, you may
call Assistance Ministry at 213.636.7650.
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Get Involved In Parish Safety Programs
Parents and guardians play a key role in the success of
parish programs for young people. Parents and guardians
who are involved in parish programs and events will be in
the best position to protect their own children as well
as all the children in the parish community. Involvement
and communication are important factors in helping to ensure
safe environments for all of our children. Contact the parish
office for more information on how you can become actively
involved in the safe environment training programs in our
parish. For particular help, you may call Assistance
Ministry at 213.636.7650. |
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Always Keep An Up-To-Date Photo Of Your Child
A good photo could save a child's life. One of the most
impor tant tools for law enforcement in the case of a missing
child is an up-to-date (take a new one every six months),
good quality photograph. The photograph should be a recent
head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which
the face is clearly seen. It should be of school-portrait
quality, and the background should be plain or solid so
it does not distract from the subject. W hen possible, the
photograph should be in a digitized form and available on
a compact disk (CD) as opposed to just a hard copy. This
minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize and make color
corrections before disseminating it to law enforcement.
The photograph should have space for accurate, narrative
description useful to identify the child, such as name,
nickname, height, weight, sex, age, eye color, identifying
marks, glasses and braces. For more information please visit:
www.missingkids.com.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry
at 213.637.7650.
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What's Your Plan in the Event of an Emergency?
Did you know that every Catholic school in the Los Angeles
Archdiocese is required to have a written plan for emergency
procedures? The plan must include provisions for fire, earthquake,
disaster and evacuation drills and lockdown procedures that
conform to local, state and county requirements. Each school's
plan must be updated annually, and made available to parents.
Does your own family have a similar plan for what to do
and where to gather in the event of an emergency? City and
County disaster preparedness agencies are a good resource
to use for making your own emergency plan. For particular
help you may call Assistance Ministry at 213.637.7650.
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Five Tips for Safeguarding Children
The Archdiocese mandates that all people who work with
children and youth in our parishes and schools must undergo
child abuse prevention training through the VIRTUS program.
The training details five steps to prevent child sexual
abuse: 1. Know the warning signs of an
inappropriate relationship with a child. 2.
Control access to children by carefully selecting the
adults who work with children and youth. 3. Monitor
all programs for the safety of children and youth. 4.
Be aware and sensitive to what is going on in
the lives of children. 5.Communicate
concerns to the appropriate person in authority. For more
information, please call the Archdiocesan Safeguard
the Children Office 213.637.7227. |
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Know the 'Parent Warning Codes'
Text messaging is an increasingly integral part of the way
young people communicate with their friends. But like other
forms of communication, it can expose children to outside
threats and unwanted contacts, even from sexual predators.
That's why it is important for parents to monitor their
child's use of text messaging. Young people are aware of
their parents' supervision and have developed text codes
in response. These parent warning codes are codes that kids
use to let whomever they are talking to know that it is
not safe to talk. If you see these codes, you should instantly
be suspicious. For example, "MOS" means "Mom
over shoulder," and "PIR" means "Parent
in room." |
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TEXT MESSAGING: Know the Warning Signs
Monitoring
your child's internet browsing and cell phone use are important
and challenging aspects of being a parent. In keeping track
of your child’s text messaging, with its dizzying
array of coded abbreviations and symbols, there are some
codes that every parent should keep his/her eyes open for.
These are codes that kids use to warn others that their
parents are around or that they use to talk about sex, drugs
or to arrange a meeting. For example, “KPC”
means “keeping parents clueless” and “LMIRL”
means “Let’s meet in real life.” A helpful
tutorial for parents is ”How
to understand your kids’ text messages."
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
(213) 637-7650. |
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Help
Reduce Abuse Statistics
Nationally, more
than 2 million reports of abuse or neglect of minors are
made each year. Only a small percentage of child abuse is
ever reported. Learn how to spot suspected abuse or neglect,
and how to report it to the proper authorities.For more
information, please contact those in your parish who are
in charge of programs to safeguard children. Or please call
the Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children Office 213.637.7227.
For particular help, you may call Assistance Ministry at
213.637.7650. |
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Keeping
Kids Safe After School
You
can help keep your children safe by knowing where they spend
their time after school. Get to know the adults who show
up at the various locations in the community where children
gather and where they play together. Be wary of any adult
who seems more interested in creating a relationship with
a child than with other adults. Pay attention when an adult
seems to single out a child for a relationship or special
attention. Warning signs include treats, gifts, vacations,
or other special favors offered only to one specific child.
For more information, call the Archdiocesan Safeguard the
Children Office 213.637.7227. |
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How
To Understand Your Kids’ Text Messages
If you’ve read your child’s text messages, you
might think he or she has learned a second language. Texting
has replaced email for most young people today. And, like
any form of communication, parents have a responsibility
to make sure that their children use texting as safely as
possible. As a parent or guardian, take time to learn some
of the texting lingo. Also, be alert that some predators
use texting to send sexually explicit messages to unsuspecting
young people. A helpful tutorial for parents is
”How
to understand your kids’ text messages.”
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Teach
Kids to Protect Themselves at Home
We consider our homes to be safe places for our children.
But being home alone can pose risks for children. Here are
a few tips to teach kids that will help keep them safe when
you are not with them at home: Never answer the door if
alone; Do not invite anyone in the house without the permission
of a parent or babysitter; Don't tell anyone on the phone
that your parents are not home; Instead tell them that your
parents can't come to the phone, and take a message. For
more tips, please visit www.kidsafe.com
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Getting
To and From School Safely
If your child walks to school, walk the route with him/her
to identify landmarks and safe places to go if he/she is
being followed or needs help. Create a map with your child
showing acceptable routes to and from school using main
roads and avoiding shortcuts and isolated areas. Make sure
young children are properly supervised going to and from
school, whether it is by you as a parent/ guardian, an older
sibling or another trusted adult. Remind older children
to always take a friend when walking or riding their bikes
to and from school. |
