About Worthington United Methodist Church

Policies

Safe Sancturary -- Child Protection Policy

Appendix A

Child Abuse As Per Section 2919.22 of the Ohio Revised Code:

1. No person who is the parent, guardian, custodian, person having custody or control, or person in loco parentis of a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally or physically handicapped child under twenty-one years of age, shall create a substantial risk to the health or safety of the child, by violating a duty of care, protection, or support. It is not a violation of duty of care, protection, or support under this division when the parent, guardian, custodian or person having custody or control of a child treats the physical or mental illness or defect of the child by spiritual means through prayer alone, in accordance with tenets of a recognized religious body.
2. No person shall do any of the following to a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally or physically handicapped child under twenty-one years of age:
   1. Abuse the child;
   2. Torture or cruelly abuse the child;
   3. Administer corporal punishment or other physical disciplinary measure, or physically restrain the child in a cruel manner or for a prolonged period, which punishment, discipline, or restraint is excessive under the circumstances and creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm to the child;
   4. Repeatedly administer unwarranted disciplinary measures to the child, when there is a substantial risk that such conduct, if continued, will seriously impair or retard the child's mental health or development.
   5. Entice, coerce, permit, encourage, compel, hire, employ, use, or allow the child to act, model, or in any way participate in, or be photographed for, the production, presentation, dissemination, or advertisement of any material or performance that the offender knows or reasonably should know is obscene, is sexually oriented matter, or is nudity-oriented matter.

Types of Child Abuse:

1. Physical abuse - abuse in which a person deliberately and intentionally causes bodily harm to a child. Examples may include violent battery with a weapon (knife, belt, strap, and so forth), burning, shaking, kicking, choking, fracturing bones, and any of a wide variety of non-accidental injuries to a child's body.
2. Emotional abuse - abuse in which a person exposes a child to spoken and/or unspoken violence or emotional cruelty. Emotional abuse sends a message to the child of worthlessness, badness, and being not only unloved but undeserving of love and care. Children exposed to emotional abuse may have experience being locked in a closet, being deprived of any sign of parental affection, being constantly told they are bad or stupid, or being allowed or forced to abuse alcohol or drugs. Emotional abuse is often very difficult to prove and is devastating to the victim.
3. Neglect- abuse in which a person endangers a child's health, safety, or welfare through negligence. Neglect may include withholding food, clothing, medical care, education, and even affection and affirmation of the child's self-worth. This is perhaps the most common form of child abuse.
4. Sexual Abuse - abuse in which sexual contact between a child and an adult (or another older or more powerful youth) occurs. The child is never truly capable of consenting to or resisting such contact and/or such sexual acts. Often, the child is physically and psychologically dependent upon the perpetrator of the abuse. Examples of sexual abuse may include fondling, intercourse, incest, and the exploitation of and exposure to child pornography or prostitution.
5. Ritual Abuse - abuse in which physical, sexual, or psychological violations of a child are inflicted regularly, intentionally, and in a stylized way by a person or persons responsible for the child's welfare. The abuser may appeal to some higher authority or power to justify the abuse. The abuse may include cruel treatment or animals or repeated threats of harm to the child, other persons, and animals. Reports of ritual abuse are often extremely horrifying and may seem too grim to be true. Children making such reports must not be ignored.

Indicators of Child Abuse:

1. Possible signs of physical abuse:
   • Hostile and aggressive behavior towards others
   • Fearfulness of parents and/or other adults
   • Destructive behavior toward self, others, and/or property
   • Inexplicable fractures or bruises inappropriate for child's developmental stage
   • Burns, facial injuries, pattern of repetitious bruises
2. Possible signs of emotional abuse:
   • Exhibits severe depression and/or withdrawal
   • Exhibits severe lack of self-esteem
   • Failure to thrive
   • Threatens or attempts suicide
   • Speech or eating disorders
   • Goes to extremes to seek adult approval
   • Extreme passive/aggressive behavior patterns
3. Possible signs of neglect:
   • Failure to thrive
   • Pattern of inappropriate dress for climate
   • Begs or steals food; chronic hunger
   • Depression
   • Untreated medical conditions
   • Poor hygiene
4. Possible signs of sexual abuse:
   • Unusually advanced sexual knowledge and/or behavior for child's age and developmental stage
   • Depression - cries often for no apparent reason
   • Promiscuous behavior
   • Runs away from home and refuses to return
   • Difficulty walking or sitting
   • Bruised/bleeding in vaginal or anal areas
   • Exhibits frequent headaches, stomachaches, extreme fatigue
   • Sexually transmitted diseases
   
   In addition to these indicators, children who have been sexually abused at church may exhibit some of the following:
   • Unusual nervousness or anxiety about being left in the nursery or Sunday school class
   • Reluctance to participate in church activities that were previously enthusiastically approached
   • Comments such as "I don't want to be alone with__________ in reference to a child care worker or Sunday school teacher
   • Nightmares including a child care worker or teacher as a frightening character
   • Unexplained hostility toward a child care worker or teacher
5. Possible signs of ritual abuse:
   • Disruption of memory or consciousness
   • Unexplained mistrust and mood swings
   • Flashbacks
   • Eating Disorders
   • Fear of the dark, especially at sundown or a full moon
   • Agitation or despair that seems to occur in cycles
   • Fear of ministers, priests, or others wearing robes or uniforms
   • Nightmares or sleep disorders
   • Any of the symptoms of sexual abuse