Safe Church, Safe Communities

At Good Shepherd, we are committed to train our leaders to maintain an environment safe from abuse. The Episcopal Church requires an online training called Safe Church, Safe Communities. The following leaders must take this course:

• Clergy
• Staff
• Vestry members
• Keyholders
• Eucharistic visitors
• All who work with children regularly

All told, it takes several hours to complete this training regimen, though the nine modules can be spread out over time. Those whose previous training is still current do not need to take this now. The Good Shepherd office will contact you directly if you need to re-up or take the training for the first time. In the meantime, any and all are welcome to be trained; you can expect to find the training valuable for many reasons.

Here’s how to take these courses.

First, a quick overview of the steps:

1. Set up a membership on the Praesidium Academy website.
2. Log in to the system.
3. Complete all nine required online courses; they are linked individually below so you can be sure you're taking the right ones.
4. Forward your certifications to the Parish Administrator so the Church of the Good Shepherd can log your training.
5. Fill out an online form so the Diocese of Olympia can certify you.
6. Download and absorb the model Safe Church policies.

Now let's follow the steps one by one.

1. Set up a membership on the Praesidium Academy website:

• Go to https://www.praesidiumacademy.com/redeem.
• Set up a membership on the site by filling in your contact information and your desired password. Enter the registration code specific to the Diocese of Olympia:
  reg-episdioceseofolympia-440-diocese
• Click Validate. Click the checkbox to agree to the Terms & Conditions. Click Redeem.
• Take note of your user login and password for future reference.
• Answer the registration questions about your status and role with the church.
• Click Save & Continue.

2. Log in to the system if you are not already logged in.

IMPORTANT:

 The modules you now see on your screen are not necessarily the ones you need to take right now. The Praesidium system is much broader in scope than the trainings our diocese requires. Rather than making you search for each individual course by name, we have set up the following direct links in this blog post for you.

3. Complete all nine required online courses.

• Click on the first of the following nine module links. After you've completed the first module, click on the next, etc.:
• 1. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Universal Training: Introduction & Theological Background
• 2. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Universal Training: Inclusion
• 3. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Universal Training: Healthy Boundaries
• 4. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Universal Training: Organizational Rules & Policies
• 5. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Specialty Training: Power & Relationships
• 6. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Specialty Training: Pastoral Relationships
• 7. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Specialty Training: Bullying
• 8. Safe Church, Safe Communities – Specialty Training: Abuse and Neglect
• 9. Duty to Report: Mandated Reporter*

* Please note that the “Mandated Reporter” module contains videos that might be especially triggering to victims of abuse. It is OK to absorb the content of this module without watching the videos.

You must take all nine of these modules to complete your training. (You are welcome to take any of the other available courses available on the site as well—not just the nine required of you.)

4. Forward your certifications.

When you receive each certification, please forward it to Parish Administrator Evan Hershman so he can log your certification. You may wish to complete the entire set of courses and then forward all nine certifications to Evan in a single email.

5. Fill out an online form.

In order for your training to be logged correctly, you must then fill out this form. This is how the Diocese of Olympia is notified of your completed training; you are not finished until you fill it out!

Your training is good for three years; after that you must re-up.

6. Download and absorb the model Safe Church policies. The Praesidium trainings do not go into all the specifics that these documents do. As somebody certified in Safe Church, Safe Communities, you are responsible for knowing and understanding these policies on working with (1) Children and Youth and (2) Vulnerable Adults.