Child protection in the news
SBC Life, a publication of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), tackles the issue of child sexual abuse within the church with a special 8-page pull-out section titled Protecting Our children: Accepting the Responsibility, Embracing the Privilege.

"It is paramount that the body of Christ do all it can to protect these little ones, from insuring that the church and all her ministries are a place of comfort and safety to reaching out to new moms and dads who are -- more often that not -- suddenly overwhelmed by the challenges of parenthood," writes Richard Land, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "A church that allows any child to be harmed through negligence or neglect soils its witness in the community and brings public disrepute to God."

The SBC has come under fire in the past year from advocacy groups for its handling of allegations of child sexual abuse by pastors and church workers within the denomination. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a long-time watchdog group over the Catholic Church, has been critical of the largest protestant denomination in the U.S. for lack of a consistent denomination-wide process of handling allegations of abuse.

Read the news report from Baptist Press
View a copy of the Special Report, Protecting Our Children 

How to get started with Child Protection  
Click here for a document that outlines the basic steps any church can take to protect the children in its care.

Thinking of instituting background screens?
Here are some things to consider. Download article.

Child protection resources

Early Childhood Smart Pages 
Guidance on staffing your children’s ministry.

Child Abuse Prevention 
Be prepared to deal with the issue of child abuse.

Understanding Child Abuse Reporting Obligations 
Know the legal responsibilities of your staff and workers when abuse is suspected.