Policy Purpose

The Safety Team of the First UU Society of Burlington has created Safe Congregation Policies, which have been approved by the board. These policies apply to all society employees, volunteers, members and congregants while attending or participating in society functions. The primary purpose of the policies is to promote safety for children and youth – physical, emotional and sexual.

Policy Contents

The policy document details training needs, practices and procedures in four areas. The first is safety in our facilities, which includes such things as having fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and people trained to use them. The second section gives specific policies and guidelines to prevent unsafe situations that could result in abuse, harassment or other inappropriate conduct toward children, as well as false or mistaken allegations. It outlines training/education, supervision, and screening policies and practices. In the third section there is information about how to report a suspected incident. The final section deals with how reports of a potential problem will be handled. Helpful appendices include forms and resources.

Required training for volunteers working with children or youth

For convenience, our self-guided training (and link to accompanying online quiz) can be accessed HERE.