Child Protection Policy Snapshot

Summary of protective measures

Mercy’s Door Community Church seeks to provide a safe and secure environment for the children who participate in our programs and activities.

By implementing the below practices, our goal is to protect the children of Mercy’s Door, or children in our care.

The full Child Protection Policy is available at the MD Kids Ministry Center.

Selection of Workers

All persons who desire to work with the children participating in our programs and activities will be screened. This screening includes the following:

a) Three Month Rule

No applicant will be considered for any position involving contact with minors until she/he has been involved with Mercy’s Door for a minimum of three (3) months. This time of interaction between our leadership and the applicant allows for better evaluation and suitability of the applicant for working with children.

b) Gospel Community Participation

No applicant will be considered for any position involving contact with minors until he/she has been actively participating in a Gospel Community for one session. This time of interaction between our leadership and the applicant allows for better evaluation and suitability of the applicant for working with children.

c) Personal Interview

Upon completion of the application, a face-to-face interview may be scheduled with the applicant to discuss his/her suitability for the position.

d) Criminal Background Check

A national criminal background check is required for all employees (regardless of position) and for the all categories of volunteers that will be involved with children under the age of 18.

If an individual declines to authorize, s/he will be unable to work with children.

Open Door Policy

Classroom doors should remain open unless there is a window in the door or a side window beside it. Doors should never be locked while persons are inside the room.

Two Adult Rule

It is our goal that a minimum of two adult workers will be in attendance at all times when children are being supervised during our programs and activities. Some youth classes may have only one adult teacher in attendance during the class session; in these instances, when there is no window to the classroom, doors to the classroom should remain open and there should be no fewer than three students with the adult teacher. We do not allow minors to be alone with one adult on our premises or in any sponsored activity unless in a counseling situation.

Teenage Workers

We recognize that there may be times when it is necessary or desirable for babysitters (paid or volunteer) who are themselves under age 18 to assist in caring for children during programs or activities. The following guidelines apply to teenage workers:

● Must be at least age 14

● Must be under the supervision of an adult and must never be left alone with children.

Restroom and Diaper Changing Guidelines

MD Kids should always use the MD Kids restroom, located outside of the worship area. A worker should escort the child to the restroom from the classroom. If the child is old enough to use the restroom by themselves, the door may be closed. If a child is taking longer than seems necessary, the worker should open the bathroom door and call the child’s name. If a child requires assistance, the workers should prop open the bathroom door, and leave the stall door open as they assist the child.

For the protection of all, workers should never be alone with a child in a restroom with the door closed and never be in a closed restroom stall with a child. Parents are strongly encouraged to have their children visit the restroom prior to each class.

Accidental Injuries to Children

In the event that a child or youth is injured while under our care, the following steps should be followed:

1. For minor injuries, scrapes, and bruises, workers will provide First Aid (Band-Aids, etc.) as appropriate and will notify the child’s parent or guardian of the injury at the time the child is picked up from our care.

2. For injuries requiring medical treatment beyond simple First Aid, the parent and/or guardian will immediately be summoned in addition to the worker’s supervisor. If warranted by circumstances, an ambulance will be called. An incident report will be filed.

Sick Child Policy

It is our desire to provide a healthy and safe environment for all of the children and MD Kids workers at Mercy’s Door. Parents are encouraged to be considerate of other children and MD Kids workers when deciding whether to place a child under our care. In general, children with the following symptoms should NOT be dropped off:

● Fever, diarrhea, or vomiting within the last 48 hours

● Green or yellow runny nose

● Discharge from eyes

● Unknown skin infections/rash

● Illness being treated with antibiotics for under 24 hours

● Other symptoms of communicable or infectious disease

If it is found that a child attended MD Kids or another event and had a communicable disease, the MD Kids administrative leader should be notified. It will then be decided whether other parents whose kids may have come in contact with child and/or MD Kids workers should be notified.

Children who are observed by our workers to be ill will be separated from other children and the parent or guardian will be contacted to request that the child be picked up for the day.

Medications Policy

It is the policy of Mercy’s Door Community Church not to administer either prescription or non-prescription medications to the children under our care. Medications should be administered by a parent at home. Parents are reminded of our sick child policy.

Exceptions to the medications policy may be granted to parents of children with potentially life-threatening conditions (such as asthma or severe allergic reactions). Parents of such children should address their situation with the MD Kids administrative leader to develop a plan of action.

Photo Policy

It is the policy of Mercy’s Door Community Church that while acting on behalf of Mercy’s Door as an MD Kids worker, workers are NOT to take pictures of kids and/or post them to any form of social media.

If Mercy’s Door has a desire to use pictures of children for the website or other forms of media, a consent should be signed by the children’s parent or guardian. Each consent form can only be applied to the use of one particular photo.

Check-in/Check-out Procedure

For any child in MD Kids, a security check-in/check-out procedure will be followed. The child will be checked-in by a parent or guardian, who will receive a printed sticker with a unique three-digit identifier that corresponds to the three-digit identifier on the child’s name tag. The parent or guardian must present the printed sticker with the unique identifier in order to check out the child from our care. In the event that a parent or guardian is unable to present the sticker, the MD Kids children’s coordinator will be responsible for releasing the child.

Discipline Policy

It is the policy of Mercy’s Door Community Church not to administer corporal punishment, even if parents have suggested or given permission for it. There should be no spanking, grabbing, hitting, or other physical discipline of children. If a behavior issue arises, parents will be notified and asked to remove their child from the classroom.

Training

Mercy’s Door Community Church will provide training on this child protection policy to all new childcare workers and will strive to provide opportunities for additional training classes or events on an annual basis. All workers are strongly encouraged to attend these training events.