Safe Environment

The Diocese of Columbus has created a Safe Environment Program designed to protect children while they are in the care, custody or control of any person working on behalf of the Church. Protecting God’s Children™ training is just one step of the overall Safe Environment Program.

St. Francis de Sales will announce the local Protecting God’s Children training sessions. 

Requirements for Volunteering with Youth

For the safety of our children, the Diocese of Columbus requires the following attend a Protecting God’s Children Program and complete a criminal background check (fingerprinting):

• All paid diocesan, parish, and school staff and any clergy temporarily assigned to the Columbus Diocese regardless of their level of contact with children and youth
• All volunteers 18 years or older,  no matter how much or how little contact they have with children or youth, no matter if volunteering for the school or parish, and no matter what time of the day or night they volunteer.

If you have been a resident of the State of Ohio for less than five years, you are required to have both a BCI and an FBI background check; residents of more than five years are only required to only have a BCI background check. The Newark Police Department will process your fingerprints for a nominal fee.  Please contact them at 740-670-7205 for further information. You should provide them with Code #2151.86 for volunteering and ask that they send the results electronically to Diocese of Columbus, Attention:  Regina Quinn, 197 East Gay Street, Columbus, Ohio  43215. 

To complete Protecting God’s Children requirements, the Diocese of Columbus participates in Virtus, a program and service of the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc.  Visit their site at www.virtus.org to view a list of upcoming sessions in our area.  These sessions are free and last about two hours.

Although not required to do so by diocesan policy, we strongly encourage all parish volunteers to complete civilian criminal background checks and attend Protecting God’s Children training sessions, even if you will not directly have care, custody, or control of children and youth, as the safety of young people is best assured when all adults have been trained and understand how to build a safe environment.

St. Francis Safe Environment Program Acknowledgements

• Waiver of Damages Policy
• Photo & Video Release Policy
• Diocese of Columbus Parental Participation Policy #5110.05
• Diocese of Columbus Publishing Personal Information Policy #5126.0
• Diocese of Columbus Harassment Policy for Children & Youth #5140.05 
• Diocese of Columbus Policy for Curriculum Support #4110.01 
• Diocese of Columbus Policy for Background Checks & Training #4110.1 
• Diocese of Columbus Policy for Use of Social Networking & Internet #6142.3 

Columbus Diocese Information and Policies 

Further information and forms, as well as related policies, can be found on the diocesan website page.