Prevention, Responding, Supervision
The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement are accredited members of Praesidium, which helps organizations manage risk and commits members to the highest standards of protecting children and providing a safe environment. The Friars are committed to child safety and follow the norms and training for child protection based on Praesidium’s extensive research since 1991 and their work with more than 4,000 organizations.
The Standards for Accreditation, originally published in 2004, are clustered into three key areas:
- Prevention: Standards in this area review items such as how new members are screened, relevant educational programs for initial and ongoing formation, systems of support and accountability to ensure Members’ well-being, and how the Institute manages internal reports of concerns about boundary violations.
- Responding: In keeping with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, these Standards foremost ensure that individuals who report abuse to an Institute are received pastorally and compassionately. This set of Standards also evaluates policies and procedures in areas such as reporting requirements, investigations, and the role of external review boards.
- Supervision: Institutes with Members that are known to have abused a minor in the past must implement safeguards to ensure that no further abuse is perpetrated. The Standards in this section consider to what extent a Member in this category is restricted and is compliant with his restrictions and ensures on-going evaluation of overall effectiveness of the supervision.
