Safe Environment
The Office for Child and Youth Protection (OCYP) is responsible for supporting the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s commitment to create and maintain safe environments for the children who attend its churches, schools, and programs. The Office for Catechetical Formation (OCF) works closely with OCYP to ensure that parish PREP Programs are safe environments for children. For more information on the work of the OCYP, please visit their website linked above.
Safe Environment Checklist for PREP
KidTalk Lessons
KidTalk lessons are required part of the curriculum for all Parish Religious Education Programs and applicable to all program options utilized by a parish (e.g., traditional weekly classes, family catechesis, home-based catechesis, etc.). The lessons are taught once during the school year. Parents are to be informed of the date of this instruction by the Parish Director/Coordinator of Religious Education and provided with the link below to review the lessons online. Parents may opt-out of the lessons but must complete an official Opt-Out form (see below), which is sent to the DRE and maintained on file in the PREP Office.
KidTalk Lessons by Level (English & Spanish)
KidTalk Forms
Parent Acknowledgement Form for Home-Based or Virtual Catechesis – English
Parent Acknowledgement Form for Home-Based or Virtual Catechesis- Spanish
Opt-Out Letter Template for In-Person Instruction – English
Opt-Out Letter Template for In-Person Instruction – Spanish
Parent Resources
Safe Environment Policy for Volunteers
Note that the policies listed below are for the Archdiocese. Please check with your school or parish to determine if they have additional requirements or guidelines. Archdiocesan policy requires that volunteers who may have any possible contact with children complete the following background checks and clearances: Clearances for Volunteers Living in PA for Less than 10 years:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Fingerprint Clearance
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
Clearances for Volunteers Living in PA Continuously for 10 years:
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- Disclosure Statement application for volunteers to be filed at the place of service.
Volunteers who reside in Pennsylvania do not have a provisional period and must obtain clearances prior to beginning service.
Volunteers who reside in another state or country may serve for no more than 30 days as long as they provide clearances from their state or country of residence. Volunteers who have regular contact with children (at least one time per week) are required to complete parts one and two of the Safe Environment training within 90 days of beginning their volunteer work.
- Part I: Protecting God’s Children, is offered regularly at sites throughout the Archdiocese. The training provides basic facts about child sexual abuse and adults’ roles in prevention. Register here
- Part II: The Mandatory Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse, is available online at our Training Institute in English and Spanish. This training provides an overview of Archdiocesan reporting procedures for suspected child abuse and Pennsylvania Child Welfare Laws. The training should take you approximately one hour to complete. Register here
- Additional information about background checks and clearances and background checks and clearances required for minors
- Additonal Information about Safe Environment Requirements for Staff and Volunteers
Reporting Suspected Child Abuse
As a volunteer working within the Archdiocese, we hope that you will always err on the side of protecting children and immediately report any suspicion of child abuse to the proper authorities. Some volunteers are mandated reporters and MUST report suspicions of abuse. Effective December 31, 2014, volunteers working directly with children are mandated reporters in Pennsylvania. This means that you will be legally responsible to report when you have reasonable cause to suspect a child has been abused.