FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Safe Environment

Who is required to complete the Safe Environment training?

All employees, independent contractors, and clergy (regardless if they work with minors and/or vulnerable individuals)
All adult volunteers (18 years old or older) who will work in an unsupervised capacity with children or vulnerable individuals, or it can be foreseen that there is a reasonable possibility they might find themselves in an unsupervised situation with minors and/or vulnerable individuals.
Volunteers not working with minors and/or vulnerable individuals only need to complete the “Volunteer Application.”

What paperwork is required for minors (under 18 years old)?

If they are employees, they will need to complete the employment application and the School Reference for Minor Form or three (3) references have to be verified if the minor is a homeschooled child
If they are volunteers, they will need to complete the minor volunteer application and the School Reference Form or three (3) references have to be verified if the minor volunteer is a homeschooled child
Minor employees/volunteers must be at least five (5) years older than the children/youth with whom they are working/volunteering
Minor employees/volunteers should always be under the supervision of an adult who is Safe Environment compliant

What documents do I need to read and sign if I am an employee or volunteer working with children/youth and/or vulnerable individuals?

View the YOU MATTER video for Adults,
Completion of the Employee/Volunteer Safe Environment Compliance Packet, and Satisfactory background screen

What documents do I need to read and sign if I am a volunteer not working with children?

Complete and signed the Adult Volunteer Application

How often do I need to complete the training?

The Safe Environment training and background checks are to be renewed every five (5) years

How long is the Safe Environment paperwork kept?

A physical copy of each application for volunteer service will be kept on file for one (1) year following the termination of the volunteer's service, and an electronic copy of the application will be kept for fifty (50) years following the destruction of the physical document

Background Evaluations

Who is required to have background checks?

All employees, independent contractors, and clergy (regardless if they work with minors and/or vulnerable individuals)
All adult volunteers (18 years old or older) who will work in an unsupervised capacity or it can be foreseen that there is a reasonable possibility they might find themselves in an unsupervised situation with minors and/or vulnerable individuals

What paperwork is required to perform a background check?

The Archdiocese of Atlanta Background Investigation Consent Form (Filled out in its entirety including social security number, date of birth, signature, and date)

Does the Archdiocese of Atlanta include a financial background check as part of the overall background check?

The Archdiocese does not run a credit report on employees, clergy, and volunteers. Under The Fair Credit Report Law, we are required to provide The Summary of Your Rights information sheet to any volunteer or employee for which we perform a background check. This law covers all consumer investigative reports, including not only credit reports, but also felony and misdemeanor reports and any other kind of consumer investigative reports. Currently, the Archdiocese uses Choice Point as the provider to run background reports for all volunteers and Verifications, Inc. as the provider to run background reports for all employees and clergy. In order to complete the background report, both companies get the information about the individual from the credit bureau, which means the Archdiocese's name will appear when an employee, clergy, or volunteer checks their own credit report. Unless we request a credit report, Choice Point or Verifications, Inc. will not send us any credit report information

How often do background checks have to be done?

Background checks need to be redone every five (5) years

Safe Environment Training for Children

What is the intent of this training?

This program was created by the Archdiocese of Atlanta for children in response to Article 12 of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young people because sadly children experience things they should not have to
The intent is to teach children/youth that although God is a loving, listening, caring presence in their daily lives, He also listens and speaks to them through special adults whom He sends to children because He loves them

Is this a mandatory training?

It is mandatory for all Parishes and Schools to offer the training to all children who attend the Catholic Schools and Religious Education Programs
It is required for all children/youth attending Catholic Schools to undergo this training. Parents may remove their own child from the Safe Environment training by providing the principal with a written request
It is the parent/guardian’s decision to grant or decline permission for their children/youth to participate in the training that is offered during the Religious Education classes

Is this training the same thing as sexuality education?

No, this training mainly focuses on teaching children that God listens and speaks to them through special adults whom He sends to children because He loves them the teens’ training also would encourage them to report any abuse to the authorities or a trusted adult
Children/youth would complete the Christian/Family Life education program through the Catholic Schools which educates students in human sexuality
Children/youth attending public schools would complete the Health & Safety program created by the Georgia Department of Education

Can grades Seven and Eight watch the Teen’s Video instead of the Activity Book?

It is the parent/guardian’s decision for their child to view the Teen’s video

Victims

Who does the Victim Assistance Program serve?

Anyone who is being or was abused in any way as a minor (under 18) by church personnel of the Archdiocese of Atlanta

Who is considered “church personnel” of the Archdiocese of Atlanta?

Employees of Archdiocese of Atlanta in schools, parishes, ministry offices and chancery offices,
Volunteers of Archdiocese of Atlanta in schools, parishes, and ministry offices, and
Clergy of the Archdiocese of Atlanta which include priests, deacons, seminarians, and religious sisters and brothers

What if I was abused in the Archdiocese of Atlanta but now live in another state?

The Victim Assistance Office of the Archdiocese of Atlanta can still assist you with counseling and connection to the Victim Assistance Office in the diocese in which you now live. Please call us at 404-920-7550

What if I was abused in another diocese of the United States but now live in the Archdiocese of Atlanta?

The Victim Assistance Office can connect you with the Victim Assistance Office in the diocese in which you were abused and invites you to participate in any of the victim outreach events and resources we have here in the Archdiocese of Atlanta as well

What if I am no longer a practicing Catholic?

The Victim Assistance Office of the Archdiocese of Atlanta offers help to you no matter where you are in your faith journey. Please call us at 404-920-7550

Can the Victim Assistance Office provide me a list of therapists that I can see for counseling?

The Victim Assistance Office does not provide a list of therapists for referral, but we can help you decide which type of therapy is best for you, give you guidelines on how to choose one and resources in the community that provide information on therapists

Besides counseling, what else does the Victim Assistance Program offer victims for healing?

Cry to Heaven: Christ calls all of us to reach out to the victims of abuse in their time of need. Through various parishes’ Eucharistic Adoration programs and other prayer efforts across the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the church’s faithful are praying for victims of abuse. This is our way of letting those who have been abused know that they are surrounded by the prayers of their brothers and sisters in Christ…and that He is there among us too. This is another way Christ promised to be with us always. “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”
Services: The Victim Assistance Program organized a Prayer Service of Consolation in the late summer of 2007 (www.georgiabulletin.org/local/2007/08/02/prayer/?s=consolation) and is now in the process of pulling together a Prayer Service of Apology for fall of 2009 at which Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will preside
The Way: In October of 2009, the Victim Assistance Office held its first retreat for female survivors of abuse. A similar retreat was held for male survivors in 2010. For information about future retreats, please call Sue Stubbs at 404-920-7554.
Spiritual Guidance: Abuse affects the whole of us - body, mind, heart, and soul. Should you feel the need to speak with a priest about the affect the abuse you experienced has had on your spiritual life, please call 404-920-7554 and Sue Stubbs will help you schedule an appointment with one of the priests that Archbishop Gregory appointed to this role.