Safe Environment

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is a set of guidelines created by the Catholic Church to protect minors from abuse and exploitation. It shows the Church’s dedication to ensuring a safe environment, helping victims, and holding abusers accountable. The charter highlights the need to report suspected abuse, conduct thorough investigations, and take preventive steps to safeguard children and young people in the Church’s care.

The Catholic Church affirms the inherent dignity of all people and is committed to protecting minors and vulnerable adults from abuse. The Diocese of Charleston has established the Office of Child and Youth Protection to respond to allegations of abuse and maintain safe environments in all parishes, missions, and schools. To do this, the Diocese of Charleston has implemented the use of the VIRTUS online platform that utilizes training programs for adults and youth to prevent and respond to abuse and a tracking and compliance functionality for clergy, employees, and volunteers.


All clergy, employees, and volunteers in the Diocese of Charleston are required to create a VIRTUS account where they access Safe Environment training, complete a background check, and acknowledge and sign three documents. Employees and volunteers are compliant if they have completed the requirements within their VIRTUS account. Click on the links below to access more information:

 

Safe Environment Training and the mandatory background screening need to be re-certified every 5 years.

From the Diocese of Charleston Office of Child and Youth Protection 

Through the Office of Child and Youth Protection Service, the Diocese of Charleston requires mandatory educational programming (“Safe Environment Training”) and resources to create and maintain safe environments, along with training on methods of preventing, recognizing, responding to, and the reporting of sexual misconduct or abuse of minors or vulnerable adults.

The Safe Environment program includes but is not limited to the following components:

  • Prevention education for adults and minors
  • Review of the Policy Code of Conduct and Ministerial Standards
  • Increasing awareness of and ensuring and enforcing compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
  • Creating awareness of and compliance with the Code of Conduct at all levels of the diocese
  • Maintenance at the local level of necessary documentation verifying that all church personnel serving in a parish, school, or other diocesan agency have participated in safe environment training, have been background screened for suitability, and are currently approved to have regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults
  • Education on how to report allegations
  • The laws and policies regarding the reporting of the abuse of minors

Who is mandated to complete Prevention Education (VIRTUS) Training?

  • All Clergy
  • All Temporarily-assigned and visiting international priests
  • All Seminarians
  • All Religious
  • All Employees
  • All Teachers
  • All Volunteers

Prevention Education (VIRTUS) training is mandatory. You can access your certificates of completion through your VIRTUS account and no longer need to provide them to your local parish or school office. While the local Safe Environment Coordinator is responsible for managing their location’s list of employees and volunteers, IT IS ALL OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL SAFE ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS.

The Diocese of Charleston will not employ or accept as church personnel anyone who refuses or fails to complete Prevention Education (VIRTUS) Training on the creation of safe environments and the prevention of sexual abuse of minors and/or vulnerable adults.

All church personnel are subject to re-certification of Prevention Education Training every 5 years.

How to register for VIRTUS: 

Please contact Rosa Rodríguez, Safe Environment Coordinator if you have any questions or need assistance.