There are three key policies that relate to the safety of congregations in The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Information on all three policies can be downloaded from the PCC website.

https://presbyterian.ca/resources/resources-od/safety-policies/

These are the three policies that are explained on that page:

Leading with Care Policy

Policy and Procedure for Addressing Harassment in the Church

Policy for Dealing with Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment

For each policy, there are three links – to download the policy booklet, view a powerpoint presentation and a quiz to review your knowledge.

It’s an important responsibility of elders in our congregations to be familiar with these policies and ensure that they are followed within our congregations.

Ian Ross MacDonald (General Secretary, Life and Mission Agency) advises the following:

“Below is advice about transparency that emerges from discussions with the church’s legal counsel and from an equity review of the denomination’s policies and procedures conducted by consultants. It is advisable that congregations and other ministries of the church make information readily available about the church’s safety policies and who to contact when concerns arise.  A good way to do this is to add a clearly marked and easily found section on their websites that contains at least the following information in some format:

NAME OF MINISTRY… is a congregation/ministry of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and adheres to the church’s policies. NAME OF MINISTRY is committed to fulfilling the church’s three safety policies:

• • • Leading with Care Policy (link to the Policy)
    • Policy and Procedures Addressing for Harassment in the Church (link to the Policy)
    • Policy for Dealing with Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment (link to the Policy)All staff, volunteers, elders, ministers and anyone who participates in the church’s programs must follow these policies.  Elders, volunteers and ministers are trained on these policies regularly.

      For more information about the church’s safety policies, visit The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Safety Policies web page.

      To raise a concern or make a complaint, email NAME AND TITLE at Congregational Phone Number/non-personal email address, or NAME AND TITLE at Congregational Phone Number/non-personal email address,, or contact the clerk of the local presbytery for advice on the procedure.  Contact information for clerks of presbyteries and synods can be found here.

Alternatively, ministries may decide to simply provide a link from their website to presbyterian.ca/safe-church/.   Not every congregation has a website or will find it feasible to implement the advice outlined above.  In those cases, other ways of making readily available the information outlined above can be implemented. For examples, necessary and helpful information can be posted on bulletin boards and spread in flyers placed in the pews.”

It is also important to make information available to your congregations about the safety policies of the PCC. There is a poster you can print and post in your church or include on a powerpoint slide:

https://presbyterian.ca/resources/resources-od/safety-policies/#resources

The Presbyterian Church in Canada is committed to fostering safe church environments free from harm and harassment, where vulnerable individuals, especially children and vulnerable adults, are protected.

For information on making a complaint, and policies on dealing with complaints, visit the Safe Church web page of the PCC:

https://presbyterian.ca/resources/resources-od/safe-church/

If you need any assistance, please contact Jo Szostak, Congregational and Mission Development Coordinator, Synod of Saskatchewan