10 Suggested Steps For Parish Implementation of Screening in Faith

(Note: This process is based on parish-wide work, but could also be adapted for use by individual ministries within a parish such as the Sunday School)

1.) Identify a parish screening co-ordinator and/or persons interested in serving on a small screening committee.

2.) List all ministries of the congregation.

3.) Ask current volunteers and paid staff to write or (if the person cannot write) verbally provide a preliminary ministry description for their position(s), using as a model the categories identified on page 3.8 of Screening in Faith.

4.) Based on the returned ministry descriptions, perform a risk assessment on each position using the Diocesan Screening Guidelines for Congregations and the tools for risk assessment found on pages 3.1 - 3.2 of Screening in Faith.

5.) Look for ways to modify the risk in each position, using the tools for risk modification found on pages 3.3 - 3.4 of Screening in Faith.

6.) Establish screening steps and follow-up procedures for each position, using the Diocesan Screening Guidelines for Congregations and making reference to pages 3.4 - 3.5 of Screening in Faith.

7.) Finalize ministry descriptions

8.) Meet with paid staff and volunteers to debrief and answer questions about the screening steps and follow-up procedures.

9.) Apply screening steps and follow-up procedures, using the Parish Screening and Program Management Kit as a resource.

10.) Create opportunities to celebrate people’s ministries.

©2002 Diocese of Algoma

June 13, 2002