Best Practices Form

Annual Youth Protection Refresher Training and
Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct Form

All Diocesan employees, as well as volunteers who have contact with minors, must refresh their youth protection training annually by reviewing material from the Diocese of Evansville's Framework for Youth Protection. This material may be viewed in the PowerPoint available at this link. By dating, initialing, and digitally signing the Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct form below, you verify that you have reviewed this material, and agree to abide by the following Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct. A PDF version of the Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct form is also available at this link.

This online form is ONLY for diocesan-level employees, candidates for ordination, retired priests and deacons, and other clerics who do not presently have a pastoral assignment, who have not refreshed their training in a parish.

Parish and school clergy, staff, and volunteers should complete the refresher training and sign the Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct form at the respective locations where they serve.

Please INITIAL after each statement, and then type your name at the bottom to indicate your electronic signature.

As children are the most important gifts God has entrusted to us, the Diocese of Evansville is committed to safeguarding minors, which are persons under eighteen (18) years of age.

As a condition of their providing services to the minors of our diocese, bishops, priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, pastoral ministers, administrators, staff, and volunteers that work with minors in any capacity shall:

* Indicates required field

Treat everyone with respect, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, and consideration. *

Immediately report the suspected abuse or neglect of a minor to the Department of Child Services (Indiana DCS Hotline: 1-800-800-5556) or to a local law enforcement agency; then inform the appropriate supervisor. *

Immediately report the suspected sexual abuse of a minor by diocesan personnel to the Department of Child Services or to a local law enforcement agency. If a bishop has (a) performed sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person; (b) forced someone to perform or to submit to sexual acts through violence, threat, or abuse of authority; (c) produced, exhibited, possessed, or distributed child pornography, including by electronic means, or recruited or induced a minor or vulnerable person to participate in pornographic exhibitions; or (d) executed actions or omissions intended to interfere with or avoid a civil or Church (canonical) investigation into allegations of sexual abuse committed by a cleric or religious: after reporting to DCS or to a local law enforcement agency, inform the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service (www.reportbishopabuse.org or 1-800-276-1562), which is a third-party reporting service for gathering and relaying such reports to the appropriate Church authorities. If the sexual abuse of a minor involves a priest, deacon, candidate for ordination, pastoral minister, administrator, staff person, or volunteer: after reporting to DCS or to a local law enforcement agency, inform the diocesan victim assistance coordinator (toll-free: 866-200-3004; local: 812-490-9565). *

Cooperate fully in any investigation of abuse of minors. *

Participate fully in the required training sessions for adults working with minors. *

Be subject to a thorough criminal history background check. *

Refrain from smoking or using tobacco, or smoking electronic cigarettes or similar devices (“vaping”), at any time while serving minors in parish, school, or diocesan sponsored functions. *

Refrain from using, possessing, or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at any time while serving minors in parish, school, or diocesan functions. *

Be informed that the diocese’s policies and procedures regarding allegations of sexual abuse of minors is on the diocesan website (www.evdio.org). *

The sexual abuse of a minor also includes: A vulnerable person is any person in a state of infirmity, physical or mental deficiency, or deprivation of personal liberty which, in fact, even occasionally limits their ability to understand or to want or otherwise resist the offense; and Child pornography, which is any representation of a minor, regardless of the means used, involved in explicit sexual activities, whether real or simulated, and any representation of sexual organs of minors for primarily sexual purposes. *

Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Child Services or to a local law enforcement agency is a Class B Misdemeanor. The only exception to this requirement involves information learned within the Sacrament of Reconciliation. *

Any action inconsistent with Safe Environment Program policies and procedures may result in the termination of a person’s giving services to minors. *

I have read and understand this Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct form, and agree to abide by it. I understand that any action inconsistent with Safe Environment Program policies and procedures may result in the termination of my giving services to minors.

Electronic Signature /s/ *

Date *

Affiliation *

Submit

Annual Youth Protection Refresher Training and Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct Form

Annual Youth Protection Refresher Training and
Best Practices for Pastoral Conduct Form