Our bishop has ordered the diocese to be in this program and includes a class section on “safe touching” or what not. I fully inted to obey, but I also know that parents can opt out of this. What I need is to get parents FACTUAL information on this program. I know VIRTUS is controversial among some, so I want to get at the heart of the controversy and am asking for info from reputable sources (not paranoid stuff).
Thanks,
Scott
the person in your parish or diocese who is responsible for administering VIRTUS, should have these materials available for any parishioner to review. VIRTUS is a company which administers a child safetly program adopted by the majority of American dioceses. It has several parts: an ethical conduct orientation for diocesan and parish employees, one for volunteers, these both come under the Protecting God’s Children program. There is also a version of this for parents, essentially the first of the two videos, with some facts for them on how to report suspected abuse, and details of diocesan efforts in this area. The videos and the booklet and handouts which accompany the presentation are supposed to be available in the parish for any parishioner to review, but to be certified employees and volunteers must attend the entire 3 hour orientation and sign a code of ethical conduct.
The third arm is Touching Safety, for K-12. This consists of a 6 minute video (one each for primary, secondary, middle school, and HS), followed by a roughly 1-hour class. There are 6 classes, each is introduced by the same video segment, 2 are given each year, so the entire program is presented over 3 years.
the topics and presentations are geared toward these age levels. The first two dealt with how to say NO, and that we have private areas of our bodies that no one may touch without our permission, what are private areas (the part covered by a bathing suit, a doll or teddy bear with a bathing suit is used to illustrate this to younger children. no body parts are named or illustrated graphically). Only a safe adult has the right to help us clean these areas or keep us healthy. Who is a safe adult? What should we do if any adult or other child makes us feel unsafe or “yucky?” (Tell a safe adult). for older children, setting boundaries, saying NO, resisting peer pressure etc.
Quite frankly the content of touching Safety is much less graphic than Talking about Touching (not part of Virtus, another program altogether), and much tamer than what children in my area and in my grandchildren’s school district get in public school.
The video, lesson plans, worksheets, and a complete parent handbook in both English and Spanish is supposed to be available in the parish office for parents to review at their convenience. In the 2 years since our diocese introduced TS we have presented 3 modules, 3 parents have opted out, and only one has asked to view the materials. The presentations are publicized through CCD, with a letter sent home with every child including an opt-out form, in the bulletin and on the website.
I have to report the dates the presentations were given, dates review presentation was offered to parents, number of children who participated in each presentation, and number who opted out, as part of my statistical reporting to the diocese on our CCD program every year. I take a training each year, with my chosen facilitators, on the TS presentations for that year.
It is up to me the DRE to decide in consultation with the pastor exactly how these presentations are done, but there is no leeway for opting out completely. We do it in context of CCD lessons on related topics, not ad hoc. For JR High it is part of a 5 week “Love and Life” lesson plan using a package from Ignatius press (in which parents participate with students, who are separated by gender for these lessons). For HS it is part of teaching on commandments and Christian moral life. Same for younger grades, in context of teaching 6th & 9th commandments, or for primary grades, the “good choices, God made us special” type of lessons.
My gripe with the program, besides the content and tone of this and similar “child safety training” programs, which in my view make this entire problem the fault of the victim, is that there is no prep for the catechist, who is expected to present a canned lesson on a disconcerting and uncomfortable topic, with nothing more than a handout and canned worksheet. Unless I add another layer of prep to their already heavy load of catechist meetings and trainings, I or a trained facilitator has to do it.
I have huge beefs with the entire child safety Virtus issue, and how it has become a sop to the insurers and risk managers, and has managed to duck completely the real causes of child abuse within the Church, but that will be saved for another rant thread.
