Safe Environment Program

The Safe Environment Program implements the Protecting God’s Children Policy of the RCAV which became effective on 1 December 2009 and was renamed as Safe Environment Policy (SEP) on 27 January 2015. SEP aims to create a safe and secure environment for all parishioners particularly minors and vulnerable adults and identifies the reporting procedures for abuse and neglect. The Safe Environment Office of the RCAV monitors the implementation of the SEP being carried out by the Parish Screening Coordinator (PSC).

Volunteers who will be working with minors and vulnerable adults are screened by requiring the completion of the volunteer information sheet, providing references, signing of the code of conduct (CoC), and a criminal record check (CRC) which is issued by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (BCMPSSG). The PSC submits the CRC requests to the BCMPSSG. The CRC is valid for five years while the CoC is renewed every three years. Only volunteer positions listed as “high-risk” category based on the SEP such as coordinators for PREP, and Altar Servers are required to have a CRC and to provide references checked by the PSC. For parish employees, the request for a CRC is submitted to the Sterlingbackcheck also done by the PSC. Collecting of volunteers’ personal information is protected in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act and are used only in compliance with the requirements of SEP.