Safe Environment Weekly Update – January 18, 2022
Each week the Office of Safe Environments will post a frequently asked question or tip on the topic of child safety, abuse prevention, VIRTUS training, mandatory reporting, criminal background checks, victim assistance, vulnerable adults and information from our Safe Environments Handbook.
If you have a question related to any of these topics, you are not alone and others may benefit. Please send your questions or suggestions for a weekly topic to Erin Neil, L.C.S.W, director of Safe Environments and Victim Assistance Coordinator at: eneil@diobpt.org or call 203.650.3265.
Did you know?
One of the very best tools we have to keep children safe is to require all employees and volunteers to complete a standard written application and conducting a thorough reference check.
The Office of Safe Environment conducts ongoing criminal background checks for all adults working or volunteering in the Diocese of Bridgeport, regardless of their level of contact with children. Background checks are completed through MYB, Inc. when a person pre-registers to attend VIRTUS.
There are additional steps you can take when recruiting volunteers or employees which may help you to determine if an applicant is safe to work with children.
Personal and professional references; face to face interviews, volunteer applications; online searches of social media platforms; sex offender registry searches and the CT judicial branch search for convictions and pending cases.
Resources:
State of Connecticut Judicial Branch
Case lookup information is compiled and maintained by the Judicial Branch,
To report abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult or an incident of child pornography in the Diocese of Bridgeport involving any person from the Church, call DCF at: 1.800.842.2288 and Erin Neil, L.C.S.W. at: 203.650.3265 or Michael Tintrup L.C.S.W. at: 203.241.0987. You may also contact a Third-Party reporting hotline at: www.lighthouse-services.com/diobpt or call: 833.990.0004or fill out a written report of abuse or neglect at the following link: www.bridgeportdiocese.org/safe-environments/incident-report-of-an-allegation-of-abuse-or-misconduct.