Child protection policy
for churches.
Most churches write one because an insurer asked, a denomination required it, or something happened. This is what these policies usually contain, section by section, so you know what to ask for before you sit down with counsel. It is not a template and it is not legal advice — it is a map of the territory.
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Who may serve
The screening standard, written as unsupervised access to minors rather than by job title, plus any waiting period before a new attender can serve with children.
Screening requirements
Application, references, interview, and a criminal background check before the first shift — with a stated re-screening interval that applies to everyone equally, including long-tenured volunteers and staff.
Supervision standards
The two-adult rule, line-of-sight and visibility requirements, restroom and diapering procedures, and rules for transportation and overnight events. This section does the heaviest protective work in the entire document.
Prohibited conduct
Specific and concrete rather than general — private messaging with minors, one-on-one meetings off church property, physical contact boundaries, photography and social media. Vagueness here is what makes enforcement impossible.
Reporting duties
Who reports, to whom, how fast, and the explicit instruction that reporting to authorities is never satisfied by reporting internally. Many states impose mandatory reporting duties on people who work with children — confirm what applies in yours.
Response and records
Who handles an allegation, how the accused is removed from contact pending review, what gets documented, where records live, and how long they are kept.
How it works
Start from your denomination or insurer
Many publish a template or a checklist, and using theirs means your policy already speaks the language of the people who will evaluate it. Ask your insurer what they require before you write a word.
Write the screening standard
Define access-based eligibility, the screening steps, and the re-screening interval. This is the section VolunteerBadge slots into.
Write the supervision standard
Two-adult rule, visibility, restrooms, transportation, off-site and overnight events. Be concrete enough that a new volunteer could follow it without asking.
Have counsel review it
Requirements vary by state and the consequences of getting this wrong are severe. A policy reviewed by a lawyer in your state is worth substantially more than a longer one that wasn't.
Adopt it, teach it, and review it
Governing body adopts it; every volunteer receives and acknowledges it; you review it annually and date the revision. An unread policy is paperwork, not protection.
Frequently asked questions
What should a church child protection policy cover?
At minimum: who may serve with minors and what screening they must clear; a waiting period before serving; the two-adult rule and supervision standards; restroom, transportation, and off-site guidelines; a clear description of what conduct is prohibited; how suspected abuse is reported and to whom; who handles allegations; and how often the policy itself is reviewed. Written, adopted by your governing body, and given to every volunteer — a policy nobody has read protects nobody.
Does our church legally need a child protection policy?
It depends on your state, your denomination, and your insurer, and this page cannot tell you which apply to you. What is broadly true: many church insurance carriers ask about screening and supervision practices before writing or renewing coverage, and many states impose mandatory reporting duties on people who work with children regardless of whether a church has a policy. Confirm your specific obligations with your insurer and with counsel in your state.
Who should be screened under the policy?
Write the standard as access rather than job title: anyone with unsupervised access to minors. That covers nursery and Sunday school workers, youth leaders, drivers, overnight chaperones, and occasional parent helpers — and it spares you from relitigating the question every time someone new volunteers. Apply the same standard to paid staff and to leadership.
How often should the policy be reviewed?
Annually is a common cadence, plus any time a state law changes, your insurer updates its requirements, or an incident reveals a gap. Record the review date in the document itself. A policy with a five-year-old revision date is evidence of neglect if it is ever examined.
Is this a policy template we can adopt as-is?
No. This page describes what such policies commonly contain so you know what to ask for, but child protection requirements vary by state and by denomination, and the stakes are high enough that a generic document is a poor substitute for one reviewed by counsel and by your insurer. Many denominations publish their own template — start there if yours does.
Put the screening section into practice.
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant national criminal checks for $5, with a free SSN address-history trace and a guided adverse-action workflow for the hard cases. HolyJot keeps your volunteer roster, scheduling, and communication free.