Safe Environment Practices
Safe Environment Practices
at St. Gregory the Great Parish
Since 2003, The Diocese of Buffalo has followed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' policies and mandates for providing a safe environment for children. We want to assure you that our parish holds your child's safety as our highest priority.
Below are requirements and protocols that our Parish, School, Family Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Programs follow:
All St. Greg's employees and volunteers who work with children are screened through reference and criminal background checks.All St. Greg's employees and volunteers, who work with children, must take a three-hour Virtus Training, called Protecting God's Children, which trains adults in recognizing the signs of abuse and reporting procedures. In addition, they must read continuing education bulletins monthly. We comply with all reporting requirements from the Diocese of Buffalo.
To learn more about Protecting God's Children please visit the Diocesan website: Diocese of Buffalo - Protecting God's Children Information
Employees and volunteers not in compliance with the above safe environment mandates are notified and their status is suspended until in compliance.All rooms within the School and Ministry Center, where children's programs and activities occur, have windows in the doors.One on one contact between an adult and a child is not permitted behind closed doors. Any meeting or discussion that would require doors closed must be conducted in view of other adults.We have cameras in the halls of our School, in the Ministry Center, Church, Sacristy and Parish Office.All employees and volunteers sign and agree to the Diocesan Code of Conduct that mandates, "all who work with children have a legal, moral, and religious responsibility to educate and assist our children and will not promote harm." For the full Code of Conduct, visit the Diocese of Buffalo website.All children, beginning in Kindergarten, (with parental approval) are trained on personal safety issues, age appropriately. This also includes helping the child know it is always okay to report incidents that make them uncomfortable or suspicious of an adult.All reports are taken seriously. The person in question (employee, volunteer, or clergy) is immediately placed on administrative leave until a thorough investigation has been made and coordinated through the Diocesan Safe Environment Office.
We remind all our staff and volunteers of the crucial nature of their responsibility on behalf of the Church and their vigilance is essential to the safety of all our children. We want to reassure you that the safety and well-being of your child entrusted to our care is of utmost importance at all times. If you would like to gain a deeper understanding of how to protect our children, we encourage you to take the Virtus Training. If you have already completed the training, please maintain your certification by reading the monthly bulletins.