Child Protection Training – Praesidium Academy
As part of our commitment to protecting the children and youth in our care, the Diocese requires staff and volunteer training in an in-depth educational program for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in everyday life and in ministry. That program is now called Praesidium Academy.
Academy workshops are held in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina as requested by individual congregations. Most congregations are also utilizing the ease of online training to keep their employees and volunteers current with this essential training. To find out more contact the Rev. Canon Jim Lewis.
Praesidium Academy Online Training is now available anytime in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina.
Academy training teaches our employees and volunteers how to keep children in our care safe from abuse. It is a high speed internet based program that can be accessed anytime, from anywhere.
An administrator for each parish is required as a point of contact for employees and volunteers. The role of the program administrator is to add user accounts for employees and volunteers which enables them access to the online modules. Each module takes approximately 30-45 minutes and participants can complete the modules at their own pace. The parish administrators can set a time frame for completion up to two weeks, which is part of the attractiveness of the program. The administrator also ensures completion of training by each individual. It’s easy to administer and use.
View our Abuse Prevention Policy Manual.
The following course modules are required by the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina for all employees and anyone working with children and youth:
• Meet Sam: Sam abuses children. In this course, he tells you how he gets away with it-in programs just like yours. You learn the types of sexual abusers and the methods they use to meet their own needs. You also learn how to spot interactions between adults and children that may indicate danger.
• It Happened to Me: Temper outbursts. Failing grades. Depression. Suicide. These are just a few of the effects of sexual abuse. In this course, you hear children and adults describe the devastating effects abuse has had on their lives. You learn about the prevalence of abuse and specific characteristics that may put some children at higher risk of abuse.
• Keeping Your Church Safe: Children come to us throughout the day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. They expect to learn about God, have fun, make friends, practice skills, and grow in faith. They expect to be safe. In this course, you will learn when and where abuse is most likely to occur in church programs, the steps you can take to keep children safe, and how you can protect yourself from false allegations of abuse.
• Diocesan Policies: This course outlines our policies relevant to the prevention of abuse. To complete the course, you must indicate that you have read, understand, and agree to comply with our policies. This is a condensed version. Please access the full policy on the Diocesan website. View our Abuse Prevention Policy.
To find out more about this essential program and to set up your parish, please call the Diocesan Office at (843) 722-4075.
The firm that has for years provided our on-line Safeguarding training has now released its 2021 annual report detailing what they have learned about protecting children from abuse while they are in our care. For a better understanding of the essential elements of an effective program, please review the report below.