Keeping Kids Safe

What We Do to Protect Our Children & Vulnerable Adults

The safety of our children and vulnerable adults is our highest priority. In compliance with the requirements of the Archdiocese of Chicago, St.Joseph Catholic Church requires all priests, staff, and volunteers to complete the following requirements:

All our regular volunteers must complete the VIRTUS: Protecting God’s Children training. 

VIRTUS, a national training developed in Washington DC in 1998 by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group Inc., equips adults to recognize and respond to early signs of child sexual abuse in order to prevent the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. All adults who work with minors and vulnerable adults must attend the Protecting God’s Children program, which educates adults on the issues surrounding child sexual abuse, teaches them how to recognize signs of abuse, and equips them to respond to suspicious behavior. In addition to attending the Protecting God’s Children training, all adults working with minors and vulnerable adults must continue their education by periodically reading articles and watching videos that are assigned to them. Our parish has online access to every volunteer’s VIRTUS records, which enables us to ensure that all volunteers are up-to-date on their training.

Volunteers must complete a background check. 

All background checks are completed by an agency approved by the Archdiocese of Chicago and provides a complete criminal history of the individual. This empowers us to screen out individuals who present any danger to minors or vulnerable adults.

All of our volunteers who work with children must complete Mandated Reporter Training.

Mandated Reporter Training provides adults mandated by state law and Archdiocesan policy to report suspected child abuse and neglect with information on how to recognize and report child abuse and neglect. This requirement includes school personnel, clergy, DREs/CREs, catechists, youth ministers and coaches. 

For an overview of what the Archdiocese of Chicago is doing to protect children, click here. 

Teaching Curriculum to Keep Kids Safe

In addition to screening and equipping our adult volunteers who work with minors, our Faith Formation curriculums include education that equips minors with the tools they need to overcome advances made by someone intending them harm—whether in person or online. The education provided follows the Archdiocese’s requirements. Click here for more information.