What do ACNA Diocese webpages share about abuse prevention & response policies?

This page contains links to the website of every ACNA diocese listed on the Diocese & Congregations page of the ACNA website. We include, where available, links to any publicly accessible diocesan documents or web pages on policies and procedures related to abuse prevention and response.

Consider the following questions as you review your diocesan and parish websites:

  • How easy is it for a visitor to the diocesan website to find information on how the diocese prevents abuse and responds to allegations of abuse? Is this information or a link to this information easy to find on the parish website?

  • How readable are the available materials about abuse prevention and response?

  • Are the materials readable on the website, or do they have to be downloaded?

  • What is the scope of these materials?

    • Who is discussed as a potential victim of abuse? Do the materials address only abuse of children, or do they also cover the abuse of vulnerable adults?

    • What forms of abuse are discussed (e.g. sexual, physical, emotional, employment/financial abuse)? Are these clearly explained, with examples?

    • Do the materials explain how the diocese responds to allegations of abuse, or do they only discuss prevention?

    • Does the diocese promise protection and care for those reporting abuse?

    • Does the diocese demonstrate a clear awareness of the need for a trauma-informed, survivor-sensitive response to those who report abuse?

    • Does the diocese offer access to trained therapists who specialize in trauma, to support survivors and their families?

    • What are the diocesan policies for the investigation of abuse allegations? Does the diocese commit to independent, third-party investigations led by trauma-informed investigators who are trained to conduct their investigation in a survivor-sensitive manner?

  • Who is the intended audience of these materials?

    • Are they written for clergy and church employees, or also for the average lay person?

    • Are these materials presented in a way where parishioners can clearly understand how their diocese works to prevent abuse and respond to abuse allegations?

    • Are these materials presented in a way that reporting parties can be assured that the diocese is sensitive to the needs of survivors and witnesses of abuse?

  • Does the website offer clear steps for reporting abuse and the process that will follow?

    • How, specifically, does the diocese safeguard the confidentiality of those who report abuse?

    • How, specifically, does the diocese protect the reporting party against potential retaliation from the alleged abuser or others?

    • What exact steps will the diocese take if someone reports abusive behavior by a clergy, lay leader, or volunteer?

    • Who serves as the intake officer for reports of abuse? What measures exist to ensure this person does not have a conflict of interest and can perform their role in an objective, professional, and confidential manner?

  • What does the diocese say about their abuse prevention training?

    • Is this training required only for employees, or also for volunteers?

    • Can adult parishioners also opt to take this training?

    • What training program does the diocese/parish use?

    • How easy is it to access information on this organization’s program?

    • Does this organization center the welfare of potential victims and survivors?

    • Is it focused on the legal protection of the church/diocese over the welfare of survivors?

  • How can you respond to the lack of minimum standards in the ACNA regarding its dioceses’ abuse prevention and response policies?

    • How can we cooperate to share best practices with each other across dioceses?

    • Should we consider making our policies uniform across dioceses?

    • What support could the ACNA provide for dioceses seeking to conform their policies to trauma-informed current best practices?

    • How can we support dioceses with fewer resources to create and implement good policies?

    • What sorts of experts should we consult about these policies?

    • How do we know these experts are up to date on survivor-sensitive best practices?

    • How could the ACNA provide guidance to dioceses on how to best make abuse prevention and response policies available and comprehensible to parishioners and to the public?

  • How can your diocese improve its policies or its presentation of those policies?

Reach out to your clergy, bishop, and parish/diocesan administrators to ask questions and give feedback. Reach out to other parishes and dioceses to exchange ideas about how to work together to improve policies and practices.

  • We are unable to find publicly accessible documentation on the Anglican Diocese of All Nations website regarding abuse prevention and response policies, as of 8/16/23.

  • The Anglican Diocese of New England Resources page includes links for a 2022 Policy Manual for the Protection of Children and Youth and 2011 POLICIES REGARDING ALLEGATIONS AND INCIDENTS of SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND CHILD ABUSE by CLERGY, EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS in the ANGLICAN DIOCESE IN NEW ENGLAND/.

  • The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina includes a page on Praesidium Academy, their children protection training program.

    The Diocese’s revised 2020 Abuse Prevention Policy is here: The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Policy for Protection of Youth and Children from Abuse Safeguarding God’s Children.

  • The Safegaurding ADOC Churches page includes a link to their 2021 The Anglican Diocese of the Carolinas Policy Manual for the Protection of Children

  • The Anglican Diocese of the Great Lakes website includes a page devoted to MinistrySafe, their child protection training, and the 2020 Congregational Handbook.

  • The resources page on the diocesan website includes a link to the 2023 Anglican Diocese of the Living Word Policy for the Protection of Children manual.

  • The Anglican Diocese of the South includes a more robust page on Safety than many other dioceses. It contains links to articles, recommended books, training organizations, and checklists.

    A document entitled CUSTOMARY: REGARDING PREVENTION OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND CHILD ABUSE AND REGARDING ALLEGATIONS OF SUCH ABUSE BY CLERGY, EMPLOYEES, AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF THE SOUTH AND ITS CHURCHES AND MISSIONS is linked on the Safety page.

  • A Resources section on the Anglican Diocese of the Southwest About page links to their Ministry Safe training and a link to the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic policy with the note “ADSW will update their policy in the coming weeks.”

  • The Plan to Protect page on the Anglican Network in Canada site includes a link to Plan to Protect, its abuse prevention partner.

    The site does not link to a formal policies and procedures document, but does include these instructions for those who would like more information: “If you are a member of an ANiC church and would like more information about our Plan to Protect® policies and resources please ask one of your clergy or church staff members. If you are clergy or staff at an ANiC church and would like all the details and resources you can access them on our Staff/Parish Resources Site.”

  • We are unable to find any resources on the Jurisdiction of Armed Forces & Chaplaincy related to abuse prevention and response policies as of 8/16/23.

  • The Resources page of the REC-DCS includes a link to the 2022 Diocesan Customary, which includes a Policy for the Protection of Minors & Vulnerable Adults.

  • Christ Our Hope has an extensive series on Child Protection that includes a collection of sample documents for use along with their Child Protection policy.

  • The Anglican Diocese of Cascadia includes a page on Child Safety in its resource menu.

    This page includes additional links to Child Protection Guidelines; Policies, Procedures, and Forms; and a link to Initiate a Background Check.

  • The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others site has one of the most easily locatable Safe Church Training policy pages of any diocesan site listed on the drop-down menu of the Resources tab on the menu.

    The Safe Church Training page includes four subsections on Child/Youth Protection, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, Whistleblower Policy, and Professional Development for Clergy.

    Each subsection page prominently displays a button allowing the viewer to report abuse.

    Contact info for the diocesan director of administration is also clearly displayed.

    This is one of the few diocesan sites that acknowledges multiple forms of abuse, makes reporting easy, and prominently commits to any sort of whistleblower protection.

  • The Church Administration Resources page on the Diocese of Fort Worth website includes a link to MinistrySafe and an email link to a diocesan official to facilitate training in safety policies.

    The 2022 Ethics Manual for employees and volunteers is also linked on the Church Administration Resources page and covers some information relevant to abuse prevention, identification, and reporting requirements.

  • The Diocese of Mid-America REC’s Diocesan Policy regarding the Protection of Children is readily locatable under the Resources page but the link is broken as of 8/16/23.

    Links to “Additional Policy Resources (including sample parish policy)” and “Sample Statement to be submitted to Diocese by each parish” are also included on the Resources page.

  • We are unable to find publicly accessible documentation on the Diocese of Quincy website regarding abuse prevention and response policies, as of 8/16/23.

  • The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic includes an easily locatable page on Protection of Children under its Resources menu tab.

    The Protection of Children page has a side menu with links to most recent 2019 Policy Manual for the Protection of Children, additional resources, training options, and clearly marked reporting guidelines.

  • We are unable to find publicly accessible documentation on the Diocese of the Southeast/REC website regarding abuse prevention and response policies, as of 8/16/23.

  • The Diocese of the Upper Midwest does not have a publicly available Child Protection Policy, but it has a resource page with links to external resources about child protection.

  • The Gulf Atlantic Diocese has a button to Report Misconduct on the front of their page which includes instructions for reporting to the diocese and the state.

    The Reporting page links to the Safegaurding Our People page, which includes the 2022 Safeguarding Our People policy and other resources.

  • The International Diocese home page includes links to their Protection of Children Policy Manual and a link to a Report an Incident webform.

  • We are unable to find publicly accessible documentation on the Missionary Diocese of All Saints website regarding abuse prevention and response policies, as of 8/16/23.

  • We are unable to find publicly accessible documentation on the Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic website regarding abuse prevention and response policies, as of 8/16/23.

  • The Diocese of Pittsburg website includes a Child Abuse Policies page under its Policies & Governance page listed under its Resources menu tab.

    Documents on the Child Abuse Policies page include the 2015 Child Abuse & Sexual Misconduct Policies guide, state law guides, and a couple of FAQs.

  • The Anglican Diocese of the Rocky Mountains website has a DRM Policy Sexual Misconduct document and a DRM Child Protection Policy document in the Founding Documents & Policies section of their website.

  • The Diocese of San Joaquin has a Protecting Children and Youth page under the Resources menu.

    The page includes the diocesan Guidelines for the Protection of Children and Youth, as well as numerous forms and and training materials.

  • IThe Diocese of Western Anglicans website has a page under its Resources tab labeled Safe Ministry, which includes a Policy Manual for the Protection of Children and instructions for MinistrySafe training and background checks.

  • The Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast has a page on Church Safety Training and Resources that includes a 2022 Policy Manual for the Protection of Children and a MinistrySafe Sexual Abuse Awareness Training.