Safe Sanctuaries® (or "Safer Sanctuaries® ") in The United Methodist Church is a comprehensive policy and commitment designed to prevent the abuse of children, youth, and vulnerable adults within church ministries. It creates a "safe space" for ministry through screenings, training, and strict supervision protocols for volunteers and staff. Safe Sanctuaries® is a commitment that allows our sanctuaries, classrooms, mission encounters, camps and retreats, and all spaces where we gather to worship and serve God to be places of trust.

NIC Safe Sanctuaries Template (word, pdf)
NIC Abuse Prevention Policy for Conference/District Events (passed by 2005 Annual Conference)
NIC Basic Policy Statement on Sexual and Gender Harassment and Misconduct of Sexual Nature (Note: Safe Sanctuaries® policies and sexual misconduct policies are NOT the same thing--and local churches need both. Annual Conference 2002 passed this policy.)
Abuse Prevention Policy Development Guide (Note: This sample is provided by Discipleship Ministries and is for general guideline use only; some sections. may or may not apply to your local church setting. Your church policy should be written to address your church and community issues.
Sample policies and documents from the Discipleship Ministries website
Electronic Communication Recommendations: This list of recommendations for communication via such means as social media and text messaging was compiled by members of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference connectional ministries staff team and is based in part on similar recommendations from other United Methodist annual conferences.
Three Simple Rules for Social Media

In the Northern Illinois Conference, training is offered in three options:

Conference-wide online Zoom trainings offered with conference trainers (check the calendar for upcoming trainings)
Your church can host an in-person Safe Sanctuaries training with a conference trainer. Contact Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer for more information.
The Northern Illinois Conference partners with Safe Gatherings as an individual online training option.

The United Methodist Church's Discipleship Ministries has created a series of resources and videos that can be used to introduce the more difficult aspects of Safe Sanctuaries®, individually to open up conversations in small groups and in training, and as a way to share information with the congregation as a reminder or in the midst of a crisis.

Resources from Discipleship Ministries

From Other UMC-Related Organizations

HIPAA Privacy Rule and Local Churches (General Council on Finance and Administration)

Brochures from Government Services

Child Abuse
- Child Abuse Prevention Resource Guide (2021/2022) (US Department of Health and Human Services)
- Child Sexual Abuse: Raising Awareness and Protecting Children (Prevent Child Abuse Illinois)
- Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-Serving Organizations: Getting Started with Policies and Procedures (US Department of Health and Human Services and CDC)
- Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: Care Enough to Call (Illinois DCFS)
- Acerca del Abuso y Descuido de Niños: Interesese lo suficiente para llamar (Illinois DCFS)
- Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse and Neglect (Illinois DCFS)

Elder Abuse
- Handout on Elder Abuse (Illinois Department on Aging)
- Reporting Elder Abuse and Neglect (Illinois Department of Human Services)
Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship (US Department of Homeland Security)
Online Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Training on Recognizing and Reporting Abuse: As of Jan. 1, 2020, ALL workers, paid and volunteer, who are directly responsible for caring for children under the age of 18 in churches, and all other mandated reporters (which includes clergy), are required by Illinois law to be trained by DCFS. This free online training meets that requirement. It does not, however, eliminate the need for training in Safe Sanctuaries® in person or through Safe Gatherings.

Safer Sanctuary Book - Nurturing Trust within Faith Communities by Various Arrangers
Safe Sanctuary E-Book - Nurturing Trust within Faith Communities by Various Arrangers
Santuarios Más Seguros (Spanish) – Fomentar la confianza en comunidades religiosas
Safe Sanctuary for Ministers – Best practices and ethics decision by Joy Thornburg Melton