by Georgene Natali, Safe Environment Coordinator

      All volunteers and employees at All Saints Parish must comply with Safe Environment requirements, which the Diocese of Pittsburgh administers for all of its parishes. 

Why are volunteers at All Saints Parish required to have Safe Environment clearances?

     We follow a Savior whose love for children was so great that he called all of us to become like them, and warned that it would be better to drown than to cause harm to their souls. (Matthew 18:3-6)

     This is why for many years the Diocese of Pittsburgh has exceeded all child protection requirements of both civil law and the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. 

     As Christian adults, we have a moral and legal responsibility and are entrusted by God with the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of children as they participate in activities within or sponsored by our parish and diocese. 

     It is our responsibility and commitment to provide an environment that is safe and nurturing and to ensure that children in the care of the Church come to no harm.

Exactly what are Safe Environment clearances?

     The Diocese of Pittsburgh requires the following:

• Child Abuse History Clearance
• FBI Clearance or Waiver
• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance
• Protecting God’s Children online class, live class, or trauma-sensitive alternative for persons with a history of sexual abuse, who might experience a resurgence of memories and strong emotions that some find detrimental to their personal healing if they watch the videos.
• Mandated Reporter Training (recommended, but not required for all volunteers) – This trains individuals on how to recognize and report child abuse.

Once I get my clearances, can I heave a sigh of relief and know I am done?

     Not exactly. They need to be updated from time to time.

     Every 5 years, your Child Abuse History Clearance, FBI Clearance or Waiver, and Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance need to be renewed. 

     Every 3 years, the diocese requires recertification training to follow up on the original Protecting God's Children training that you completed when you first registered on the Safe Environment Database. Currently the training – which is combined with training on how to recognize abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults – is called Protecting God's Children Maltreatment 3.2 and Vulnerable Adults Training.      

How can I keep up with all of this?

    Safe Environment Coordinator Georgene Natali will notify you when your clearances need to be renewed.

     When you need to update your Protecting God's Children Maltreatment 3.2 and Vulnerable Adults Training, you will receive an email notice from VIRTUS.org, which provides the training online.  That email instructs you to log in at Virtus.org and click on the link that says “a training module has been assigned.” The training takes about 1.5 hours.
    If you don’t have a computer, contact Mrs. Natali and she will help you.

How do I get started? To whom do I address questions?

     Please contact Safe Environment Coordinator Georgene Natali at 724-482-2690 Ext. 223 or [email protected] to start the process or to check to see if your clearances are up-to-date. It can take weeks to get the clearances in order so please do not wait until the last minute.

     If you have questions about your individual situation, please call Mrs. Natali from 9am to 1:30pm Mondays through Thursdays so she can look up your case. Please do not call her at home. With a database of over 750 people, she is unlikely to remember details about your file if you ask her when she is not in the office.

     Your Safe Environment information is confidential – Mrs. Natali is trained to protect your privacy.

     For that reason, she cannot answer questions about your individual situation when she is at church or another public venue – she is required to keep your information private.

     Also, please do not ask about someone else’s clearances. That is private information between the individual and our safe environment coordinator.

Some information in this article is excerpted from diopitt.org.

Thank you for doing your part to keep All Saints Parish safe!