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What are the VIRTUS® programs?
VIRTUS is the brand name that identifies best practices programs designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote "rightdoing" within religious organizations. The VIRTUS programs empower organizations and people to better control risk and improve the lives of all those who interact with the Church.
How Does It Work?
Maximizing a church's role as a child-safe environment begins with making adults more aware of the ways children and adults interact with each other. The PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN program educates and trains adults (clergy, religious, teachers, staff, volunteers, and parents) about the dangers of abuse, the warning signs of abuse, the ways to prevent abuse, the methods of properly reporting suspicions of abuse, and responding to allegations of abuse.
All VIRTUS training programs, including the PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN programs, are comprehensive and multi-dimensional—incorporating proven best practice standards for the prevention of child sexual abuse by clergy, staff, volunteers, and others who interact with children within the church environment. Our training programs incorporate instructor-led training, train-the-facilitator education, awareness videos, and regularly scheduled continuing education and training via state-of-the-art web-based training and education courses.
Training Adults To Protect Children
We begin by making adults of the Church that interact with children aware of how to protect children. Our PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN program for adults is a three to four hour awareness session that instructs adults of the Church that interact with children that to protect children you must have continuous awareness and vigilance. This awareness session makes trainees understand the signs of child sexual abuse, the methods and means by which offenders commit abuse and five empowerment steps one can use to prevent child sexual abuse. Who is required to attend VIRTUS® training? Everyone dealing with children in a Catholic sponsored program (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, CYO, CCD, lunch mothers, etc) or on church property. How to get VIRTUS® training The Catholic Committee on Scouting offers training several times a year. Our classes are listed For Boy Scout and Girl Scout Leaders Only. To register for training go to VIRTUS® Click on Registration and follow the instructions. |
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