Safe Environment Program 2012 - 2013

SAFE ENVIRONMENT ONLINE REFRESHER COURSE
All returning Church Personnel, who have completed Called to Protect for Ministries prior to July 1, 2012, must complete one safe environment refresher course. As in previous years, all refresher courses may be access through “My Obligations” in the SETA Net system, which allows participants to take the class at their convenience from any computer with internet access. While all training and verification must be completed by May 31, 2013, schools are strongly encouraged to set earlier local deadlines to alleviate any stress in the spring. (Some communities set local deadlines as early as October 31^st.) When notifying your employees and volunteers of their renewal, please be sure to include the log-on instructions which can be found in SETA Net under “Forms/Articles” and are attached here for your convenience.

CALLED TO PROTECT TRAIN-THE-TRAINER CERTIFICATION
Please take a moment to ensure that your parish or school community has a Called to Protect trainer available to it. A certified Called to Protect trainer will be able to facilitate all three of the Called to Protect classes that are required to ensure that your parish/school is in compliance with Safe Environment: Called to Protect for Ministries (required for employees and volunteers); Called to Protect for Youth (required students in Grade 7 and Grade 9 attending archdiocesan schools); and Called to Protect for Parents and Families (required for each parish/school to offer once per year to the community…may be done in collaboration with other parishes/schools in your deanery). If your parish/school does not have a certified Called to Protect trainer, please identify someone in your community who can attend a Called to Protect Train-the-Trainer session. The next session is on December 3^rd & 10^th. Information and the Application are available in SETA Net under Forms/Articles and is attached for your convenience.

OCTOBER VULNERABLE ADULT ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH
It is estimated that 2.1 million older Americans are victims of abuse each year and approximately 80-90% of those cases go unreported…and did you know that people with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of violent crimes, regardless of their age?? During the month of October, we are highlighting Vulnerable Adults and how we can prevent abuse. There is a special section on the Safe Environment website highlighting Vulnerable Adults at www.seattlearchsep.org/vulnerable-adults.html Please share this important information with your community so they can learn about the signs & symptoms of Vulnerable Adult abuse and what they can do to help!

Shawna McMahon
Shawna.McMahon@seattlearch.org