The diocese’s Pastoral Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors by Church Personnel requires safe environment training and background checks for all clergy, employees and volunteers — religious lay or in any capacity, she said.

“People have asked why they have to take the training and have the background check, since they may not have much contact with children,” Beddingfield said. “I tell them that they are an important part of the solution, that even as readers or extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, they are parish leaders and people look up to them.

“Everyone must keep their eyes and ears open and be able to recognize the dangers to children,” she said.

Since 2002, the number of priests, deacons, seminarians, diocesan and parish employees and volunteers complying with the policy totals more than 39,000. In addition, Beddingfield said, every year the diocese provides and documents safe environment/personal safety training to more than 17,000 students in Catholic schools and Parish School of Religion programs.

Beddingfield said that protecting children is much more than teaching “Stranger, Danger!” She said statistics show that 60 percent of abusers are known to the child, and another 29 percent are relatives.

“As adults, we are sometimes afraid to speak up or don’t know how to communicate our concerns. Imagine a child being placed in that position. That is why adults need to be the eyes, ears and voices for children — because they cannot do that themselves,” she said.

Beddingfield said that the training can provide observation skills to people like grandparents, who come in close contact with children.

“A grandparent is often someone who is ‘there’ for children in a special way, a kind of ‘milk and cookies’ safe person a child can turn to,” she said. “Safe environment training can teach people like grandparents what to look for when a child needs help and how to get help the child needs.”

In addition, Beddingfield said, people can take the training and apply it to all vulnerable populations. “For instance, someone taking Communion to people in a nursing home might notice something that would put the frail elderly at risk. With this kind of training, he or she would know what to do.”

Beddingfield said Protecting God’s Children training is ongoing in order to accommodate new employees or volunteers. Dates and places are published in Catholic Times (see page 11 of this issue) and are available on the diocesan website at www.dio.org/safeenvironment.

For more information, contact Beddingfield at (217) 698-8500, ext. 162 or e-mail her at .