The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is committed to maintaining safe environments for children to learn, pray, and grow. Our Safe Environment Office supports our parishes and schools and maintains the compliance of our archdiocese in our Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal.
Every priest, deacon, parish or school staff member, teacher and lay minister that is employed by a parish or school and any volunteer working with minors in our archdiocese is required to meet three requirements:
1-Attend a Safe Environment Education Session. This is a child abuse and maltreatment prevention program that must be attended in person. The current curriculum taught in this session is Circle of Care by the Archdiocese of Omaha.
2-Pass a Criminal Background Check. This check is done at the start of employment or beginning volunteering with minors and must be done every five (5) years subsequently. The criminal background check is conducted through the CMG Connect portal. The criminal background check reports are reviewed and certified through the collaboration of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Safe Environment Office and parish/school Safe Environment coordinators.
3-Sign the Code of Ethical Standards for Church Leaders Link to Code of Ethical Standards. This code of conduct provides volunteers and employees with expectations and guidelines for how they interact with and conduct themselves in ministry. This code must be signed prior to beginning volunteering or working in a parish or school and is reviewed every five (5) years subsequently.
As Catholics, we are all tasked with participating in ensuring that every child is able to feel safe in our parishes and schools. In addition to our safe environment requirements for adults, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee requires all parish religious education programs and Catholic schools to provide instruction on personal safety and abuse prevention in age appropriate lessons for all children in grades kindergarten through twelth grade enrolled in their programs. Parishes and schools are required to annually report their compliance with this requirement.
We invite you to explore what we are doing at the archdiocesan level, at the parish level, and what we ask of every adult in our parishes to do to help us maintain a Safe Environment to remember our past, protect our present and hope for our future.
Click on the Safe Environment Link to register for an upcoming Safe Environment Session or to renew your five year background check.