2004
APRIL
Educate yourself and vote for the children
From words on paper to full-bore implementation, our safe environment program in the Diocese of Tucson has made great and effective progress the last six months.
All priests, deacons, sisters and the thousands of lay persons who work for and volunteer at our parishes and schools are being fingerprinted. Background checks are being made. Training on child abuse awareness and prevention is underway, including a new video for the orientation of all new employees and volunteers.
The safe environment program is our multi-faceted effort to make our parishes and schools safe and loving places for children. It is helping to increase the ability of all our parish and school personnel to identify potential child abuse, to respond effectively when abuse is suspected and to confront high-risk or unprofessional behavior.
Our Diocese also has made great progress in becoming part of the solution to child abuse that is so widespread in all our communities by participating with our partners in law enforcement and social service agencies.
We have joined with two organizations in a very direct way.
Last year, the Diocese became a corporate member of the Pima County Child Abuse Prevention Council.
Also last year, I responded enthusiastically to an invitation to join the Board of the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center, a vital agency that works collaboratively with many agencies to facilitate the joint investigation of child abuse reports.
The Center provides a child-centered facility (staffed by trained child development professionals) for crisis intervention, advocacy and the collection of forensic evidence that seeks to minimize the trauma to children who have been abused.
In the course of this work, I have come to understand how important it is for agencies investigating child abuse to work together.
Coordinated work means a more effective investigation, either to clear or to bring charges against the person accused. It also reduces the unintended but very real trauma of such investigations to the children who have been harmed.
I think any effort that can lead to even greater collaboration and cooperation by these hard-working agencies deserves our attention. There is such an effort underway now.
Coming soon before the voters of Pima County is the opportunity to provide a larger, state-of-the-art facility, envisioned as the InterAgency Advocacy Center, that will bring together all the agencies that cooperate in the investigation of alleged child abuse.
These agencies, including the Pima County Attorney's Office, the Pima County Sheriff's Department, the Tucson Police Department, the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center and Child Protective Services, are the very agencies that have believed in our sincere desire to stop child abuse in the Diocese of Tucson and have collaborated with us in that effort.
Voters in Pima County will decide if the InterAgency Advocacy Center will become a reality when they go to the polls next month. They will be voting on six bond questions in a package that supporters call "Six Bonds for All of Us."
If passed, this bond package will not raise taxes because the county will be retiring bonds from previous bond issues in the next few years. Furthermore, legislation will ensure a cap on the tax rate and an independent oversight committee will be established to closely monitor spending.
The InterAgency Advocacy Center will be on the ballot as Question Three of the six bond questions on election day, May 15, but early voting begins on April 15.
I urge you to study this bond issue, acquaint yourself with its particulars and join with our law enforcement and social service agency partners in a great step forward for more effective prevention of and response to child abuse.
While this is a Pima County election, and will benefit the citizens in Pima County foremost, the collaborative process envisioned in this plan has implications for the effort to respond effectively to child abuse across the entire diocese.
If you would like more information about any aspect of the bond issue, please call the Six Bonds for All of Us Committee at 520-907-1793.
If you would like to learn more about the work of the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center and the planned InterAgency Advocacy Center, please call Teri Koopman, executive director, at 520-319-5511.
I believe in the approach represented by the InterAgency Advocacy Center. I will vote yes on Question Three, and I ask you to vote yes -- yes for our common commitment to protect our children.
2004
MAY
The Compliance Representative
I wonder how many of you have heard of the local compliance representative? Whether you know it or not, you have one.
The local compliance reps are now appointed in each of our parishes and schools. He or she may be an employee or volunteer, pastoral minister or member of the staff. In a few cases, the local compliance rep may be your pastor.
Whatever the role, this person is an individual in your community who is willing to work with us, often behind the scenes, to bring to fruition the plans we have made to create safe and loving environments throughout our Diocese. He or she has taken on the tasks of learning about diocesan policy in depth, of developing procedures to realize those policies and of following through to implement those procedures.
The procedures cover the waterfront. There are procedures to insure that reports of suspected child abuse are made to law enforcement and Child Protective Services in a timely manner. There are procedures to insure that all personnel are recruited, screened and oriented in a systematic manner. There are procedures to insure that in each parish and school there is a premium on continuing education about child safety and respect for boundaries in any ministerial relationship.
The role is big. What we hope keeps it from being overwhelming are the checks and balances built into the system.
With regard to reporting suspected child abuse, of whatever nature, the checks and balances are reflected in our commitment to provide information immediately to those civil authorities empowered to investigate abuse. Neither the local compliance rep nor any other member of the parish or school need be expert in sorting out the facts themselves.
With regard to hiring, screening and orienting new personnel, paid or volunteer, the checks and balances are reflected in the interface between the rejuvenated diocesan Department of Human Resources and the leaders of each parish and school. From the Pastoral Center, the local compliance rep can expect on-demand consultation regarding forms and procedures.
With regard to continuing education in child safety and ministerial boundaries, the checks and balances are reflected in the way in which each parish and school is encouraged to identify and use the many human resources of local law enforcement and social agencies. When these local persons offer educational programs and materials relationships are developed, and it is these relationships that really give rise to new and currently unimagined collaborations for the good of our youth.
Our plan is strong. It is strong because of its diversity; no single plan dictated from the Pastoral Center could possibly meet the needs of each unique Catholic community. It is strong because the local compliance rep does not stand alone; he or she is part of a parish or school team, and part of a larger community as well.
This is where you come in. You are part of that parish or school team and of that larger community. Our success hinges also on you and your willingness to stand with your local compliance rep.
This does not mean that you will not have ideas to better the plan that exists now. Your critique and suggestions are just as important as your acceptance and follow through.
It does mean that once the differences are discussed and sorted out, your commitment to the common good overrides any differences of opinions. We need your whole-hearted commitment.
Some of you have heard me cite the ancient carving found on the wall of a church in Sussex. "A vision without a task is only a dream. A task without a vision is drudgery. A task with a vision is the hope of the world." I ask you to keep in mind the vision that moves us.
If you don't yet know who your local compliance representative ask your pastor, administrator or principal. Please extend a hand of appreciation. Help if you can, but at the very least offer your cooperation. Together we can do this.
2004
JUNE
Reaching out to the unseen victims
"Victim outreach" is a phrase that has been heard often within the Diocese of Tucson these last two years in connection with the sexual abuse of children by priests.
What does it bring to mind when you hear those words?
I imagine that you think first of the formal efforts by the Diocese to respond to those persons who have come forward and identified themselves as victims of abuse.
It is true that Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas has established a Victim Assistance Program under the leadership of Catholic Community Services through which we try to provide appropriate and effective counseling for any person harmed by a worker for the Church.
When you hear "victim outreach," you may think also of Bishop Kicanas' efforts to connect with victim-survivors, personally and through his "safe environment" team.
It is true that Bishop Kicanas and the members of this team have met, spoken by phone and corresponded with those persons who have called to report experiences of sexual abuse or exploitation by workers for the Church.
In many public statements, Bishop Kicanas has made clear his commitment to remain open to reconciliation with victim-survivors, at the pace set by each person.
But you also play an important role in outreach to victim-survivors. Don't underestimate how important that role is.
You will probably think first of how you might respond when another person discloses, personally or in public, that he or she is a victim-survivor. It is not easy for any of us to "stay with" another person whose story is one of pain and great hurt. It is hard to remain open and receptive in the face of strong anger.
Reaching out in such circumstances is hard work, but we must find in God and in our common commitment to heal the wounds of the past the strength to do just that. We must seek to create and take advantage of opportunities to be Christ to, and to see Christ in, these victim-survivors. We must reach out and let each one know they are welcome in our Church, even if he or she is not ready to accept that welcome.
At the same time, you might be thinking that you encounter very few victim-survivors and that the opportunities to reach out are very limited in your world.
There might be several responses to that thought, but in this article I want to heighten your awareness of the unseen victim-survivors all around you.
For every victim-survivor of child abuse you have seen in the news, whatever the type or whomever the perpetrator of the abuse, there is another person who has made himself or herself known to authorities privately. In addition, based on available statistics, for every person who reports abuse, there is another person who has not yet come forward.
Work out the numbers and you will see that you are likely to be unaware of at least 75 percent of those who have been abused or neglected in one form or another. When you remember that in the general population about one in five children are victims of abuse or neglect, the number of unseen victim-survivors in your world is likely to be quite large. It is a sobering thought.
Most of these unseen victim-survivors will not have shared the story of their abuse except with their most intimate friends and family members. Some will have told no one.
These are persons from every walk of life, of varying levels of personal achievement. They are persons at every stage of the psychological journey of healing, a journey that is filled with unpredictable ups and downs. They are persons like you and me, carrying the trauma of their past with dignity and courage.
So how then do we respond to those we cannot see?
Certainly, it is critical to become more sensitive and aware of signs of abuse. Nevertheless, particularly for those persons who have been abused many years ago, we are not going to quickly become such sensitive and aware persons that we suddenly will see that to which we have been blind.
On the other hand, we are not without resources. And that is the final point of this article. What can we do, individually and in our parishes, to reach out to the unseen victim-survivor?
We can pray for persons who have been harmed. For the person of faith, prayer is not an empty act. We collaborate with a powerful and loving God who already seeks to bring healing. When we pray, it redounds also to our benefit. We will be given more sensitive and open hearts in the course of our prayer for the well-being of others.
We can be careful not to speak in rash, simplistic or judgmental ways. It is a good practice to listen more than we speak, and to offer questions and perceptions more than judgments and pronouncements. Practicing moderation in speech will certainly bring us to greater compassion and understanding.
Learn more about the nature and impact of child abuse. In the course of developing our safe environment program, I have come across many agencies, local and national, which make reliable information available, in person or in some media format. As you learn more, you will respond in more helpful ways.
Join with us in the efforts to prevent and respond effectively to child abuse. We have made common cause with law enforcement and social service agencies in communities throughout the Diocese of Tucson. We have forged special relationships with the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center, Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault and Pima County Child Abuse Prevention Council.
If you can find time to support in some way, financially or as a volunteer, the work of these or other agencies that share our common commitment to protect our children, you will find yourself increasingly sensitive to the prevalence and impact of sexual abuse, a problem that affects every part of our society.
In these practices you find "victim outreach" in the broadest sense of the term. In them we honor the mission with which we are entrusted, to reach out in compassion and understanding to those in need.
"Lord, when did we see you …" (Matthew 25:31-46)
2004
AUGUST
Reaching out to victims of sexual abuse
What does the Diocese of Tucson do to reach out to victims of sexual abuse by workers for the Church?
Perhaps the most commonly mentioned and most important outreach is the offer of counseling to those who have been harmed.
Since at least the early 1990s, the Diocese has had in place a policy of offering counseling to a person reporting abuse.
Today, this policy continues through the Victim Assistance Program, which was established in 2002 under the auspices of Catholic Social Service, a division of Catholic Community Services.
Over the past two years, the Victim Assistance Program has evolved and expanded to become a distinctive and comprehensive mechanism for responding to a report of abuse. Still under the auspices of Catholic Social Services, the program continues to receive reports, to communicate an offer of counseling, to help arrange counseling and to oversee the course of that counseling.
Guidelines agreed upon by the Diocese and Catholic Social Service give assurance that a person seeking assistance will receive appropriate care through a process that respects that person's privacy.
When a person calls the program, a report is made both to law enforcement and to the Diocese so that the allegation can be investigated.
Each allegation is either investigated carefully by law enforcement or, when law enforcement declines to investigate because the alleged behavior occurred too long ago, by the Diocese.
Without waiting for any determination of the credibility or the validity of the allegation, the program may initiate counseling services through Catholic Social Service or, if the individual prefers, through an independent licensed or certified professional.
If the person resides in an institution that provides its own healthcare (for example, a residential mental health or a corrections facility), the Victim Assistance Program will work with the health care team of that institution.
The oversight function of the program is to help insure that the psychotherapist or counselor selected by the person bringing an allegation of sexual abuse is qualified and that the methods used are appropriate and effective.
Counseling or psychotherapy can be a valuable experience, but given the state of the science, it can vary widely in effectiveness.
There remains a great deal of art in the practice of psychotherapy or counseling, and reputable practitioners approach the work from very different perspectives.
Unhappily, some types of well-intentioned interventions may even make matters worse in the recovery from trauma.
Over time, if multiple counselors are used, oversight also insures some consistency of effort, increasing the likelihood of success.
Recovery from trauma is not only possible, it is essential.
Those who would portray all victims of sexual abuse as forever impaired do a disservice to those thinking about seeking help.
For many victims, the journey is difficult, but healing can come. One's life may never be the same, but one can make peace with catastrophe and overcome trauma.
Effective counseling is a key ingredient in assisting the individual in rediscovering a sense of safety, joy, and mastery in life.
Having said that, it is also true that persons come to the abuse with many different backgrounds.
The circumstances of the abuse vary widely. Unhappily, it is often the most vulnerable, our children, who are singled out for abuse.
The impact of abuse is greater when there is not early support for those who have been harmed.
The most balanced approach is to recognize that victims of sexual abuse vary widely in the time required for recovery and the point at which recovery begins.
The journey is not linear or steady; there are many ups-and-downs along the way. The healing happens in most cases, but the scars are always there.
Most importantly, we can never blame the victim. We take persons for who they are and work from there. We can never tell others to "forget" or "get over" the abuse; it doesn't work that way.
We must provide them an opportunity to tell their story in a setting that offers safety, congratulates them for mobilizing themselves to confide in another person and affirms them for seeking help.
In that process lays the surest route to healing. It is possible even to find meaning and mission in the pain.
The work of the Victim Assistance Program is supported by generous donors who contribute to a fund that pays for counseling.
If you would like to assist in the work of the Victim Assistance Program, if you would like to learn more about the program or if you want to make a report of abuse, you can call 520-623-0344 or 800-234-0344. Services are available in English or Spanish.
2004
SEPTEMBER
One year later, where are we now?
One year after the introduction of "Protecting Our Children -- Our Common Commitment," where are we now?
The safe environment program under that title is the complete set of steps to which the Diocese of Tucson has committed itself in its effort to prevent child abuse within our Church.
One year after its introduction, the goal of the program remains the same: to not just repair the damage of the past, but to build a future.
While the goal remains the same, the program continues to evolve. It is about to enter the next phase.
We are instituting changes that are both deep and extensive, and we realize that these changes will not occur quickly or evenly across all the institutions in our Diocese.
In addition, we recognize that this program, in order to really change hearts, must be tailored to fit the many cultures that make up our diverse Diocese. One size does not and will not fit all.
The commitment to protect our children from abuse is not for the faint of heart. The journey is long, with failures and successes; our safe environment program is systematic and complex.
First, it is a combination of centralized and decentralized components. Our safe environment program is based on local, individualized plans that meet diocese-wide standards promulgated by the Bishop.
This model reflects the national model in which dioceses develop individual plans that meet the standards set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
There is a method in this way of proceeding.
The more specific is the plan to the circumstances and characteristics of the local community, the more likely it is that the people will make it their own.
In addition, when local law enforcement and social service resources are used by the parish or school, stronger relationships develop. These relationships make it easier to collaborate when a report must be made. The entire civic community benefits in terms of prevention.
Second, the safe environment program is multi-faceted. It addresses the many factors that led to the problem of child abuse in our midst. We recognize there is no acceptable simple or single explanation for what happened, so our approach must reflect that knowledge.
Among the facets of our safe environment program are: outreach to victims, known and unknown; mandatory reporting of reasonable suspicion of child abuse to law enforcement; more effective screening of candidates for ministry formation; routine screening; and orientation of all employees and volunteers.
These factors have been the main focus of the year we spent in developing the program and in the year we have spent in implementing it.
The "roll out" of the safe environment program last September focused on mandated reporter training, with the goal of educating all who minister for, work for and volunteer for the Church in the importance of making a report to law enforcement and Child Protective Services whenever there is reasonable suspicion of child abuse, no matter the source.
I can tell you, based on the reports I have received, that this work has taken root. Many of our schools and parishes have looked closely and responded courageously when there was cause for concern. As a result, trusting relationships are being formed with law enforcement jurisdictions in all parts of our diocese.
The first half of this year has given considerable focus to the development of plans for compliance in each parish and school. Almost all have been successful in putting together a plan that meets the particular needs of the local community.
We are working with those who have not yet accomplished this phase of the program.
In addition, all parishes and schools have been active in screening and orienting employees and volunteers. Some persons objected to this element of the safe environment program and opted out of service in their parish or school.
However, most of you, in your varied roles of ministry and service, have embraced this process as a necessary foundation on which to establish a more systematic system of engaging new staff in the future.
We can say truthfully, this is not personal; this is not about our not trusting you; this is about keeping our children safe. We have all done it.
Now, as we enter a new academic year, the focus of the third phase of the safe environment program is the ongoing education of our employees, volunteers, parents and children.
Educational programs must be carefully crafted to be effective. Whatever the content, they embody several characteristics.
First, they touch hearts. Education must change perceptions and behavior, not simply convey information.
Second, they use various methods of communication. Good educational programs use personal presentations but they also employ various other print and electronic media to continue the conversation.
Third, they are collaborative in nature. No one parish or school has the resources or expertise to change behavior on its own. We look to them to work together and to engage local law enforcement and social service agencies in the effort. They are always pleased to be asked.
Finally, an effective educational program speaks to all. Our program has begun with employees and volunteers, but it will also speak to our parents and our children. The latter is a particularly sensitive subject. I will discuss it more fully in next month's column.
In the meantime, I ask that you do what you can, given your own talent and time, to help make the educational program work.
In this issue of Catholic Vision, and in the months leading up to the decision to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, you have hard a great deal about the financial challenges the Diocese faces.
We cannot and we will not allow the lack of financial resources to stand in the way of realizing the safe environment program.
With your support and active involvement, as well as the generosity of so many agencies and donors who have given of their time, talent and treasure, we will continue to pursue our common commitment to protect our children.
2004
OCTOBER
It's about safety, not "sex"
In last month's column, we looked at where we are in the implementation of the safe environment program in the Diocese of Tucson, and I noted that in the current phase of implementation our focus is on the educational program.
One aspect of the educational program that can be challenging for some people is how to educate children about the reality of child abuse, especially sexual abuse.
Why talk to children about sex abuse? Doesn't it just frighten them or put bad thoughts in their minds?
It is hard enough even at the appropriate time to speak with children about healthy sexuality. Why should we sully their minds with talk of perverted sex?
Questions like these are not uncommonly expressed by parents, pastors or teachers when we discuss how to educate children to protect themselves from abuse.
My response is that an effective education program will touch hearts, change perceptions, interest others and address persons in every role and of every age.
It seems clear to me that an effective educational program must include the education of our children in personal safety.
If we do not educate our children in personal safety, we are missing an essential element in the web of protection that we seek to weave.
Awareness is empowering. Children learn to protect themselves, which is a necessary complement to the protection adults can offer.
We cannot always be in the right place at the right time to protect our children from abuse, abuse that occurs at an alarmingly high rate.
On the other hand, I recognize that the objections raised are not inconsequential. It is clearly a challenging task to teach children about such a sensitive subject.
Several principles will form the guardrails that keep us moving toward the goal while limiting possible risks.
First, we will keep the focus on personal safety.
It is important to remember that personal safety education is not equivalent to "sex education." In addition, we will teach children to avoid all forms of abuse -- including physical abuse, bullying and, most common of all, neglect -- not only sexual assault.
Second, it is possible and necessary to help children take the world for what it is.
Most people are good and helpful. We could not survive without each other. At the same time, a few people are sources of harm. We cannot shield our children from that reality by denying it. We can teach them to recognize the difference.
Third, given that anyone can abuse and that the majority of abusers are people children know and love, we will focus on what behaviors are "not OK."
Most often, a child knows what seems good and what feels uncomfortable, wrong or shamefully secretive. We can help children trust their perceptions and feel confident about bringing their concerns to safe persons.
Education according to these principles is empowering. Our children need not be helpless in the face of misconduct by their elders, whoever they may be, or by their peers.
Of course, no one person or group can carry off such an ambitious program alone.
Therefore, the fourth principle of any successful program for the education of children is that administrators, educators and parents must be informed and willing to act in concert.
These are the principles that characterize the educational program for children and youth in the Diocese of Tucson.
How do we get it done?
Fortunately, we have many resources in the Diocese for the education of middle school and high school students.
Among these resources are the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault and many law enforcement and social service agencies in the various jurisdictions that comprise our diocese.
Some of these resources are listed on the diocesan website (Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention).
Recognizing that the education of younger children is a more specialized endeavor, we have forged a fruitful working relationship with the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center (SACAC) and the Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD), which extends service to most of the geographical area of the Diocese.
SACAC and PCSD offer a program they call Keeping Kids Safe, which incorporates the nationally-recognized personal safety training curriculum "P.S: It's My Body."
The program includes age appropriate classes for students from pre-kindergarten through seventh grade.
Parents are involved in this program by way of a preliminary session that introduces them to the material that will be presented to their children and offers tips regarding how to recognize danger signs, how to create a home environment in which their children will feel free to share concerns and how to respond to reports of abuse without overreacting or dismissing the complaint.
The children themselves learn about how to stay safe and how to report touch that hurts or feels uncomfortable. Parents are also invited to attend the class in which their child participates.
This collaborative program is the focus of the workshop that kicks off the education and recognition day for local compliance representatives on Oct. 30 at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish in Tucson.
Each parish and school in the diocese was asked to send its local compliance representative or a delegate to participate in the program.
Presenters were to include Det. Gerard Moretz (PCSD) and Enrique Aviles (SACAC), who were to speak about the "why" and "how" of educating children and youth in personal safety.
"Happy Bear," an assistant to Aviles in the education of children, was to make a special appearance.
After the workshop, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas and Msgr. Tom Cahalane, Pastor of Our Mother of Sorrows were to concelebrate Mass.
The dinner that follows was to feature our special guest for the day, Kathleen McChesney, Executive Director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and we are honored that she could be with us
She was to share a set of educational materials developed by her team (a poster, bulletin inserts, brochure and a prayer for victims) that reinforces the commitment of the Bishops' program, "Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal."
We continue our efforts to honor that promise and that pledge to protect children here in the Diocese of Tucson. We are making progress.
The educational programs that we will offer to our children are an important step along that path.
Protecting Our Children
Columns in the newspaper of the Diocese of Tucson by Dr. Paul Duckro, Ph.D.,
director of the Office of Child, Adolescent and Adult Protection for the Diocese of Tucson.
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