The Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke had a problem. Someone had forgotten to sign a paper for liability insurance. Our interim minister Liz McMaster helped us get that process moving fast.

One of the components of getting this coverage was to provide a venue for our teachers and staff to learn more about child abuse issues. Rev. Liz and I put our heads together and came up with a plan. She would write a letter that I would send to all the teachers and parents informing them of the meeting. We would offer a nice lunch and childcare as well. I looked for a professional from the Roanoke community who was an authority in this field. The Executive Director of the Child Abuse Prevention Council was willing and available to speak to us twice. (There was no fee -- she was very pleased with our $100 donation, which we presented at the end of the second session.)

The letter was mailed and also appeared in the church monthly newsletter. Here is the letter in full:

Dear Parents and All Who Care About Our Children:
Because of legal regulations and a growing concern within Unitarian Universalism that our children be kept safe, we are providing professionally-led training on "Child Abuse: What It Is, How to Recognize It, and What To Do About It" for all who work with children and youth. It is mandatory that teachers and childcare staff take this training (our insurance depends on it) but it will be an informative session as well for parents, grandparents, and any that are concerned about child safety. Two identical sessions will be offered so you can select the date convenient for you. The Executive Director of the Child Abuse Prevention Council, Ms. Shannon Brabham, will facilitate both sessions.

Childcare will be provided as well as a light lunch for you and the children. So that we may plan for childcare and food, please call the office and tell us on which date you will attend and for how many children you need childcare. This training is vital -- both for our children's safety and the church's liability.

The next step was mailing the letters. Our lunch was lasagna, bread, salad, and cookies. Drinks were soda, coffee, and tea. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids upstairs under the supervision of our Nursery staff.

We found that serving the meal before the talk worked very well. We were ready with the kitchen by 12:15. Everyone was eating and relaxing. The Director came promptly at 12:25 and by 12:30 the program started. She had excellent handouts and was very happy to have the opportunity to speak to us.

The second program was snowed out. That meant we rescheduled with a second letter and article in the newsletter, and this time I called everyone who had registered the first time.

We had a wonderful turnout: 32 adults and 14 children and youth for the first workshop. The second workshop had 20 adults and 6 children and youth. This was a record showing for any RE program ever offered in UUCR in my 12 years.

The cost of the program was around $125 for the food and some for childcare workers. Plus we gave Ms. Barbham a $100 donation to help her organization. This money came from the registration money we have in RE.

One important group that I contacted within our church was our youth. All the nursery staff and youth wanting to work with children were strongly encouraged to attend the workshop. I would also recommend that you contact your local Child Abuse Council and ask them for materials and find out if they would be willing to send a speaker to your group. An outside voice with special training seemed more reasonable to me than having a staff member go over materials. Our participants agreed.

The Woodlawn United Methodist Church Child Abuse Prevention Policy and Procedures packet was shared so that we could see what one church has written as a guide. I have offered this guide on the REACH-L mailing list and several religious educators have expressed interest. I hope you find this helpful. It was an exciting adventure!