FORT WORTH, Texas – MinistrySafe, the leader in sexual abuse prevention and education, founded by attorneys Gregory S. Love and Kimberlee D. Norris, today announced the release of MinistrySafe Institute, a seminary-level training program aimed at vocational ministry professionals.
Unlike anything available in the marketplace, MinistrySafe Institute offers training and certification for Christian leaders committed to the highest standard of preventative protocols and instruction for recognizing and preventing child sexual abuse.
“We cannot emphasize enough how important it is that ministry organizations, especially those that work with children, do everything possible to safeguard the children in their care,” said Norris. “Sexual offenders can be anyone, anywhere, and most of them look like you and me. In the United States today, 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will have been sexually abused before he or she reach 18 years of age. Those statistics don’t skip any paradigm, any neighborhood or any church denomination. For this reason, ministries must be conversant with child sexual abuse.”
Research shows there are over 60 million abuse survivors living in the United States, and 2 out of 3 child victims do not report sexual abuse until adulthood, if ever.
MinistrySafe Institute offers more than 17 hours of online training aimed at faith-based organizations and ministries, equipping ministry leaders to help prevent child sexual abuse, recognize potential threats and properly handle allegations.
MinistrySafe Institute includes six course modules covering these topics, presented by sexual abuse experts:
- Understanding child sexual abuse in ministry contexts,
- Creating an effective safety system,
- Utilizing an effective screening process,
- Child Sexual Abuse statutory reporting requirements,
- Responding appropriately to allegations of child sexual abuse, and
- Legislation related to child sexual abuse, including recent changes in the law.
Trainees who successfully complete all six modules and corresponding online exams receive MinistrySafe Institute Certification.
“Sexual abusers seek access to victims where the barriers of protection are low and sadly, in our culture, the barriers are the lowest in our churches,” said Love. “After nearly two decades of working with churches and ministries, we’ve learned that ministry leaders don’t often have accurate information about the risk of child sexual abuse and are not equipped to understand how the risk unfolds. Ministry leaders need more than a handbook, webinar, conference or DVD. They need access to timely, accurate information online, and we believe this tool provides just that.”
For additional information, visit http://ministrysafeinstitute.com/.
Gregory S. Love and Kimberlee D. Norris have a nationwide sexual abuse litigation practice representing victims of child sexual abuse. In addition, they represent child-serving organizations such as non-profits, private schools, camps, churches and childcare providers in crisis management and the design and implementation of child safety systems. For more information visit http://www.LoveNorris.com.
In addition to an active law practice, Love and Norris serve as co-founders and Directors of MinistrySafe, MinistrySafe Institute and Abuse Prevention Systems, entities dedicated to child sexual abuse awareness and prevention. In an average month, 8,000 to 9,000 ministry personnel are trained through the MinistrySafe online system. For more information visit http://www.MinistrySafe.com.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about MinistrySafe Institute, visit http://alarryross.com/newsroom/ministrysafe/. To arrange an interview with Kimberlee D. Norris or Gregory S. Love:
