Diocese offers Abuse Prevention and Safe Environment workshops; three ways for employees and volunteers to obtain required training. Click here.

Protecting God's Children

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee is committed to protecting all those who seek ministry from the Church or its ministers from abuse.

To that end, a program of Child and Youth Protection has been instituted and is followed by our diocesan offices, schools, parishes and youth programs.

Each year, training is provided to those who work with children and youths.

Scheduled Abuse Prevention and Safe Environment Workshops
All employees of the diocese, parishes and Catholic schools and all who volunteer with children, youth or the elderly must participate in the Diocesan Abuse Prevention Workshop. All teachers in Catholic schools, all parish catechetical leaders (DRES/CRES), all youth ministers, all catechists and all who volunteer with youth on a regular basis must participate in the Safe Environment/Teaching Prevention Workshop. The Diocesan Abuse Prevention Workshop will be first at the start time.  Safe Environment/Teaching Prevention Workshop will begin approximately one hour later.

Reporting abuse and the law
Florida law states who must report suspected abuse against children, the elderly, the disabled or any other persons. Church personnel are required by law to report any incidents of abuse by calling the Abuse Hotline provided by the Florida Department of Children and Families at 1-800-962-2873 (1-800-96ABUSE) or e-mail reportabuse@ptdiocese.org.
Volunteers and, in fact, any citizen of Florida are required to report suspected abuse as well.
Five areas of abuse are covered under Florida law: physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional deprivation, physical neglect and inadequate supervision and sexual abuse and/or exploitation. Refusal to report or failure to report abuse is a 2nd degree misdemeanor.

Who MUST report:

• All persons in the medical profession and those who work in a medical institution
• Health and mental health professionals
• School teachers, school officials, and school personnel
• Social workers, day-care workers, other professional child care providers, foster care, residential care and institutional workers
• Law enforcement personnel
• When reporting in good faith, one is immune from civil or criminal liability.
• Reporting is not the same thing as investigating. Leave the investigations to the DCF and law enforcement professionals. DCF is required to respond to serious reports within 24 hours.

Links and Forms

Safe Environment Newsletter:  March 2009