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To: Pastors, Parish/Mission Administrators and Principals
From: Perla Freed, Director of Safe Environment; Office of Child and Youth Protection
To ensure full compliance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Archdiocese of Atlanta requires that all parishes and schools follow the Safe Environment (SE) program requirements. An important aspect of the Safe Environment program is the preparation for the on-site audit, which occurs every three years.
This year, in addition to the on-site audit visit to the Chancery during the week of October 8, 2018, StoneBridge Business Partners will conduct on-site audits at parishes and schools to determine the extent of the understanding and compliance of the Charter. Specific parishes and schools will be randomly selected by the auditors and notified in the near future.
In preparation for the on-site audit the week of October 8, we need your always generous cooperation in assisting the Safe Environment (SE) Office with the following:
– Parish/School Safe Environment Audit Self-Assessment via Survey Monkey online – due September 7, 2018 (Attachment A)
– Review the Safe Environment Audit Checklist and take appropriate measures to be compliant with all Safe Environment guidelines (Attachment B)
– Include link(s) on your website to the Archdiocesan Safe Environment page to ensure everyone at the parish and school level has access to all the Charter compliance information (Attachment C)
– Submit a certification letter signed by pastor, principal or administrator stating that Safe Environment programs have been implemented in their location for audit year 2017-2018 (Attachment D)
Many thanks to you and your staff for your support of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and all you do to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable.
I am grateful for your cooperation in meeting the SE requirements. Though this process is not always easy, it is required to fulfill our commitment to the Church to protect all of God’s children.