Protecting God’s Children for Adults Program

In accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People all adult diocesan employees (lay and religious), and all volunteers who regularly or routinely work with children/youth or those who have highly responsible volunteer roles, are required to complete the Protecting God’s Children for Adults training.

The Protecting God’s Children for Adults training is a research-based training program that educates adults on how to become better protectors of children from child sexual abuse. Participants will learn how to become safer adults who are a part of the solution to prevent, and respond to, child sexual abuse.

Participants will learn:

• The reality and context of child sexual abuse, as well as victim/survivor advocacy.
• How to identify problematic behavior that adults exhibit.
• How abuse affects survivors, their families, and their communities.
• The importance of maintaining healthy boundaries with children and youth.
• Empowering action items and five comprehensive research-based steps to prevent and effectively respond to child sexual abuse, including: identifying warning signs of adult behavior, screening and selecting employees and volunteers, using technology appropriately when interacting with minors, responding to disclosures from children and youth, communicating concerns about inappropriate behavior and reporting suspected abuse.

The Protecting God’s Children for Adults training features an in-person or live virtual sessions. The link below connects to the Virtus website listing of currently scheduled training sessions within the Diocese of Richmond. To register for one of the sessions, click the Start Registration button. You will be prompted to create a user id and password. Follow the prompts to continue the registration process. After entering your personal information, a drop down function will enable you to select a Diocese of Richmond training center location/date/time. Continue to follow instructions as indicated to complete the pre-registration process. The Protecting God’s Children for Adults session is not recommended for those under the age of 18.