Why Is There An Office Of Safe Environment?  

This actually is a frequently asked question by newcomers, and there are even some long-standing members of the Church who are unsure why we have an Office of Safe Environment. Offices of Safe Environment all across the country are making a difference in the Catholic Church, and the results are all online and available for anyone to see. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) requires that all Dioceses/Eparchies have in place a Safe Environment Program for the protection of children and young people. The “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” was adopted by the USCCB in June 2002 as a response to sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons. This Charter is the basis for the Safe Environment program in every Diocese in the United States. The USCCB established an Office of Child and Youth Protection to oversee the application of the Charter’s principles and to create the means for accountability for ensuring implementation of standards. Each year, Dioceses in the United States are audited by the USCCB through an independent agency for compliance with the Safe Environment mandate. The results of these audits are published in an annual report that is made public. At any given time, the most recent report, as well as other reports related to this subject, may be found on the USCCB’s web site: www.usccb.org › at the top of the page, click on “Report Abuse” › then click on “Resources” > then “Audit and Annual Report” from the drop down menu.  

At the Chancery level: 

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has a Process Administrator for the Office of Safe Environment and a full-time Office of Safe Environment Coordinator to help ensure the Diocese’s commitment to its children and young people and compliance with the Diocese’s Safe Environment Policy.  

At the Parish/School level:  

In addition, at the local level, each parish, school, or organization appoints a local-level coordinator to help carry out the Safe Environment process, including entering information for background checks and tracking compliance for volunteers and employees at each individual location.  

Sex Abuse Review Board: 

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston also regularly convenes an independent Sexual Abuse Review Board comprised primarily of lay members to ensure that the Diocese is reporting to the appropriate authorities and engaging in the appropriate prevention measures. All allegations of sex abuse received by the Diocese are reviewed by the Review Board. In fact, all concerns/reports received by the Office of Safe Environment are presented to the Review Board, in addition to allegations of sex abuse. The Review Board meets quarterly as well as on an as-needed basis in emergent situations.   

THE THREE COMPONENTS OF SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR ADULT VOLUNTEERS AND EMPLOYEES ARE:  

The Safe Environment Program by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston consists of the following components:  

– Background Checks  

– Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children (October 2019) 

– Awareness training for adults (VIRTUS online or live training)  

All three components (Background Checks, Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children, and Awareness Training for Adults – VIRTUS) are mandated by the Diocese for persons seeking employment or seeking to volunteer, directly or indirectly with children, within the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and any entity that falls under the Diocese. An employee is defined as a person who performs regular work or service and is paid by the Diocese or a Diocesan-entity (parish, school, pastoral center, etc.) A volunteer is a person who performs a regular service at no charge to the Diocese or Diocesan-entity. The Safe Environment process applies to any employees or volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children/minors. A person is considered in compliance with the Safe Environment Policy upon successful completion of all three components. The background check includes a nationwide sex offender search. Every employee and volunteer is issued the Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children so that he or she clearly knows the Diocese’s stance on this issue. And lastly, the online or live training is intended to raise awareness regarding sex abuse. Priests, deacons, and seminarians are considered employees, and the Safe Environment process applies to them. Their compliance is documented at the Chancery-level by the Diocese’s Safe Environment Coordinator. Priests, deacons, and seminarians also are required to complete additional awareness training above and beyond the initial VIRTUS module, as well as more frequent background checks compared to other employees and volunteers.  

Background checks are conducted every three years for priests, deacons, seminarians, Catholic school principals, Catholic school teachers, directors of religious education, and other employees and volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children.

VIRTUS training is required one time for every employee and volunteer, online or in person. Priests, deacons, seminarians, Catholic school principals and Catholic school teachers, and directors of religious education are also required to complete monthly training via VIRTUS monthly bulletins. Other opportunities for training and awareness are offered through the Office of Safe Environment and Diocesan legal counsel as needed/appropriate.   

Visiting Clergy: 

Visiting or temporarily assigned priests and/or deacons are required to have letters of suitability from their home dioceses, national or international. The letters must verify Safe Environment compliance in the home diocese.  

Audits: 

Every year, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston – as well as all other Dioceses in the United States – is audited by the USCCB’s independent agency for compliance with its Safe Environment mandate. The Diocese undergoes a data collection audit every year and an on-site audit every three years as part of the USCCB process. The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston also engages  Monaca, Pennsylvania-based CSI, an independent organization comprised of experienced professionals from law-enforcement, public safety, academia, and the private sector, who specialize in various services focused upon safety. At the Diocese’s request and as an added layer of accountability, CSI representatives also conduct audits and spot checks to ensure compliance, accuracy, and consistency at the local level as well as fingerprinting for clergy and schools.  

SAFE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN:  

A Student Awareness Program has been implemented since the fall of 2005 in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to give children information (appropriate for their age levels) and skills to help recognize acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and how to effectively deal with those behaviors. This is a VIRTUS program called “Teaching Safety”. The program is taught in Catholic schools and as part of Parish Schools of Religion. Teachers download lesson materials from the VIRTUS web site. Two lessons are taught each year, along with the showing of an age-appropriate introductory DVD. Recognizing the sensitivity of this subject matter and that some parents or guardians prefer to address it directly with their children as opposed to having someone else address it, before a “Teaching Safety” class is taught, parents must be sent an Opt-Out Letter at least two weeks in advance of the lesson(s). Parents who choose to opt-out are welcome to the Teaching Safety lesson materials if they prefer to teach their children at home. Parents are also welcome to view the materials prior to the teaching of the lesson in a school or PSR class if they prefer.  

Victims Assistance: 

The diocese offers a Victims Assistance program, to include counseling, for credible allegations. The Victims Assistance Coordinator is Dr. Patricia Bailey. Her phone number is: 304.242.6988. 

“Thank you for doing this. I wish someone had done this for me and my sisters when we were children. This kind of information and empowerment can prevent years of abuse, even more years of emotional pain, and possibly even save someone from developing devastating psychiatric and psychological illnesses down the road as adults.” – Message received at the Chancery by anonymous caller regarding the Safe Environment program – January, 2016