News
A Suburban Tragedy With a Predictable Pattern
Friday, April 3rd, 2026
Recent news out of a suburb of Kansas City has once again highlighted a difficult but critical truth: even in trusted environments, gaps in screening, training, and oversight can lead to serious harm.
In this case, a youth leader was charged with multiple child sex crimes involving a minor connected to the organization. According to reports, the alleged relationship began over time and continued in settings that should have been safe, including during organized activities and in spaces meant for youth programming.
This situation is devastating but it’s not isolated. And more importantly, it’s not unpredictable. It’s preventable.
The Pattern We Can’t Ignore
Cases like this often follow a similar trajectory:
- An individual in a position of trust gains access to youth
- Boundaries are gradually crossed over time
- Lack of oversight or documentation allows behavior to continue
- Intervention happens only after harm has already occurred
The hard truth is it’s rarely one big failure; it’s a series of small gaps.
Where Organizations Get It Wrong
Most organizations don’t ignore safety; they just underestimate what it takes.
Here’s where breakdowns commonly happen:
1. Screening Isn’t Thorough or Ongoing
A one-time background check or a low-level background check is not enough. Risks evolve, and so should your process.
2. Training Is Treated as Optional
If volunteers or staff can “show up and help” without completing training, your system is already compromised.
3. Policies Exist, but Aren’t Enforced
Having policies isn’t protection. Consistent enforcement is.
4. Lack of Supervision and Accountability
Unmonitored environments create opportunity. And opportunity is where risk lives.
Screen. Educate. Protect.
This is where Safe Gatherings’ core approach matters most, not as a tagline, but as a framework.
Screen
Every individual who interacts with minors should be properly vetted, consistently and thoroughly through a high multi-level background screening.
Educate
Training isn’t a checkbox. It equips people to:
- Recognize grooming behaviors
- Understand boundaries
- Respond appropriately to concerns
Protect
Protection happens through:
- Clear policies
- Documented processes
- Active supervision
- A culture of accountability
The Real Takeaway
This isn’t about one organization in a suburb of Kansas City. It’s about every organization that serves children. Because the question isn’t “Could this happen here?”, It’s “What gaps exist right now that could allow it?”.
What You Can Do Today
Start simple, but start now:
- Review your current screening process
- Confirm every volunteer is trained before serving
- Identify where supervision may be lacking
- Make sure your policies are not just written, but followed
Final Thought
Stories like this are hard to read and even harder to talk about. But they serve a purpose. They remind us that protecting children doesn’t happen by intention alone. It happens through systems, consistency, and action.
Screen. Educate. Protect.
News
What Annie’s Bill Means for Child Protection
Thursday, March 12th, 2026
Recent legislation in Rhode Island is bringing renewed attention to accountability in cases of childhood sexual abuse. Annie’s Bill, sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, builds on the foundation established by Annie’s Law, which extended the statute of limitations in Rhode Island for survivors seeking civil justice.
Annie’s Bill goes further by expanding legal responsibility beyond the individual abuser. It allows organizations or individuals who enabled abuse – through negligent supervision, failure to report, poor hiring practices, or concealment – to be held accountable. This reflects a growing understanding that survivors often need significant time to process their experiences and come forward. By expanding opportunities for accountability, laws like this aim to ensure that both individuals and institutions take responsibility for protecting children.
For organizations that serve children and other vulnerable populations, the legislation reinforces the importance of strong prevention strategies. This includes thorough screening, staff and volunteer training, and clear reporting procedures, tools that help create safe environments and prevent harm before it occurs.
Services like Safe Gatherings support these efforts by providing solutions through screening and abuse prevention training. By helping organizations ensure that only qualified, trustworthy individuals are placed in positions of responsibility, this reinforces compliance with legal requirements and, most importantly, protects the children and vulnerable populations they serve.
Annie’s Bill reminds us that safeguarding children is not just about responding after the fact, it’s about proactive, thoughtful prevention, and accountability at every level.
News
Admin Tip
Monday, January 28th, 2019
You already know that Safe Gatherings sends out monthly reminders about individuals in your organization that have approvals expiring at the end of the month. But you may not know that as an account administrator, you can run the expiration report for individuals anytime, for any period of time.
Just click on the Expiration Report link in the organization’s account and you can search for applicants who are expiring in 45 days, 21 days, or within a certain date range.
If the expiration report lists individuals who are no longer serving at your church, contact us and we will update their email information so that they don’t receive renewal reminders. However, they will still appear on your report since they have valid approvals until their noted expiration date.
Have admin questions? Call us at 888.241.8258 or email info@safegatherings.com.
News
4 Tips for Smooth Onboarding
Monday, January 28th, 2019
In a busy church or faith-based organization, it’s important to ensure all employees and volunteers are on the same page. Nothing can accomplish this faster than a good, solid onboarding process.
Onboarding allows all of your employees and volunteers to become familiar with the official rules and functions of your organization. Consider it some of the most valuable information that you can offer them. It may also be instrumental in helping you retain volunteers.
When you have employees and volunteers go through onboarding, it teaches them the skills they need to perform required tasks. In addition, they also get a sense of purpose and may feel more connected to the organization.
Each organization should establish an onboarding process that works for them. Ideally, your onboarding process should accomplish the following things:
- Communicate expectations. The first thing you should do in the onboarding process is to introduce employees and volunteers to the organization and take time to outline expectations. Let them know the type of work they will be doing and give them a chance to meet key leaders and staff members.
- Provide formal training. During this time, employees and volunteers should be taught necessary skills to do their jobs. They should also be allowed to shadow other employees and volunteers as well.
- Establish procedures and protocols. Learning procedures and protocols will give employees and volunteers a clearly defined way to do things within the organization. They will know where to go for particular duties, how to accomplish certain tasks, and who to see for specific issues.
- Develop personal and professional connections. This is the perfect time for employees and volunteers to get to know other people within the organization. By participating in activities like ice-breakers and informal social gatherings, they will start to feel more comfortable with others and develop stronger connections to the organization and the people who are part of it.
By having a strong and effective onboarding process, you’ll make sure that both your employees and volunteers get off to a great start!
News
What Would You Do?
Monday, January 28th, 2019
Gail is an 82-year-old volunteer at your church. She’s always been upbeat and independent. Her husband recently died, and she now lives with her adult son. As a member of the church staff who has known Gail for years, you start to notice changes in her. Her attendance at church events has gone down and she seems to be very dependent on her son, who appears to control her schedule. He always appears angry when he brings her to church, and Gail seems to spend a lot of time alone. She also seems sad and withdrawn. The thought has crossed your mind that Gail’s son might be neglectful toward her. What do you do?
It’s always good to trust your instincts when something doesn’t seem right. First, you want to make sure that you don’t confront the son about your suspicions. You don’t want to create a difficult situation for Gail. Instead, speak with your pastor or other church leader who may be able to get more information from Gail in a pastoral care setting. If the situation worsens, consider contacting the Adult Protective Services agency in your state or local government to report your concerns. With the help of other church members, do your best to facilitate rides for her to church events and help reconnect Gail with the church activities she once enjoyed.
News
Silent Victims: Would You be Able to Spot a Victim of Sex Trafficking?
Monday, January 28th, 2019
It can be an uncomfortable topic to talk about, but with the rise in media attention about sex trafficking in recent years, it’s important for church leaders to make their staff and volunteers aware of the seriousness of this issue.
Sex trafficking is the practice of illegally transporting people from one location to another for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In the United States, any minor under the age of 18 who is forced into commercial sex is considered to be a victim of sex trafficking.
According to 2017 data from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, one in seven endangered runaways reported to them were sex trafficking victims.
As a congregation, it’s important to be aware of the threat of sex trafficking. It’s something that can happen anywhere, whether you are in a large city or small town.
Be on the lookout for any of these troubling signs in the young people that you may encounter:
- Unexplained injuries
- Looks thin and in need of food
- Dresses in a suggestive way
- Is with a person who seems to control everything they do
- Claims to be an adult, even when they look like an adolescent
- Appears to move often from place to place
If you suspect that a young person has fallen victim to sex trafficking, follow these steps:
- Never confront the alleged trafficker on your own.
- Always contact law enforcement immediately and inform your church or organization’s leadership.
- For urgent situations, call 911.
- Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free, 24 hours a day at 1-888-373-7888 to report a tip.
It’s important to remember that victims of sex trafficking are often hidden in plain sight. It’s possible to encounter victims anywhere from a shopping mall to a restaurant to a hotel.
Since traffickers frequently use coercion on their victims—in the form of threats of harm to their family members—it’s also common for victims to be fearful of coming forward and asking for help.
So, know the signs, be vigilant, and help bring these suspected cases of sex trafficking to the attention of law enforcement officials.
News
Northern Illinois UMC Conference Recognizes Churches
Monday, December 17th, 2018
In its newsletter last week, the Northern Illinois Conference recognized its member churches who met the criteria to receive window clings from Safe Gatherings. The window clings represent those churches and organizations who were strongly committed to the Safe Gatherings program.
To view the newsletter article, click here.
News
Rio Texas Honors Churches with Window Cling
Thursday, November 29th, 2018
Recently, the Rio Texas UMC Conference recognized its member churches who were given window clings from Safe Gatherings to honor their participation in the program. As a valuable partner, Rio Texas is committed to protecting the vulnerable, and we thank them for these efforts.
To view the newsletter, click here.
News
Making the Message Stick
Wednesday, November 14th, 2018
Last week, Safe Gatherings mailed out window clings to organizations that are committed to protecting the vulnerable by screening and training those who work with vulnerable populations. The churches and organizations that received the window clings have met the criteria for our first recognition program, which is a certain number or percentage of active Safe Gatherings approvals.
If you received window clings, let us see how you are posting them for parents, caregivers, congregants and the community to see!
If you did not receive recognition this time, please know that we will be continuing this program in 2019 and look forward to recognizing many more churches and organizations. Together, we can make the message stick!
News
4 Ways to Find (and Keep) Good Volunteers
Friday, October 19th, 2018
If you work or volunteer at a large organization where volunteers are lining up at the door to serve, congratulations, and this article is probably not for you. But if you are like most churches and faith-based organizations, you know that volunteers can be hard to come by. Coupled with that, it can be extremely difficult to keep good volunteers.
Here are some ways to find and retain those good volunteers:
- Give them opportunities for self-care and worship. If your volunteers serve during your worship services and you don’t have multiple services, for example, they miss out on their opportunity to attend service. Not everyone is satisfied just through their love of service, and this can lead to volunteers who fall off of your schedule. Having a strong substitute list is one way volunteers can attend a study or service for themselves and also keep volunteering.
- Tell them thank you on a regular basis. Most organizations don’t have room in the budget to recognize volunteers with anything more than a small token of appreciation at some point in the year. In general, volunteers don’t expect something in return, but they do want to be recognized and know that they are an important part of the work you are doing. Let them know how much they are appreciated. You can never say thank you enough!
- Recruit young people. They can’t lead a volunteer team, but teens, including early teens, can begin their love of service at an early age. Use them where you can, with adult supervision of course, and let them grow along with you. And don’t forget to give them some type of training, too. Set boundaries and standards for your classroom and area, and stick to them. Often, youth have service hour requirements for school, so church service can be a good opportunity to help fulfill those hours.
- Make it the right fit. When the call for volunteers goes out, you may recruit people to volunteer in places they are not particularly interested in. That area may not be their passion. They may get placed in the nursery, while kitchen service is what they really like to do. If you don’t find the right fit, you may lose the volunteer. Surveys are a great way to get people in the right spots—and keep them there.
News
Who Needs Training? NOT ME!
Friday, October 19th, 2018
“Why do I, a respected member of this organization, need training about protecting children? I’ve been working around kids for 15 years!”
You have probably heard this in your church or organization many times. Or maybe you’ve said it a couple of times yourself.
As a leader, you are trying to encourage best practices and do your best to see that everyone who works with children, youth, and vulnerable adults has been trained with consistent information. But it can be frustrating when you continually get pushback from people who have:
• Been volunteering for a number of years
• Previous training with another organization or group
• Education related to children or youth
Hopefully the majority of your staff and volunteers understand the importance of consistent training and appreciate the reminder when it comes to renewal time. But when the pushback gets exhausting, here are some reminders about why everyone should be trained in the quest to protect the vulnerable:
• Even a person who has been volunteering for several years can be an abuser.
• Even a person with professional training and education can be an abuser.
• Even a person who has attended your church for 25 years can be an abuser.
• Even a parent with young children can be an abuser.
Everyone can benefit from training, even if they’ve heard it all before. It’s not just about technical information—it’s about how you can apply that information in any setting. It’s not about creating a culture of fear where you imply that everyone in your church is an abuser. It’s about distributing information to everyone, informing everyone that the rules apply to everyone, so that everyone who sees something will say something.
The next time you get pushback from someone who doesn’t want to train, remind them of these very important reasons to take a little time out to follow your policy. Keep pushing!
News
What Would You Do?
Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Imagine this scenario: The church where you work is expanding, and they are considering moving the children and youth ministry to other areas within the large facility. The good news is that the growing ministry will now have bigger classrooms, more space, and separate restroom areas. However, the new space is in a basement area where none of the classrooms have windows. You already know there is no room in the budget to do major demolition to install windows in the corridor areas. What are your options?
You know that windows and transparency are a very important part of keeping children and youth safe. This is especially important if leaders need to provide counsel in a semi-private area, but open to others seeing. A room without windows does not provide this kind of transparency or protection for anyone.
It’s time to think out of the box. First, the church could replace or add window panes to some of the doors. If this isn’t feasible, you need to make sure that everyone is aware of the policy that no adult should be alone with a child or youth–and these rooms are no exception. Offer alternatives, such as meeting in the hallway or moving these types of meetings up to a windowed area. Finally, you may decide that the new area won’t work for some age groups. In some cases, moving may not be the best option.