Protecting Our Children National Parish Survey
Child Protection Policies Within the Church

A year in preparation, the Protection of Children National Parish Survey has been sent to at least one parish in each of the 194 dioceses and eparchies in the United States (The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops lists 18,992 parishes in the U.S.). VOTF affiliates throughout the country, responding to a draft survey, have contributed to the final version.

Click here to take the Protection of Children National Parish Survey.

The goals of the “Protection of Children National Parish Survey” are

• to assess the implementation of parish Safe Environment programs
• to gather data on diocesan support to parishes in preventing child abuse

The analysis of Survey responses will be

• sent to United States Conference of Catholic Bishops National Review Board members
• along with recommendations for ensuring the establishment and implementation of Safe Environment programs in every parish.

Your Participation:

The Protecting Our Children National Working Group needs and welcomes more direct contacts with VOTF members throughout the country. If you would like to participate in the survey, please send your contact information to protectchildwg@votf.org or to the Protecting Our Children National Working Group, VOTF office, P.O. Box 423. Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464.

We also value your comments and suggestions about the POC link on the VOTF web site: www.voiceofthefaithful.org/Protecting_Our_Children/. In our continuing effort to keep the site current, we want to know – and to incorporate -- the views and activities of our POC parish affiliates.

Watch for more details about the POC National Survey of Safe Protection Policies -- and about other POC activities – in future issues of In the Vineyard.