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May 25: Take 25 minutes to talk to children about safety

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has launched the second annual, national Take 25 child safety campaign to encourage families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about child safety. The campaign begins on May 1 through national Missing Children’s Day on May 25. A website for the campaign, www.Take25.org , lists 25 safety tips for parents, including:

  1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
  2. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
  3. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
  4. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
  5. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
  6. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.

For more information and other tips and resources for parents, visit www.Take25.org.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Coloring Book Coloring Book
The Diocese of Manchester is committed to preventing the abuse of children. Please click on the link to download and print Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic, a coloring book for children ages 10 and under. The coloring book is a teaching tool which contains safety tips and may be used at home or in school or religious education classes.

Related Links:
Download a copy of the coloring book, Being Friends, Being, Safe, Being Catholic (pdf) 9MB
Article - Ten Ways to Keep Children Safer
How to Report Child Abuse
Child Abuse Prevention Month - Prayer Cards
Prayer for Victims of Abuse
Please pray for victims of clergy sex abuse and for all victims of abuse.

Related Links:
Prayer Card - English (pdf)
Prayer Card - Spanish (pdf)
How to obtain outreach for victims of abuse.
Article: What Parents Can Do to Protect Young People by Sr. Mary Angela Shaughnessy
How to Repond to a Disclosure of Abuse
How to Report Abuse

Child Abuse Prevention Month Protecting Our Most Precious Gift From God: Our Children

It is most appropriate that Child Abuse Prevention Month is held during the Easter season. There is no better time than Easter to celebrate the protection of our most valuable gift from God—our children.

Related Links:
Parent Guide: Talking With Your Children About Abuse (pdf)
Safe And Sound All Around Parent Guide (pdf) - This guide helps parents to reinforce child safety lessons with their children
Download coloring book: Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic (pdf) 9 MB
How to Report Abuse
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month Keeping Children Safe in a Technology-Based World

The challenges of keeping our children safe while using the internet and other technology can seem daunting. Parents and concerned adults should learn all they can about new developments in technology in order to help protect children.

Related Links:
Internet Safety Resource Guide (pdf)
Visit the New Hampshire Department of Justice website on child safety
Did You Know? Internet Filter Software Is No Substitute for Parental Monitoring
How to Report Inappropriate or Illegal Content on the Internet
Download coloring book: Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic (pdf) 9 MB
How to Report Abuse
Resources to Promote April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
eNews - Diocese of Manchester Email Newsletter
USCCB Issues Fifth Annual Charter - Implementation Report

On Friday, March 7, 2008, the Office of Child and Youth Protection for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released the fifth annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Report is based on an independent compliance audit conducted by the Gavin Group and has been reviewed by the National Review Board, a lay advisory group of the USCCB. In the 2007 audit, the Diocese of Manchester was found in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

In the past six years, child safety has become part of the culture of the Church. The Diocese has established an office dedicated to promoting and ensuring a safe environment in the Church, and this office works with hundreds of pastors, principals, employees, and volunteers in its safe environment work. Among other things, the Diocese has trained over 17,000 adults in sexual abuse awareness, reporting, and prevention; updated and improved its sexual abuse prevention policies, programs, and protocols; and developed a program and materials for children and parents on sexual abuse prevention.

Related Links:
Gavin Group Report, September 25, 2007
Full Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People

At-Home Fingerprinting Kits Child Safety Resource: At-Home Fingerprinting Kits

In the United States , over 800,000 children go missing each year, either as runaways or because they are abducted. As a preventive measure, the American Football Coaches Association has teamed up with the FBI to form the National Child Identification Program. The program has created at-home identification kits which allow parents to document their children’s fingerprints, collect DNA samples, and store recent photographs of their children. Having such information available can be crucial if a child suddenly goes missing. These kits are stored within the home for easy access in an emergency. The cost of a kit is $9.95, and for each kit purchased by a parishioner, the Child ID Program will donate one free kit to the parish.

Parishes and schools wishing to share this information with parents may view a flyer/bulletin insert at: www.childidprogram.com/faithbrochure.pdf Information is available in both English and Spanish.

Protecting God's Children Training: Ongoing

How to Report Abuse Child sexual abuse is a terrible crime that causes indescribable harm to a child. Child sexual abuse is an affront to a person's dignity and it violates every principle of profound respect for human life that the Gospel teaches.

As a diocese, we are strongly committed to work tirelessly to educate, train, and guide our communities in the ways of justice and respect for others and their innate, God-given dignity. We strive unceasingly to heal the brokenness of victims of past wrongs brought about by the Church’s ministers and to bring justice, rehabilitation, and forgiveness to the perpetrators of acts that were so detrimental to others.