Children’s Ministry Security Audit: Six Critical Areas
This is the second post in our series on Conducting a Children’s Ministry Security Audit. In the first post, we looked at why a security audit is important and when to conduct one.
Here, we will examine six critical areas of the security audit, the questions to evaluate each one, and warning signs that indicate additional action might be needed.
1. Check-In and Check-Out Procedures
Your check-in and check-out processes are your first line of defense and the foundation of a secure ministry.
Evaluate:
Registration Process: How do you collect, verify, and manage parent/guardian information for new families? Do you have a clear process for first-time visitors versus returning families? Do you capture emergency contacts, health and wellness data, and legal details such as a no-contact order or non-guardian information?
Identity Verification: How do you verify the person dropping off or picking up a child is authorized to do so? What is the process when someone other than a parent brings or tries to pick up a child?
Matching Icons: Do you use matching security tags, unique codes, or another process to ensure that children are released only to authorized individuals? How foolproof is your current manual process?
Check-Out Authorization: What is the process when someone other than the check-in adult attempts to pick up a child? How do you handle custody situations or safety concerns?
Documentation: Are all check-ins and check-outs documented? How long do you keep these records? If needed, can you quickly access historical data?
Warning Signs:
- Volunteers are not following the established process and are depending on “knowing” regular families
- Handwritten name tags that can be easily duplicated are used
- No formal process for verifying authorized individuals for pickup
- Inconsistent procedures between service times
- No backup system when technology fails, or the internet goes down.
2. Volunteer Screening
The people serving in your ministry are your most important asset and your greatest potential vulnerability.
Evaluate:
Background Check Requirements: Do you require background checks for all volunteers who work with children? What about occasional helpers, teen volunteers, or those who work in the periphery of your ministry, such as facility workers? How comprehensive are the checks?
Rescreening Frequency: How often do you re-run background checks on existing volunteers? Annually? Every 18-24 months? Never?
References Checks: Beyond the background check, do you contact references (personal or professional) for new volunteer and staff candidates?
Interview Process: Is there a face-to-face or more formal interview process that includes questions about character, commitment, and experience working with children?
Waiting Period: Do you have a waiting period before new attendees can serve in children’s ministry? This can range from 30 to 60 days, with some churches requiring 6 months to a year of attendance.
Disqualifying Factors: Do you have clear, written policies about what will disqualify someone from serving? This could be something found in the background check, an answer during the interview, or a prior conviction.
Warning Signs:
- No formal screening process beyond a background check
- Allowing volunteers to serve before the screening process is completed
- Expired or missing background checks
- Unclear or inconsistent policies about who should be screened
- No tracking system for background check expiration dates
3. Active Supervision
Proper supervision protects children, volunteers, and staff from potential harm and false accusations.
Evaluate:
Two-Adult Minimum: Is there always a minimum of two fully screened adults (not married or related) in every classroom? What happens when you are short on volunteers?
Line-of-Sight: Does your children’s area allow for visual monitoring? Are isolated areas off limits?
Adult-to-Child Ratios: What are your current ratios, and do they meet or exceed recommended standards per age group? Common benchmarks include: Infants: 1:4, Toddlers: 1:6, Preschool: 1:8, Elementary: 1:10
Bathroom Policies: What are your procedures for bathroom breaks? How do you ensure safety while respecting children’s privacy or dignity?
One-on-One Situations: How do you handle situations where one-on-one interaction might be necessary? Are there guidelines?
Warning Signs:
- Regularly operating with only one adult in classrooms
- Spaces with no visibility from hallways or common areas
- Volunteers, staff, or leadership taking children to isolated areas
- Bathroom policies that put staff and volunteers in vulnerable positions
- No clear protocol when you have a volunteer shortage
4. Facility Security
Your physical environment plays a crucial role in keeping children safe.
Evaluate:
Controlled Access Points: During children’s programming, are entrances to the area monitored and controlled? Can someone walk into children’s areas without being noticed?
Identification Systems: Do volunteers, staff, and approved visitors wear visible identification? Can you immediately identify who should or shouldn’t be in the children’s areas?
Facility Layout: Are children’s areas separated from public spaces? Are there clear boundaries?
Emergency Exits: Are emergency exits clearly marked and accessible? Do they have alarms to prevent unauthorized entrance or use during service times?
Visitor Policies: How are visitors to the children’s area tracked and monitored? Do you have a process for when a parent needs to pick up a child during service?
Warning Signs:
- Multiple unsecured entry points to children’s areas
- No visible identification system for volunteers
- The children’s area is directly accessible from public parking lots or streets
- People (including parents) can wander through children’s areas during programs
- No clear visitor check-in process
5. Emergency Preparedness
The worst time to prepare for an emergency is during or after an incident occurs. How prepared is your team to handle various emergency situations?
Evaluate:
Emergency Plans: Do you have written emergency procedures for fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, natural disasters, and active shooter incidents?
Communication Systems: How do you communicate with families, your security team, and between rooms and buildings during emergencies?
Medical Information Access: Can you quickly access each child’s health (allergies), wellness, and medical conditions in an emergency?
First Aid Supplies: Are first-aid kits marked and easily accessible? Are they stocked regularly? Who keeps the inventory?
Response Training and Drills: Are all volunteers trained on emergency procedures? Do you keep records of your training dates and the information covered? Do you conduct regular emergency drills with local first responders, children, and volunteers?
Reunification Plan: In a serious emergency requiring evacuation, how do you quickly and safely reunite children with their families?
Special Needs Considerations: Do your emergency plans account for the special needs ministry and children who may require additional support?
Warning Signs:
- No written emergency procedures and outdated plans
- Volunteers who don’t know what to do in an emergency
- Medical information is kept only in paper form or is difficult to access
- No emergency drills or training in the past year
- No system for accounting for all children during an evacuation
6. Policies, Training, and Documentation
Written polices and consistent training ensure everyone is on the same page.
Evaluate:
Written Policies: Do you have written, comprehensive policies that cover all aspects of children’s ministry operations? Are policies easily accessible? Do new volunteers receive a copy?
Code of Conduct: Is there a clear code of conduct statement that volunteers must sign? Does it address appropriate physical touch, social media interactions, texting, isolation, language and communication with children, and other boundary issues?
Training Programs: What training do new volunteers receive (onboarding)? Do you have a training calendar?
Incident Reporting: Is there a clear process for reporting safety concerns, policy violations, or incidents? How do you document incidents and policy violations? Are staff and volunteers trained in this process?
Policy Review: When was the last time your policies were reviewed and updated? Who is responsible for this, the director or the safety committee?
Parent Communication: How do you communicate your safety policies to parents? Do parents know what protections are in place?
Warning signs:
- Unwritten or verbal-only policies
- No formal training or onboarding for volunteers
- Volunteers are unaware of policies or procedures
- No clear incident reporting system or documentation
- Polices have not been reviewed in years
- Parents are uninformed of safety protocols
Your organization may have more than six areas to evaluate, but these are foundational and most imperative.
Next time, we’ll provide a step-by-step process for conducting your audit, identify additional safety gaps, and explain how to address them.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of secure children’s and youth check-in, mobile Express Check-In, volunteer scheduling, and our live support, available six days a week, including Sunday morning.
For more safety tips and information, subscribe to the KidCheck blog or connect with us on X, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.
