Child Safety

We are committed to seeing the church be the safest place on earth for the most vulnerable among us, our children.
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Every worker who serves in our Family Ministries has gone through our membership process, is a part of a small group where they seek to be held accountable by others in this church body, and has had a criminal background check, undergone child sexual abuse awareness training, and had a personal safety screening.

ECAP Accredited

Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention

ECAP is an association-based organization that provides child safety accreditation and resources to ministries that serve kids. Alongside other providers, we hope to make ministry environments safe for kids.

ECAP seeks to help ministry leaders know how to protect individuals in their care, and how to respond when an allegation of abuse is reported. Their Child Safety Standards serve as the basis of their accreditation program, which will assist in demonstrating compliance to the Standards.

More on ECAP

We a zero tolerance for abuse in ministry programs and ministry activities. It is the responsibility of every staff member and volunteer at Crossway to act in the best interest of all children in every program. In the event a staff member, volunteer, or ministry participant observes any inappropriate behaviors (i.e. policy violations, neglectful supervision, poor role-modeling, etc.) or suspected abuse or neglect (physical, emotional, or sexual) it is that individual’s responsibility to immediately report those observations.

Discretion
At every stage of the investigative process, Crossway Bible Church will work on a need-to-know basis, keeping the circle as tight as possible in order to preserve the privacy of the victim(s) and accused and their families.

Report Suspicious or Inappropriate Behavior
‍Crossway believes that, as Christians, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report alleged or potential abuse of children. All staff and volunteers are asked to report ‘grooming’ behavior, policy violations, and any other suspicious behavior.

Here is an Allegation Report Form to help you get a feel for what you will need to know for your report. Click the button below to send it to ChildSafety@CrosswaySA.org.

Upon receiving a report, this team will convene as necessary to review the claims, evaluate any immediate needs for medical services or law enforcement action, and consult proper legal counsel to ensure the proper next steps are taken. The response team will work with all appropriate parties to develop a safety and support plan for any child or children involved and their families.

Report to Crossway

Report to the Texas Department of Families & Protective Services
Texas is a mandatory reporting state for suspected child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, it is your responsibility to make a report within 48 hours. You can choose to call the Texas Department of Families and Protective Services (DFPS) directly at 1.800.252.5400 on your own or have a staff member assist you with the phone call.

You can also submit a report online. A benefit of the online report is that documentation is immediately available. It is highly encouraged that you document all concerns with date, time, location, witnesses, names of parties of involved, names of DFPS parties, and all other relevant details.

Report to DFPS