How does your church safeguard your children?

[missourimary]

I agree with background checks. Do them to prevent liability on the church. Keep it quiet though. Don't rely on them.

Also, do have some sort of a check system in place for people picking up their kids, and even for those sending their kids on the bus. How simple is it for you to drop off a bus kid whose uncle or brother or aunt is home... only to find out later that the relative wasn't supposed to be alone with the child and hurt them? As a child, I wasn't supposed to be alone with three different relatives. No one outside the family was aware of the particulars since nothing had gone to court. A release form for who bus kids can be left with and a simple sticker system for parents with kids can be extremely helpful. (Matching stickers for parent and child printed with child's name, some randomly selected word or number that matches only on their stickers, parent or responsible party's names, and any medical needs or allergies-especially for younger ones-can be both protective and life saving in an emergency.)
I would also consider talking to parents about not sending children under a certain age to the bathroom by themselves-always have a parent with a child under a certain age. Just because it's a church doesn't mean some loony couldn't walk in and either snatch a child from a bathroom or mess with them in the bathroom (if you have multiple stall restrooms, at least).
And if possible, I'd recommend restroom monitors if you have larger restrooms.

The two adult rule is wonderful. I wish my former church had done that.

If the church membership is aware of this situation, I'd also recommend having a social worker or marriage and family therapist come to discuss the signs of abuse, how to talk to children about abuse, how to prevent abuse, and what to do if they suspect abuse. One of the local colleges might be able to send a second year grad student out for free if you can't afford to hire someone for a class or series of classes.