The Kansas West Annual Conference requires the adult sponsors at district and conference youth events to be certified through the Boundary Awareness Program. Read our conference policy for the protection of children, youth and vulnerable adults.
The Kansas West Conference offers Boundary Awareness Training for adult sponsors of youth, children and vulnerable adults for all conference-sponsored activities. Trainings also are available for local churches. Contact Kathie Monroe to schedule a BAT training for your congregation at kmonroe@kswestumc.org.
The cost is $30 for state and federal background checks.
For a list of upcoming BAT trainings, see the Upcoming BAT Trainings page or the Conference Calendar.
Additional resources:
Local Church Computer and Internet Use policy - This policy provides guidelines for computer and Internet use in the local church.
Social Networking - Sample policy for using Facebook with youth in the church.
Parental Permission to Contact Youth - Sample policy for getting permission from parents to contact youth in the church through electronic means such as cell phone, e-mail and social networking sites.
State Laws:
Revised Kansas Code for Care of Children - This law applies to this area of ministry
CyberSafety Training Kit for families and churches
A new training CD developed by the General Board of Disicpleship (GBOD) is now available to help churches and community groups protect children and youth from the perils of the digital world of cell phones and cyberspace.
The CyberSafety for Families Training Kit allows the church to be more directly involved in providing awareness and training around technology to help ensure children and youth are protected as they navigate the Internet world.
The training kit's CD includes a section on "what you need to know first," a planning guide, teaching plans with schedule options, handouts and a slide presentation. Subjects include safety in the high tech world of computers, cell phones, video games and social networking Web sites.
The kit is available for $35 plus shipping from The Upper Room (www.upperroom.org) and Cokesbury (www.cokesbury.com) and also at Cokesbury bookstores nationwide. The kit also is available from the Kansas Area Resource Center.