Child Safety
About
Get Involved
Our Process
For Meetings
About Child Safety in SEYM
The SEYM Youth Program operates according to the SEYM Child Abuse Prevention Prevention Program (CAPP), ensuring that everyone — children, parents, Youth Program Workers, and Youth leaders alike — can feel safe and free to focus on having a wonderful time at our events.
Every SEYM Youth Program session is required to have at least two CAPP-registered SEYM Youth Workers present; Youth Program leaders and Youth Committee members are also required to be CAPP-registered. Registration involves having background and reference checks and taking a training session.
Our Child Safety training covers best practices for caring for each age group, and gives our Youth Program Workers the tools not only to identify inappropriate behavior, but also to create an environment where each child can explore their creativity and enjoy our Quaker community. Training sessions are held online and in-person at SEYM Events.
Contact the CAPP Coordinator, Cheryl Demers, to learn about Child Safety Training availability.
Get Involved
All are welcome to take the SEYM Child Safety training, whether or not you work directly with children. It teaches best practices for interacting with young people, specific to each age group — skills that help the Yearly Meeting, Monthly Meeting, or Worship Group create a more age-inclusive community.
Become a registered SEYM Youth Worker! Volunteers are needed to spend just a few hours a year with our young Friends and assist Youth Program leaders at Half Yearly Meeting and/or the Yearly Meeting Gathering as registered SEYM Youth Workers. Volunteers are screened and trained through our SEYM Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP).
Our Process for becoming an SEYM Youth Worker
There are five steps to becoming a registered SEYM Youth Worker:
- Send in your Application Form. Print out and complete the two parts of the form, ‘Permission to Obtain a Background Check’ and ‘References’, and mail them to: SEYM, P.O.Box 1062, St. Petersburg, FL, 33731.
- Read the SEYM Child Abuse Prevention Training Manual. You may read it online, or you may request a ring-bound copy from the office.
- Take the Training. The training covers child abuse prevention, bullying prevention, and other topics. Total training time is estimated to be about 1 hour.
- Turn in your Training Verification form.
- Your application will be reviewed and approved by the CAPP Review Committee, which includes the SEYM Secretary, the CAPP Coordinator and one other appointed Friend.
All information regarding your application and registration process is kept totally and strictly confidential; and files are kept in a locked safe in our locked storage unit.
If you have any questions, please contact the SEYM Office: Susan Wade, SEYM Administrative Secretary.
For Meetings & Worship Groups
Meetings and Worship Groups are invited to take the SEYM Child Safety Training online as a group.
All Friends are welcome to take the training, whether you work with children or not. Our communities are better equipped to truly welcome all youth when more Friends know best practices in keeping our youth safe, feeling comfortable, and free to be themselves.
Contact CAPP Coordinator Cheryl Demers to schedule a training.