Code of Conduct

Revised March 2022-April 2023   |   Download as a PDF

As a community of faith, we are committed to safeguarding our children and endangered or vulnerable adults.* The following rules and regulations reflect that commitment and apply to clergy, employees, and volunteers.

I will:

• Safeguard children, endangered adults, and vulnerable adults entrusted to my care at all times.
• Treat everyone with respect, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, and consideration.
• Complete safe environment training and read bulletins.
• Avoid situations where I am alone with a child, endangered adult, or vulnerable adult at church/school activities and meet with them in areas that are visible and accessible to other adults.
• Refrain from giving inappropriate, personal gifts to children, endangered adults, and vulnerable adults.
• Avoid all unnecessary physical contact, especially when alone with a child, endangered adult, or vulnerable adult.
• Obtain permission from a parent/guardian before contacting a child via social media or before posting pictures, video, or other information that may identify him or her.
• Always maintain a professional attitude when dealing with children, endangered adults, and vulnerable adults avoiding emotional attachment and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Report suspected abuse to civil authorities (Indiana Child Protective Services hotline: 800-800-5556 or Indiana Adult Protective Services hotline: 800-992-6978) or to a local law enforcement agency and to the archdiocese (victim assistance coordinator: 800-382-9836, ext. 1548). Report any violations of this code of conduct to the victim assistance coordinator. Confidential reports to the archdiocese can also be made online at www.archdioceseofindianapolis.ethicspoint.com. You do not have to give your name.
• Cooperate fully in any investigation of abuse of children, endangered adults, or vulnerable adults.

I will not:

• Use, possess, or be under the influence of alcohol while overseeing children at any church/school activities or ministering to endangered adults or vulnerable adults.
• Be alone with minors in a residence, sleeping facility, locker room, rest room, dressing facility, other closed room, or isolated area that is inappropriate to a ministry relationship.
• Use, possess, or be under the influence of illegal drugs.
• Allow children to have and/or use alcohol or illegal drugs.
• Use profanity or engage in behavior that is harassing or degrading to others.
• Acquire, use, possess, or distribute any material that is pornographic in nature including child pornography. This includes, but is not limited to: pictures, videos, movies, social media, websites, magazines, or written material.
• Allow children to have, or assist them in gaining access to any pornographic materials, including child pornography. This encompasses all forms of pornography, written, visual or otherwise, including but not limited to: websites, movies or other printed materials. Additionally, I will not allow children to have, or assist them in gaining access to other inappropriate** forms of writing or visual media including, but not limited to: websites, movies, or printed materials.

 

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* Endangered adults are defined by Indiana law as “at least eighteen (18) years of age and incapable by reason of mental illness, intellectual disability, dementia, habitual drunkenness, excessive use of drugs, or other physical or mental incapacity of managing or directing the management of the individual’s property or providing or directing the provision of self-care.”
Vulnerable adultsare defined as “a person eighteen years of age or older who is unable or unlikely to report abuse without assistance because of impairment of physical or mental function, emotional status or deprivation of personal freedom, which may be due to an abuse of power, even if the relationship is between adults that in fact, even occasionally, limits their capacity to intend to or to want or in any way resist the offense.”

**not suitable or in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church