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title: Safe Environments Updates | September 29, 2026
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| View in browser September 29, 2026     Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,   NEW: Safe Environments Website Page and Contact Information for Local Administrators The number of emails our office is receiving that could be resolved on the local parish and/or school level is extremely high. To help streamline the work of the Safe Environments Office, we kindly request that all schools and parishes post our training and screening requirements and information about how to report abuse on their websites AND include the name and contact information for their Local Safe Environments Coordinator(s).    Please use our Requirements for Training and Screening and Report Abuse pages as a reference for the content that should be on your page. Here are a few examples showing how parishes have shared this information:  St. Mary of the Hills Divine Child Our Lady of Good Counsel Holy Name, Birmingham In addition to this, I would like to note that the Office of Safe Environments will soon remove the "Register for Training" option in VIRTUS until a better solution is available. The amount of confusion for the user has led to it being inefficient. We will share more information and updates in the near future.      REMINDER: Mandated Reporter Training Now Available in VIRTUS Attached is a memo about the Mandated Reporter Training that has been assigned to all of those with an "Educator" and "Priest" role in VIRTUS.   ALL MANDATED REPORTER TRAINING FOR PRIESTS AND SCHOOL AFFILIATED EMPLOYEES IS DUE BY OCTOBER 1, 2026. PLEASE SEND OUT REMINDERS.   If your school uses another form of training, and you would like to opt-out of the training, please email me at pierson.maegan@aod.org.   The training will be assigned in VIRTUS on an annual basis and will include updates as needed. Local Administrators will also be able to assign the training to others by going to the Training tab of the user in VIRTUS, and clicking on, "Assign new Online Training to User" from there you will find the training under "Mandated Reporter Training - Archdiocese of Detroit"   Finally, if you need to run a report to see who has completed the training, you may do so by going to "Master Reports" \>\>Select your Location \>\> Roles = Educators \>\> All Profiles \>\> All Training Statuses \>\>User Field = First Name / Last Name / Database ID \>\> Training = Mandated Reporter Training - Archdiocese of Detroit and then you can run the report to see who has completed it.   ICHAT, Fingerprinting, and Background Check Screening Webinar - November 11 at 9am Are you unsure of what to do when you receive an ICHAT hit or what best background check screening processes would benefit your parish or school? Do you need a refresher for the multitiered complexities of background checks here in the Archdiocese of Detroit? That's great because the Office of Safe Environments is offering a webinar that will help you navigate all of this on Wednesday, November 11th from 9am to 10:30am.   Sign up here. We hope to see you there! 🙂   From the Offices of Clergy Discipline and Safe Environments: Revised Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors and Vulnerable Adults by Clergy and Others in Ministry Since the implementation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (the Dallas Charter) in 2002, the Archdiocese of Detroit has maintained a Sexual Abuse Policy outlining the procedures followed when a credible allegation of sexual abuse is reported. The policy identifies the composition and responsibilities of the Review Board, defines the roles of the offices involved in the process, and establishes procedures for addressing allegations. This revised version, effective October 1, 2026, represents the first comprehensive and approved update since the previous edition was reviewed in 2007.   Background Check Policy Bulletin Announcement We have prepared a fingerprinting bulletin announcement to help you communicate this new policy with your parishioners. This version is editable, so that you may insert the name of your parish and/or school. You are also welcome to use this for a pulpit announcement as well. This announcement is not a requirement but a resource for you to use as you see fit.   NUEVO: Formulario De Autorización De Verificación De Antecedentes En Español Un formulario de autorización para verificación de antecedentes ya está disponible en español. Se cargará y estará disponible para los usuarios de VIRTUS que se registren en español en la próxima semana o dos.   Background Check Authorization Form in Spanish   NUEVO: La página web Empoderando a los Hijos de Dios en español está EN VIVO   Empoderando a los hijos de Dios \| Protect \| Archdiocese of Detroit     Background Check Policy The Office of Safe Environments has released the new Background Check Policy, which can be read HERE – along with a list of FAQ’s This policy is effective August 1, 2026. The most important thing I can say to you is this: Please do not panic; your volunteers do not need to be fingerprinted overnight. This policy is meant to be strategic and thoughtful, bearing the needs and capabilities of parishes and schools.   We had a great turnout for the Background Check Policy Webinar! I am attaching the slides HERE and the link for the recorded webinar below.   Webinar: Background Check Policy Webinar Password: Fingerprinting2026   Please note: As we are getting more inquiries about fingerprinting, I thought it would be helpful to provide the following resources: A fingerprinting memo with the attached forms that need to be filled out ahead of time, a sign-up sheet, and a way to book appointments . The sign-up template is a READ-ONLY so please download the template before trying to use it. You are not required to use these resources; however, it may make the process more efficient. There are also a few things to keep in mind as you inquire about fingerprinting: The AOD will not cover all first wave volunteers. For some parishes, we will cover up to 50 volunteers. For some, we will not be covering the cost of any volunteers. This is based on the financial needs of the parish in light of limited funding for the project. Funding will only be able to support about 5,000 total volunteers in the diocese. Please be mindful of this as you are making inquiries. If you are thinking about having us come out to your parish and you do not have a large staff, please consider asking other parishes within your Family to come to your site. The more people we can capture at one location, the quicker we can make it to other sites. This initiative should be concluded by May 2027. The maximum number of people one person can fingerprint in a day is 60. Please be sure to always include an hour break for the individual coming to fingerprint if he/she is there for the entire day. If you have an employee who is not comfortable with fingerprinting, please have him/her email us to schedule a time to talk. We want to ensure that these conversations are funneled appropriately. Finally, for ease I have created a Bookings calendar where you can schedule fingerprinting HERE   Reporting Abuse in Parish Bulletins and School Boards As part of our safeguarding of children and vulnerable populations, we kindly require all parishes and schools to regularly publish in their bulletin and school board materials either the report abuse insert OR longer form abuse reporting guide (see below) Report Abuse Bulletin Insert Report Abuse Bulletin Graphic\\    Upcoming PGC Dates September 30 \| Online October 7 \| Online October 10 \| St. Joseph, South Lyon October 10 \| Sacred Heart, Imlay City (English and Spanish sessions) October 12 \| Online October 13 \| Immaculate Conception, Ira Township October 17 \| Our Lady of Victory, Northville October 22 \| Online October 26 \| Online November 3 \| Online November 7 \| St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Troy November 16 \| Online December 3 \| Online God bless you all,   Maegan Pierson Safe Environment Manager RESOURCES Background Check Determination Letter Template Fair Credit Reporting Act Empowering God’s Children Opt-Out Form Empowering God’s Children Opt-Out Form (Spanish) Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide (Spanish) Record Retention Policy Newsletter Archives Subscribe to our newsletter Archdiocese of Detroit, 12 State St, Detroit, Michigan 48226, United States, 313-237-5800 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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