CHURCH BOARD GUIDE TO A CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION POLICY The differentiation between principles and policies can be useful as


we apply it to two different levels of supervision: (1) general supervi- sion and (2) specific supervision.


General versus specific supervision General supervision is appropriate for low risk activities where the potential for a serious accident or injury is low. The primary focus of general supervision is on the group at large, rather than on specific individuals or actions. Common examples of general supervision at a church include teaching a Sunday school class, monitoring youth during a meal, or supervising a volleyball game. As risk increases, however, the supervision should become more


specific. Specific supervision is more direct and focused, and requires higher levels of understanding, training, skill, observation, and feed- back. Supervisors must understand the risks that are present, know how to reduce those risks, engage in direct and focused observation, and pro- vide necessary feedback or intervention to avoid accidents or injuries. For example, while general supervision is appropriate for monitoring children eating a meal, specific supervision is needed for children cook- ing a meal. As supervision moves from general to specific, more direc- tion is needed.


Assessing levels of risk Since the level of supervision should be tied to the level of risk, it is necessary to have some means to assess risk with respect to specific activities and programs. For example, in general a church “lock-in” rep- resents a higher level of risk than a Sunday school class. But what is it that makes the lock-in a higher risk activity? That question can be answered by analyzing key risk factors. You need to know the level of risk in order to make informed judgments regarding the level of super- vision needed. One assessment approach is to examine the following three risk


factors: (1) isolation, (2) accountability, and (3) power and control. Each factor has an associated risk principle that can be used to provide an underlying sense of direction regarding supervision. The interaction of the three risk factors of isolation, account- ability, and power and control establishes a risk environment. Risk


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