PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 22, 2015
By Peter Smith / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Many religious congregations have been seeking help to navigate new state laws requiring more training on child abuse and mandating more people report suspected abuse.
Some want to know what the law requires of volunteers and paid staff. Others want training in recognizing the symptoms of abuse. Others have a crisis and need immediate help — what to do about a new allegation of abuse or a sex offender who wants to attend church.
Such growing awareness is good, but only a start, said Michelle Snyder, executive director of the Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute, an interfaith agency that provides counseling services and training for religious organizations.
“There’s a way the legislation is unhelpful if it takes our eyes off the spirit and onto the details,” she said, “as opposed to these larger conversations of, ‘Who do we really want to be, and what is our theology of safe church, and how do we create havens?’ ”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.