Department makes world a better place by protecting children from abuse

It’s impossible to measure just how large an impact the Archdiocese of Newark’s Department for the Protection of the Faithful has had on the adults, youth, and vulnerable adults who touch our four counties. But the statistics reveal a telling story.

Since 2002, the department has trained nearly 100,000 employees, clergy, and volunteers to identify those exhibiting the possible warning signs or grooming behaviors of those who may potentially be out to harm children. The department, through the children’s version of its Protecting God’s Children training program, has taught countless boys and girls what warning signs to look out for from those who may harm them. And as National Child Abuse Prevention Month continues this month, the department seeks to spread the message even farther.

“I feel like we’re making a difference,” Director Karen Clark said. “Every day, we make the world a little bit better for people who are hurting, for people who want to keep their parishes and schools safe, and for parents who want to know how to keep their children safe.”

Though the Office of Child and Youth Protection had been in place for years, the Archdiocese of Newark was inspired to evolve that office. In 2019, the Department for the Protection of the Faithful was launched after Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the archbishop of Newark, introduced his pastoral vision, “Forward in Faith Together: Our Road Ahead,” to better engage clergy and laity. As part of that vision, the emphasis on training, compliance, protection, and healing of all vulnerable populations was strengthened.

Since the expansion, the Office of Child and Youth Protection continues in its mission to implement and monitor the procedures outlined in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. These measures include safe environment training; a standardized application process; an archdiocesan code of ministerial conduct; and criminal background checks for clergy, employees, and volunteers who work with minors, supplemented by annual audits verifying whether parishes and schools have appropriately vetted their staff.

Archdiocesan Catholic school students in grades K-12 receive the safe environment training through annual Empowering God’s Children lessons, which are designed to help children assert ownership of their feelings and bodies and give them the skills necessary to identify, stop, and report inappropriate behavior. Created by the industry-leading company, VIRTUS® Online, the topics include physical boundaries, signs of an abusive relationship, and identifying safe adults. The lessons are taught in three-year cycles, in an age-appropriate way, to better apply to what the students are going through and experiencing at every developmental stage.

“Such classes are crucial because young people may often not realize they are being taken advantage of,” according to AnnMarie Caliguire, a safe environment compliance officer for the department. “And even if they are aware, many don’t know how to talk about what they’re experiencing. Empowering God’s Children gives them the knowledge and language so they can seek help.

“This is something that all of our kids need,” Caliguire continued, pointing out the courses “make them feel empowered and feel safe in knowing that if they talk to an adult about what they’re feeling, the adult will know how to respond.”

Over 100 Virtus Protecting God’s Children facilitators teach hundreds of courses to adults each year. This in-person workshop is attended when clergy, staff, and volunteers are first hired and every five years thereafter. It includes videos that explain and show the warning signs that a child is being or has been abused or exploited, the grooming methods abusers use to manipulate children, and the process to follow when abuse is reported, among other topics. Attendees also become acutely aware of how they should interact with minors and vulnerable adults, which makes identifying warning signs of abusers even easier. Discussions then follow each video, so participants have a chance to review what they have learned.

By completing the course, Clark said archdiocese employees gain the ability to spot child abusers and report them before they can do any harm. Employees also become fully aware of how they should treat minors, she added, which makes finding abusers even easier.

“We’ve created a standard of behavior around kids that makes it evident to children and adults when anyone is not behaving in an appropriate way,” Clark said. “We want to create a ‘village’ which sets and maintains appropriate boundaries around children, both in-person and online, to make it very evident to children when an adult is crossing those boundaries. This helps children to understand what is normal. So, if they see something that is different, they know that’s something they should be concerned about and tell a trusted adult.”

If a clergy member, employee, or volunteer in the archdiocese is the subject of an allegation of abuse or exploitation of a minor, the Department for the Protection of the Faithful is ready to act. When an incident is reported — even if it occurred years ago — the allegations will be reported to the appropriate prosecutor and reviewed by the department’s Office of Investigations, led by Ana Zsak, a former Essex County Prosecutor’s Office investigator with extensive experience in child abuse cases. Such investigations are thoroughly conducted, in accordance with Pope Francis’ call to “follow the path of truth, wherever it may lead.”

Meanwhile, the department’s Office of Accompaniment, led by a licensed clinical social worker, Gina Criscuolo, provides abuse victims and survivors with needed resources and support. This may include providing financial aid for counseling, assisting victims throughout an investigation process, helping survivors on their journey towards wholeness, and, in some instances, assisting them to return to the Church.

The three offices under one department is an organizational structure not found in many dioceses — and it is no secret why. Clark credits Cardinal Tobin for making the Department for the Protection of the Faithful a reality.

“We certainly couldn’t have done this without the emphasis that Cardinal Tobin has placed on this element.” Clark said. “The commitment to resources that comes from our leadership has allowed us to make such gains. Everyone at the archdiocese is truly committed to the success of this department and keeping the children and vulnerable adults in our lives safe.”

For more information on the Department for the Protection of the Faithful within the Archdiocese of Newark, visit https://www.rcan.org/offices-and-ministries/child-youth-protection.