The Florida Annual Conference is committed to providing safe places of worship and fellowship to everyone they serve. As part of that commitment, they are providing information about Safe Gatherings as a resource for their Conference churches.

Safe Gatherings is an online abuse prevention program that screens and educates staff and volunteers to help prevent abuse of children, youth and vulnerable adults in group settings. When employees and volunteers are trained to identify potential abusers, recognize the signs of abuse, and know how to handle reporting, they are better equipped to prevent abuse. Safe Gatherings currently works with 17 United Methodist Conferences, as well as other denominations and individual organizations.

The price for the Florida UMC Conference program available through the Safe Gatherings website is $45 per applicant, and upon successful completion, approval is valid for three years. This includes processing of two electronic references, a national and multi-county 7-year background check, national and state of residence Sex Offender Registry check, and the 2-hour online abuse prevention and boundary awareness training, including review of the Florida Conference’s protection policy. 

Safe Gatherings handles all of the processing of reference checks and background checks, so it’s easy for administrators. It’s a seamless system that works!

To learn more about Safe Gatherings, click here

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