Sorry for the delay in posting this
audit: The original formatting of the audit sample didn’t work well on the
Blog, so I had to change it. The related Position Audit of the Lay Visitor will
be posted shortly. LS
WORKED EXAMPLE OF A PROGRAM AUDIT
Lay Visitor Program
NOTES:
(1) A copy of this sample audit (with some additional
notes and tips) will also be posted to the diocesan website’s SafeR Church
page. You will be able to download, print, etc., it from there.
(2) Check out the sample Position Audit for Lay
Visitor (to be posted in the next day) and the Program and Position Audits
for Pastoral Visiting when they are posted. There is considerable overlap
between them, and ideas generated in one may be helpful to you in relation to
the others.
(3) Remember
that what follows is NOT a description of what a Lay Visitor Program “should” be
or do or look like: You may do this differently; your parish’s visitors may
do some things outlined here, but not others, or they may do things that are
not mentioned here, etc. In addition, you may come up with different answers
in your identification and assessment of risks and SafeR Church Measures for
your parish. Use this as a starting point, and work from there. Your final
audit and identification of SafeR Church Measures must be accurate and complete
and shaped to fit the realities of your parish.
(4) Thanks to
Susan Naylor and to the participants at a workshop for NSOM clergy earlier
this year, who worked through an audit of the position of Lay Visitor.
Much of what follows here was created through their discussions. It has been
supplemented by information generated by audits of both Lay Visitor and
Pastoral Visitor Programs undertaken at the risk management workshops for
clergy last fall, as well as by other material.
1. Analyze and describe the Lay Visitor
Program:
What? Who? Where? When? How? Why? Etc.
WHAT? (i.e., what does a Lay Visitor do?)
- A layperson (or more than one) from your parish spends time visiting
with someone—an individual, couple, family
- Could be a single visit at a particular time (e.g., post-surgery,
on an important anniversary, some other special occasion, etc.)
- Could be a series of visits on some kind of regular, periodic,
or irregular schedule, for a short time or a long time
- Visitor seeks to engage people in
conversation, to provide support and encouragement, to encourage them to talk
about themselves if they wish to do so, to bring people news from the parish
and community
- Visitor pays attention to situation of the people being visited, is alert to indications of
distress, that individual might need assistance of some kind
-Visits might include prayer, offering home
communion*
(*lay visitor must be trained, authorized,
licensed to offer home communion)
WHY does your parish have a lay visitor program?
- To live out Matthew 25:31-46—i.e., it is an extension of the
ministry we all share—to visit and comfort those who are sick, alone, lonely,
in need of companionship; because visiting one another is a “wholly holy”
activity
- To remember and care for people and to help them know that they are cared for and remembered; this may
be especially important in the case of people who were once part of the parish
and now no longer participate
- To “bring the church to the people who can’t get there”; to
bring community to those who are separate from the community
- To maintain personal contact with people (parishioners, former
parishioners, people known to the parish, etc.), especially parishioners who no
longer (or no longer can) come to worship services or participate in parish
activities; to bring news, information, invitations to parish involvement
- To assist parish clergy, pastoral care team, to care for and support
people, by doing “reconnaissance”—i.e.,
helping clergy become or remain aware of special circumstances (or changing
circumstances), pastoral needs, etc., of people being visited
- To provide support and encouragement to people, especially those who
are isolated and/or alone: sometimes, visitors from the parish (lay,
clergy, both) may be the only people that someone sees (or the only one other
than caregivers, family, etc.)
- To help develop relationships with newcomers to the parish
- To build, rebuild, maintain, support, and
nourish relationships among the people of God
WHO? Who do Lay Visitors visit?
- Any parishioner
- People who are shut-in, ill, isolated, dealing with a crisis, tragedy, joyful
event, etc.
- Newcomers to the parish
- People who are ill, dying, people who are mourning a death
- Families with new babies
- Disaffected parishioners
- Former parishioners
- Anyone in the community who asks for visit
WHERE? Where do Lay Visitors visit people?
- In their homes (houses, apartments, rooms or apartments in places such
as seniors’ apartments, residences, nursing homes)
- In hospitals
- In coffee shops, restaurants
WHEN? When do these visits take place?
- Visits are arranged by phone or e-mail (or both) ahead of time
- Daytime, evening
- Weekdays, weekends
- Visits approximately 1-2 hours long
- If person being visited is in a hospital or nursing home, time,
duration of visits may be governed by their rules
HOW? How
does this work? Where does this program fit into the parish? Who organizes it?
Oversees it?
- Organized by and overseen by a committee of Parish Council
(Pastoral Care, Outreach, Spiritual Development, etc.), so Parish Council is
ultimately responsible for it. Committee reports to Council periodically
(monthly? Quarterly?) about Lay Visitor Program.
- Visitors are supervised, report to Visit Co-ordinator? Chair of
Committee? Rector? Other clergy? Etc.
- Visitors contact Visit Co-ordinator? Committee Chair? Rector?
Other clergy? if they have urgent concerns, questions
- Visitors keep brief notes about each
visit (e.g., date, time, who was there, how the visit went, any questions,
concerns, etc.) and forward notes to designated person.
- Visitors receive initial orientation to visiting, as well as initial
and periodic training and opportunities to reflect on their experiences,
debrief, raise questions, concerns, and to identify resources, information,
training that would help them (e.g., re issues of privacy and
confidentiality, etc.)
- At each visit, Visitor leaves parish bulletin
with person visited (a source of news as well as contact information)
2. Identify the inherent and foreseeable
risks in the Lay Visitor Program.
The basic questions
here are these: Who (including the parish
itself) might be harmed? How might they be harmed?
Special factors to consider:
(1) People being visited are often quite vulnerable
(physically, socially emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, etc.)
- needy (emotionally, psychologically,
financially, etc.)
- fearful
- isolated and/or alone (i.e., little or no
family contact, small or no circle of friends, etc.)
- Person being visited may well be a “captive audience,”
too frail or otherwise unable (or unwilling) to tell a visitor to leave, or
that he/she doesn’t want visits
(2) There are increasing numbers of people
with cognitive impairment, dementia, disabilities, etc., seeking or needing
visits: These impairments, frailties put individuals at much higher risk—i.e.,
they may divulge personal information (e.g., re their finances, etc.), make
requests that are inappropriate, etc.—and these frailties also put Visitors at
higher risk
(3) The living conditions of person being visited
may put him/her at risk and raise the question of the obligation of the
Visitor to bring concerns to attention of designated person at parish: Visit
Coordinator, Rector, etc.
(4) Seem to be more women than men who want
(if not need) visits
(5) Often, the people being visited are
long-time members of the parish; they may have long memories, preconceived
notions about visitors generally, or about individuals specifically
nRisks to person being visited:
(1) Bodily Harm (physical injury)
- physical injury (e.g., person being visited
is frail; Visitor doesn’t know how to help person stand or move, etc., and
person is physically injured)
- physical abuse
(2) Personal Injury (non-physical harm)
- spiritual, psychological, emotional harm (e.g.,
person may become inappropriately attached to, or dependent on, Visitor;
Visitor unclear about or unwilling to keep visits within appropriate
boundaries, etc.)
- sexual abuse
- misunderstandings causing distress
(exacerbated by cognitive impairments, physical disabilities (e.g., hearing
loss), etc.)
(3) Financial Loss
- theft of property
- loss of assets (e.g., person is persuaded to
invest money, change will, etc.)
nRisks to Visitors:
(1) Bodily Harm (physical injury)
- physical injury (e.g., Visitor helps person
move, doesn’t know how, and is injured doing so, Visitor is physically
assaulted, Visitor is in car accident on way to or home from visit, etc.)
(2) Personal Injury (non-physical harm)
- emotional harm (e.g., Visitor may become
inappropriately attached to person being visited and/or may not know how to
deal with inappropriate attachment on part of person being visited, etc.)
- misunderstandings causing distress
(exacerbated by cognitive impairments, physical disabilities (e.g., hearing
loss), etc.)
- loss of reputation, credibility (e.g., as
result of misunderstanding with person being visited, his or her family, etc.)
(3) Financial Loss or Property Damage
- financial loss (e.g., Visitor is in car
accident on way to or from visit; Visitor is injured and unable to work; car is
damaged; etc.)
(4) Legal Liability
- visitor might be accused of wrongdoing or
causing harm that results, might have to defend against criminal charges,
lawsuit
nRisks to Parish:
(1) Loss of Reputation, Credibility, Support
- parish’s reputation and credibility are
harmed as result of an injury to someone being visited and/or to Visitors
(2) Legal Liability and Financial Loss
- parish is potentially legally liable for the
actions, inaction, wrong action of Visitors as they are acting on its behalf.
Financial loss might ensue from being found legally liable.
3. Assess the risks. Prioritize them.
All the risks noted above were rated as
medium-high, both inherent and foreseeable given the nature and purpose of the program, the
needs and vulnerability of people being visited, and the fact that visits take
place primarily in private homes.
Priority was assigned to the risks to the
people being visited, because they are vulnerable and because the parish’s first obligation
in this situation is to them.
NOTE: Remember that this rating is not a
suggestion that any, some, most, or all people intend to do harm. It reflects
the recognition that these risks are inherent and foreseeable in this kind of
situation, that these kinds of harm have in fact taken place—i.e., people
have been abused or assaulted, vulnerable people have been influenced to change
their wills or make investments, etc.—and that people may inadvertently,
accidentally, and completely unintentionally cause harm to another.
4 and 5. Identify SafeR Church Measures to
address these risks. Prioritize the risks and measures:
Notes and Tips:
Many of the
measures listed below are mentioned under more than one category, i.e.,
something that is a risk management measure that can protect the person being
visited may also protect the visitors, and the parish. That’s a good thing—in general,
the more risks that can be reduced by a single measure, the better.
Note that choosing
SafeR Church Measures is not about choosing from a menu of options. Measures
have to be chosen in answer to the question “What measure(s) will eliminate,
prevent, avoid, transfer, or minimize this risk?” And you have to be able to
answer these questions: “What risk does this Measure address? How? How will you
know if this Measure is effective?”
Risks
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SafeR Church Measures to Consider
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nRisks to people being visited
(1) Bodily Harm (physical injury)
- physical injury
(e.g., person being visited is frail; Visitor doesn’t know how to help person
stand or move, etc., and person is physically injured)
- physical abuse
(2) Personal Injury (non-physical harm)
- spiritual,
psychological, emotional harm (e.g., person may become inappropriately
attached to, or dependent on, Visitor; Visitor unclear about or unwilling to
keep visits within appropriate boundaries, etc.)
- sexual abuse
-
misunderstandings causing distress (exacerbated by cognitive impairments,
physical disabilities (e.g., hearing loss), etc.)
(3) Financial Loss
- theft of
property
- loss of assets
(e.g., person is persuaded to invest money, change will, etc.)
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To reduce risk of harm to person visited:
- Visitors come in pairs,
not alone
- Visits are arranged
in advance; visitor doesn’t “drop in” without person’s prior consent to
visit (Note: This is a good guideline, but it can’t be imposed absolutely: Obvious
exceptions would be if the individuals are old friends, if this is something
visitor has always done, if there has been some indication of urgent need,
etc.)
- If person being visited
has family, parish tries to contact family members to introduce them
to visitor, help them understand visiting program, etc.
- Parish maintains regular,
formal contact with individual being visited (e.g., someone is designated
to call or visit the “visitee” monthly? Bi-monthly? to ask for feedback about
the visits; record of contact maintained).
- Parish screens
Visitors properly, pre- and post-selection, and provides proper initial
training and continuing education to visitors about visiting people who
are vulnerable, including obligation to report concerns of neglect or abuse,
privacy and confidentiality issues, any discussion person being visited might
raise about money such as asking visitor to do banking, telling visitors that
someone is stealing from them, etc.)
- Visitor is introduced
to person being visited by someone in authority in the parish
- Visitor sits in
chair, not on couch with person being visited
- Visits are during day,
not at night, especially in the winter
- Visitors keep brief
set of notes about each visit, forwards notes to designated person (rector,
secretary?) ASAP after the visit
- Visitor is given
clear information about who to contact (and how) about any concern about
the visit, or about the person being visited, especially anything that person
being visited identifies as urgent or Visitor believes is urgent
|
Risks
|
SafeR Church Measures to Consider
|
nRisks to Visitors:
(1) Bodily Harm (physical injury)
- physical injury
(e.g., Visitor helps person move, doesn’t know how, and is injured doing so,
Visitor is physically assaulted, Visitor is in car accident on way to or home
from visit, etc.)
(2) Personal Injury (non-physical harm)
- emotional harm
(e.g., Visitor may become inappropriately attached to person being visited
and/or may not know how to deal with inappropriate attachment on part of
person being visited, etc.)
-
misunderstandings causing distress
- loss of
reputation, credibility (e.g., as result of misunderstanding with person
being visited, his or her family, etc.)
(3) Financial Loss or Property Damage
- financial loss
(e.g., Visitor is in car accident on way to or from visit; Visitor is injured
and unable to work; car is damaged; etc.)
(4) Legal Liability
- Visitor might
be accused of wrongdoing or causing harm that results, might have to defend
against criminal charges, lawsuit
|
To reduce risk of harm to Visitors:
- People visit in pairs,
teams, not alone
- Visitors are thoroughly
screened, pre- and post-selection, based on the Bona Fide Occupational
Requirements (BFORs) identified in Position Audit of Lay Visitor (as
important for individuals to find out if they are suited for this position as
it is for the parish to know)
- Visitors participate in
initial orientation, training and continuing education about visiting
people who are vulnerable, including re policies in operation, obligation to
report concerns of neglect or abuse, privacy and confidentiality issues, any
discussion person being visited might raise about money such as asking
visitor to do banking, telling visitors that someone is stealing from them,
etc.)
- Visitors have a
support system—i.e., visitor knows he can always contact rector to
discuss concerns, ask questions, etc.
- Visitors keep brief
set of notes about each visit, forwards notes to designated person
(rector, secretary?) ASAP after the visit
- Visitor is given
clear information about who to contact (and how) about any concern about
the visit, or about the person being visited, especially anything that person
being visited identifies as urgent or Visitor believes is urgent
- Visitor leaves
information about where he or she is going, when, when expected back,
with family, with church (rector, secretary?) by phone message, e-mail, text,
etc.
- Visitor takes cell
phone
- Visits are during day,
not at night, especially in the winter
- Visitor sits in
chair, not on couch
- Visitors don’t accept
refreshments, meals during visits
- Visitors do not do
errands for person being visited (or perhaps groceries, but not banking?)
- Parish provides extra
insurance protection for Visitors who drive to visits
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Risks
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SafeR Church Measures to Consider
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nRisks to Parish:
(1) Loss of Reputation, Credibility,
Support
- As result of
harm coming to someone being visited and/or to Visitors
(2) Legal Liability and Financial Loss
- Parish is
potentially legally liable for the actions, inaction, wrong action of
Visitors as they are acting on its behalf. Financial loss might ensue from
being found legally liable.
|
To reduce risk of harm to parish:
- Parish Council
clearly identifies who (which individual(s) and/or groups (e.g., a
committee) is/are responsible for overseeing Lay Visitor Program and
communicates mandate.
- Parish maintains regular,
formal contact with people being visited (monthly? quarterly?) to ask for
feedback about the visits; feedback logged (i.e., record kept of who talked
to whom, when, what was said, etc.) These conversations should be documented.
- Parish sets clear
outlines of what a visit is and is not, ground rules made clear to
Visitors, people being visited, family of people being visited
- If person being visited
has family, parish contacts family members to alert them to plan to
visit, keep them posted on visits and visitor, introduce them to visitor;
contacts family member(s) periodically to follow up. These conversations
should be documented.
- Parish thoroughly
screens Visitors before they begin to visit and, especially, after and on
ongoing basis, according to Bona Fide Occupational Requirements (BFORs)
identified in Position Audit
- Parish provides
proper initial orientation and training and continuing education to Visitors about
visiting people who are vulnerable, including obligation to report
concerns of neglect or abuse, privacy and confidentiality issues, any
discussion person being visited might raise about money such as asking
visitor to do banking, telling visitors that someone is stealing from them,
etc.)
- Parish sets up
support system for Visitors—i.e., visitor knows he or she can always
contact rector or other designated person to discuss concerns, ask questions,
etc.; some kind of periodic individual and/or group session set up so that
Visitors can debrief, reflect, raise questions, concerns, offer feedback,
etc.
- Parish requires that
Visitors keep brief set of notes about each visit, forward notes to
designated person (rector, secretary?) ASAP after the visit
- Parish secures insurance
coverage for Lay Visiting Program, including, if possible, insurance
against bodily harm, financial loss, etc., suffered by Visitor
- Parish policies
explicitly require that
- Visitor leaves information about where he
or she is going, when, when expected back, with family, with church (rector,
secretary?) by phone message, e-mail, text, etc.
- Visitor takes cell phone
- Visitor works as part of a pair, team,
not alone
- Visits are during day, not at night,
especially in the winter
- Visitor sits in chair, not on couch with
person being visited
- Visitors don’t accept refreshments, meals
during visits
- Visitors do not do errands for person
being visited (or perhaps groceries, but not banking?)
- Visitors notify parish (rector,
secretary?) ASAP after the visit about any concern about the visit, or about
the person being visited
- Parish policies re lay
visits are reinforced in training of visitors; communicated to visitors in
writing (e.g., Guidelines for Visitors), discussed with people being visited
(or discussed with them if they raise concern?)
- Formal report
(quarterly? Semi-annually?) made to Parish Council by individual or group
responsible for Lay Visitor Program for evaluation, changes, etc. SafeR
Church Measures reviewed and modified, adapted, dropped, added, as required
|
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Orientation, Training, Ongoing Education, and
Support for Visitors
Issues/Topics:
- Visits are about sharing love; they are
opportunities for mutual growth and benefit, but focus should primarily be on
the person being visited
- Rapport builds over time
- Active listening
- Boundaries – establishing and
maintaining them
- Recognizing when pastoral care is
needed
Ways of providing this training and support:
- Initial orientation and training
- Ongoing support – informal (e.g.,
visitors encouraged to reflect as individuals on their experiences; visitors
encouraged to call visit coordinator/rector if concerned about something)
and/or formal (e.g., monthly, quarterly gatherings of visitors to check in,
raise concerns, reflect as a group, etc.)
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