Safe Environment/CORI
Our Parish is committed to providing a safe place for all the faithful. Therefore, we follow a strict policy of The Essential Three for all who minister, work or volunteer in our parish. We ask for your cooperation and support. The safety of our community depends on all of us doing our part. Please visit the Diocesan Safe Environment page for more information: https://www.fallriverdiocese.org/office-of-safe-environment/
THE ESSENTIAL THREE:
All persons aged 18 and older must be approved by the Office of Safe Environment prior to ministering,
working, or volunteering in diocese. The approval process begins by completing the “Essential Three” as
outlined in the Diocesan Policy for the Protection of the Faithful. For purposes of the Essential Three
requirements, the term applicant is used.
- CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK:
All applicants within the Diocese will complete a CORI Acknowledgement Form which requests a clear copy of a valid, government photo identification, residency within the past ten years and verification of the form by a diocesan representative. If further steps are required in the processing of a criminal background check, and/or an issue arises regarding an adverse CORI, a representative of the Office of Safe Environment will contact the applicant. CORI’s are conducted every three years for clergy, religious and lay employees. CORI’s are conducted every year for seasonal employees and volunteers.
- SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING
All applicants must complete Safe Environment Training. The training is available online at
https://fallriver.cmgconnect.org. The applicant must register online at CMG Connect under the Diocese of Fall River to begin the training. Once registered, the applicant will view three Safe Haven videos with a Q&A session. A respective Code of Conduct is added at the end of the videos for acknowledgement (see #3 below). Please note that these videos cover sensitive material. If anyone has any questions, please contact OSE. Training will be renewed every six (6) years or when directed by the OSE.
Spanish: On-line training is offered in Spanish. Please choose so when registering.
Portuguese: A written transcript of the three Safe Haven videos in Portuguese is available through OSE.
Hearing Impaired: A written transcript for the three Safe Haven Videos is available through OSE.
Live Training: Please contact the OSE for this option.
- CODE OF CONDUCT
All applicants will be provided with a respective Safe Environment Code of Conduct. When taking the online training, the Codes must be read and acknowledged online. All who minister, work or volunteer within the Diocese are subject to Codes of Conduct at all times. The Codes of Conduct shall not expire.
Minors: (under the age of eighteen) are not required to complete the Essential Three. However, a minor who is an employee or a volunteer within the Diocese and is in contact with minors or vulnerable adults must be assigned to an “Essential Three” compliant adult to fulfill their obligations as an employee or volunteer. A minor together with the parent/guardian and respective diocesan supervisor will sign a Diocesan Youth Code of Conduct each year. If the applicant has attained eighteen years of age, they will be required to complete the Essential Three.
Each diocesan facility, i.e. parish, school or program, has a representative who can assist in the verification
process of the CORI Acknowledgement Form. However, if you have any questions regarding CORI processing, please contact the Office of Safe Environment at 508-675-1311, ext. 6511 or osechancery@dioc-fr.org.
Frequently asked Questions
I’m just a …(lector, Eucharistic Minister, food pantry volunteer etc.) and I don’t work directly with children or youth. Must I complete the Essential Three?
— Yes. The Essential Three is required for all who minister, work or volunteer throughout the Diocese regardless of whether their position is directly connected to children and youth.
It is hard enough to find volunteers, why would the diocese make people do all this work?
— We recognize that volunteers are already giving freely of their time. The goal of the Essential Three is not to make people jump through hoops but rather to create a culture of safety and child protection throughout the diocese. The more people who are screened, trained, and have agreed to a Code of Conduct, the more assurance we can have that ALL the faithful are in a safe environment in every parish, school, and diocesan facility. We know that many of our volunteers are parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Even if their volunteer work does not directly involve children and youth, the training can help them be aware of signs that raise concern about the safety and well-being of the young people in their lives.
• If this is because of the clergy abuse crisis, why must lay volunteers and employees do this?
— This is not just about clergy abuse. The clergy abuse scandal led the Church to make significant changes. One positive outcome is that it has helped raise awareness of the devastating impact of child sexual abuse throughout our world. Research suggests that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they reach 18. With these troubling statistics in mind, we want everyone to know what to watch for and how to respond if they see behaviors that raise concern. We want our parishes and schools to be full of trusted adults who can assist a child if needed.
