Safety

The safety, both physical and emotional, of our children, members, friends, and visitors is a serious matter at Concord UU.

Child and Adult Abuse and Neglect

We follow State law regarding the reporting of any suspected child abuse or neglect, as well as abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults.

Church Safety Policies

Child Protection

The UU Church of Concord, NH has a policy to create the safest possible environment for our children while they are involved in church programs. We require that all volunteers who work regularly with children have been involved at the congregation for at least 6 months, have a background check, and provide references. We require that there are always at least two caregivers present when children are being supervised for a church activity, one of whom must be at least 18 years old. We want every child who comes through our doors to have an experience of feeling cared for, valued, and safe, and we take seriously our responsibility as adults to adhere to these policies.  For more details, please read our Child Protection Policy.

Sex Offenders

The UU Church of Concord, NH has a policy regarding people who have been accused or convicted of sexual offenses.  As Unitarian Universalists we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We believe in the healing power of involvement in a spiritual home. As a faith–based community, we can provide support, compassion, and vigilance to maximize safety when individuals who have sexually offended participate in the life of our church community.  We require anyone who meets the criteria of the policy to contact Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger.  For details, please read our Policy for Safely Including Sex Offenders in Our Church Community.

Information Security

We understand the importance of protecting the personal and financial information of our congregants, both online and on paper.  For more details please read our Information Security Policy.

Additional Practices

  • We conduct annual fire drills for safely evacuating adults and children from the building in the event of an emergency.
  • We work to include compassionate/reflective listening and non-violent communication in our day-to-day interactions.
  • We have and use tools for handling internal conflict in ways that allow our members feel safer and feel that they have been heard. These tools begin with direct communication between those in conflict, whenever possible, facilitated conversations, or, when necessary, Restorative Circles.