Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training Scenarios & Group Questions

LEADER’S GUIDE Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training – Scenarios & Group Questions

Introduction

Do any of you struggle with providing training on safety policies and procedures that is fresh, interesting, practical, and engaging?

I do. That’s why I have created this training seminar that you can use. It’s best used as a refresher seminar, but new volunteers will learn a lot from it as well.

This seminar will take an hour. You can make it longer or shorter as necessary. You can also add or change scenarios to make them very practical to your situation.

The seminar attendees should be in groups of 2-6, ideally around a table to allow for easy discussion and note-taking.

Each table should have a one or two scenarios, pens/pencils, a green sign, and a red sign. (The number of attendees you have will dictate how many scenarios each table gets.)

The signs can be as simple or complex as you want them. A sheet of construction paper cut into four pieces could make four signs. Tape one piece to a jumbo popsicle stick and you have a sign.

The leader needs to have a copy of the scenarios, as well as the additional scenarios, and a copy of the church’s official policies and procedures.

Group Activity

Step 1. Scenario review: Each table will be given one or more scenarios. They will read the scenario together and decide what they would do in the situation described. 5 minutes will be given to complete this activity.

Step 2. Presentation and voting: Once the activity is completed, the leader will ask one table at a time to read out their scenario and their response to it. The other tables will vote on the correctness of the response by holding up the red or green signs provided.

Step 3. Additional discussion questions: Then the leader will ask the accompanying group discussions questions (Scenario 1-1.) The leader should address these questions to the whole group.

Step 4: Policy review: The leader needs to listen carefully and make sure that all policy points are covered in the discussion. Once they are, the leader can move on to the next scenario. LEADER’S GUIDE Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training – Scenarios & Group Questions

Scenario #1 – Abuse

You are a Grade 5&6 Sunday School teacher. A child comes to you and tells you they have been abused. What do you do?

Group Discussion Question

1. What about if you suspect a child has been or is being abused?

Scenario #2– Two Adult Rule

You are a Sunday School teacher and you’re teaching partner lets you know at the last minute that they will not be there. You have a spouse approved to work with kids. What do you do?

Group Discussion Questions

1. There just aren’t enough volunteers and you have to teach a Sunday School by yourself. What do you do?

2. There aren’t enough adult volunteers but you have lots of teenage volunteers willing to help. What do you do?

Scenario #3– Receiving and Releasing Children

You are a kindergarten teacher. Class is over and it’s time to go. How do you release your class?

1. Someone you don’t know shows up to pick up one of your students. What do you do?

2. One of your students doesn’t want to go with the person picking them up. What do you do?

3. There is one child left in your classroom that hasn’t been picked up because both of his parents are serving in a Sunday morning ministry. What do you do?

4. Let’s move to the nursery – a parent you know arrives to pick up their baby and they don’t have their number. What do you do? LEADER’S GUIDE Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training – Scenarios & Group Questions

Scenario #4– Receiving and Releasing Children

You are a Grade 3&4 teacher and the bell rings at the end of class. What do you do?

1. It’s the beginning of class and you are by yourself. Your teaching partner hasn’t arrived yet. One student arrives. What do you do?

Scenario #5– Receiving and Releasing Children-Youth Specific

A 14 year old youth has been dropped off at church by her parents and they told her to find a ride home with one of her friends. Church is now over, most people have gone, and the 14 year old forgot to find a ride. What do you do?

1. An 18 year old boy that you know well offers to drive her home. What do you do?

Scenario #6 – Washroom Guidelines

You are a preschool Sunday School teacher. Billy has to go to the bathroom. What do you do?

1. You have escorted Billy to the washroom. As you are waiting outside the washroom, you hear him call for help. What do you do?

Scenario #7 – Washroom Guidelines

You are a Grade 5 Sunday School teacher. Sally has to go to the bathroom. What do you do?

1. Sally comes back alone from the washroom and tells you that her buddy needs help. What do you do?

2. The teacher is a man and he is teaching by himself that morning. What do you do?

Scenario #8– Allergies LEADER’S GUIDE Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training – Scenarios & Group Questions

You have a student with a severe allergy in your class. This student carries an epi-pen. They have a severe allergic reaction during class. What do you do?

1. Grandma shows up at your classroom door on Sunday morning with a container of homemade peanut butter cookies. You are not aware of anyone in your class having a nut allergy. Do you accept the cookies?

2. You have a child with a nut allergy in your class. Can you put up a sign that says ‘This is a nut free area”?

3. Grandma shows up at your classroom door on Sunday morning with a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies. She tells you that they do not have nuts. Do you accept the cookies?

Scenario #9– Accident/Emergency

You are a toddler teacher. A child falls off a chair and hits her head. What do you do?

1. A youth is injured at a youth event. The injury doesn’t require an ambulance, but the youth does need to go to the hospital. What do you do?

2. An elementary aged child cuts their finger while using scissors during Sunday School. What do you do?

Scenario #10– Fire Drill

The fire alarm goes off while you are teaching. What do you do?

1. You have reached the meeting place with your class and discover you are missing a child. What do you do?

2. A parent comes and tries to take their child before you get to the meeting place and have taken roll call. What do you do? LEADER’S GUIDE Safety Policies and Procedures Refresher Training – Scenarios & Group Questions

Scenario #11– Appropriate Touch

A child, on arrival in their classroom, gives you a hug. What do you do?

1. A preschool child is upset and needs comforting. What do you do?

2. A preschool child is misbehaving. What do you do?

3. An elementary-aged child sits on your lap. What do you do?

4. An elementary-aged child needs emergency help in the bathroom.

5. You are a youth leader. Good natured fun at a youth event turns into horseplay. What do you do?

Scenario #12– Social Media

You are a Grade 5&6 teacher and one of your students friends you on Facebook. What do you do?

1. A child or youth sends you a private message on Facebook. What do you do? What if that message is a cry for help because a parent is abusing them?

2. You are having a special event in your class and you want to email the details to your students. What do you do?

3. A student’s birthday is coming up. How can you acknowledge the birthday?

4. A child or youth is texting you:

a. A youth wants to know the where and when of an upcoming event. What do you do?

b. A youth wants to know what you’re up to (just chatty). What do you do?

c. A child or youth wants you to pray for something specific. What do you do?