Safe Environment
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Safe Environment

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is committed to keeping children safe every day throughout the year.

Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is committed to maintaining safe environments for children to learn, pray, and grow.  Our Safe Environment Office supports our archdiocese, parishes, and schools in maintaining compliance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children & Young People. The Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal explains some of the ways in which our archdiocese supports compliance with the articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children & Young People.  

 

Every priest, deacon, parish or school staff member, teacher and lay minister that is employed by a parish or school and any volunteer working with minors in our archdiocese is required to meet three requirements:

1-Attend a Safe Environment Education Session.  This is a child abuse and maltreatment prevention program that must be attended in person. The current curriculum taught in this session utilizes the Safe Haven series from Catholic Mutual Group. 

2-Pass a Criminal Background Check. This check is done at the start of employment or beginning volunteering with minors and must be done every five (5) years subsequently.  The criminal background check is conducted through the CMG Connect portal.  The criminal background check reports are reviewed and certified through the collaboration of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Safe Environment Office and parish/school Safe Environment coordinators.  

3-Sign the Code of Ethical Standards.  This code of conduct provides clergy, volunteers, and employees with expectations and guidelines for how they interact with and conduct themselves in ministry. This code must be signed prior to beginning volunteering or working in a parish or school and is reviewed every five (5) years subsequently.  

As Catholics, we are all tasked with participating in ensuring that every child is able to feel safe in our parishes and schools. In addition to our safe environment requirements for adults, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee requires all parish religious education programs and Catholic schools to provide instruction on personal safety and abuse prevention in age-appropriate lessons for all children in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade enrolled in their programs.  Parishes and schools are required to annually report their compliance with this requirement.  

We invite you to explore what we are doing at the archdiocesan level, at the parish/school level, and what we ask of every adult  in our parishes to do to help us maintain a Safe Environment to remember our past, protect our present and hope for our future. 

Charter Compliance

The Charter is a comprehensive set of procedures established by the USCCB in June 2002 for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. 

Available in English and Spanish

Pastors, Principals and Coordinators

Information for pastors, principals, and Safe Environment coordinators relating to policies, requirements and compliance. 

Educator Resources

Recommended concepts and safe environment curriculum for principals, religious education directors, teachers and catechists.

Mandatory Reporting

In the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, all clergy, staff, and volunteers working with children are trained in how recognize the signs of abuse and where to report abuse.

Code of Ethical Standards

The Code contains standards that help to delineate boundaries by which ethical questions can be evaluated.

Social Media & Digital Communication

When using these technologies, every effort must be made to create and maintain safe and secure environments.

Overnight Trips with Minors

Parishes and/or schools are responsible for the safety of the young people participating in overnight trips. Please use these policies to ensure safe environments when planning any overnight events involving minors.

Child Abuse Prevention Month

During April, we highlight one week as Safe Environment Week so that everyone can simultaneously focus on abuse prevention, including the archdiocesan initiatives that are already underway. 

Resources

Additional prayers, letters, instructions, requirements and flyers from the Safe Environment Office. 

Reporting Abuse

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has partnered with Convercent, a third-party company, to administer an online service to report misconduct​.  

If you or someone you know is being abused or you suspect abuse is occurring, contact your local law enforcement department immediately. Any instance of abuse involving a person currently under 18 years of age (minor) should immediately be reported to the civil authorities. Locate the civil authorities in the 10 counties of the archdiocese.

If you or someone you know was abused as a minor by clergy or church personnel, call your local police, sheriff or district attorney’s office to file a criminal report.

Reports can also be made to the Victim Assistance Coordinator who is available to support abuse survivors.  A formal complaint of abuse can be made to the archdiocese by calling the Victim Assistance Coordinator at 414-758-2232.

An alternative way to make a formal report regarding sexual abuse for those not wanting to contact the archdiocese is available to you 24 hours a day/7 days a week through the Healing Center website or by calling 414-219-5555.

Register for Safe Environment

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has a partnership with Catholic Mutual Group to provide Safe Environment Education. Go to CMG Connect to register for training.

View a listing of upcoming safe environment education sessions

Need help with how to register for your safe environment session and become safe environment certified? Choose an instruction sheet to assist you. 

Register

Regístrese para Ambiente Seguro

La Arquidiócesis de Milwaukee tiene una asociación con Catholic Mutual Group para brindar Educación sobre un Ambiente Seguro. Vaya a CMG Connect para poder registrarse a una de nuestras sesiones.

Vea la lista de las próximas sesiones de educación sobre Ambiente Seguro

¿Necesita ayuda para registrarse en una sesión de ambiente seguro y obtener la certificación de ambiente seguro? Elija una hoja de instrucciones para ayudarle.

Registrarse

Access CMG Connect Log-In

Log back into your CMG account to:

  • Finish or resume a curriculum.
  • Edit your user information.
  • View your safe environment certification status.
  • Renew your safe environment certification.  (Link to Instructions on how to renew your safe environment certification.) 
  • Complete other required/optional training required by your parish or school.  
  • Conduct a new criminal background check for new employment.
  • If you need assistance logging into your CMG Connect account or if you are unsure of your username or password, please contact your parish or school on-site safe environment coordinator.

Login 

Important Notice


For those attending Safe Environment Education session:

Please note session location, as sessions may be held virtually via zoom or on-site at a parish or school. 

All participants must arrive on time and stay for the entire session. Latecomers will not be admitted and those who leave early will not receive credit for attendance. Safe Environment Education sessions last three hours. 

Safe Environment Education sessions are not appropriate for those under the age of 18 years. Please select a session that will allow you to participate without minors present.  

Virtual Session participants must participate in the session using a device that has a camera and microphone, and they are expected to actively participate in the session throughout the training. Please do not plan on attending the training at a time where you will be driving or unable to devote your full attention to the training. Virtual session participant class sizes are limited, and individuals are encouraged to attend an in-person session whenever possible and available. 

You will need to complete the online registration for your safe environment education session through CMG Connect. A portion of the safe environment certification process is required to be completed prior to attending the session. Unregistered attendees may be refused admittance to a session. Registration will typically close 48 hours prior to the session and a reminder email will be sent to the email address on file in your CMG Connect account. 

If you are having difficulty registering for the session or have questions, please contact your parish/school's on-site safe environment coordinator or the Safe Environment Program Manager Cynthia Rivera-Garcia. Assistance is available in English and Spanish by calling the Safe Environment Office at (414) 769-3447

Cynthia Rivera-Garcia (También información en español)
Safe Environment Program Manager
414-769-3447
rivera-garciac@archmil.org

Marie Hofmann
Safe Environment Administrative Assistant
414-769-3449
hofmannm@archmil.org

Sofia Thorn
Victim Assistance Coordinator
414-758-2232
thorns@archmil.org
 

Additional contacts...

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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

3501 South Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235

Phone:  (414) 769-3300
Toll-Free: (800) 769-9373
Fax:  (414)  769-3408