A Multidimensional Guide to equip Pastors to provide Trauma informed Pastoral care - after receiving disclosures of sexual abuse .... what comes next.
"Beware of wolves
in sheep's clothing"
Matthew 7 v 15
Mandatory Reporting
In NSW, Australia, Mandatory Reporting is a legal requirement.
protocols vary weather to report directly to the Police
or Denominational Professional Standards
or Safe Church Office.
When survivors disclose encourage them to make a statement direct to the Police whilst providing ongoing Pastoral Care.
Duty of Care
- to protect the congregation
- to have a safe church
- Church discipline of an offender
- support for survivors
- support to survivors family and friends
- ministry to a vicariously traumatised congregation.
The role of the Pastor
Please pause and listen to the Hymn "Oh Jesus I have promised to serve Thee to the end..
and give me the grace to follow my master and my friend.."
for the task is ardous.
requiring strength and endurance over months and years.
I know, I've been through it.
but God's faithfullness is great..
He will provide all we need ( excuse the add before the choir)
From my experience in responding to allegations of sexual abuse I learnt:
- It is important to not ask questions of a survivor or a disclosee,
as the investigation is the role of the Police and one must not risk contaminating evidence.
- I would argue a Pastor can listen showing compassion
and be reassuring ensure a disclosee is believed
whilst referring survivors to the Police
then support services, trauma release therapy and sexual assault counseling.
- offer to pray for God's help.
- be available
- you might offer to go with the disclosee ( survivor) to the Police for support.
- to talk with the parents of a minor if requested.
see below for Pastoral Care
and Support Services.
Christian Survivors often feel abandonded when we should have access to Pastoral care
and not handed over to "the professionals"
rather a multidisciplinary approach should be taken
neither should a Pastor see ones role to defend the insititution but to provide Pastoral care.
If one is in a role with a real or perceived obligation to defend the institution
or if one impulsively defends the institution
then you ought to refer survivors to a Pastor with no real or potential or perveived conflict of interest.
I suggest ethically and to avoid a real or perceived or potential conflict of interest
one ought to provide Pastoral care to the victim OR the accused
but not both.
bring in or refer one party to a Collegue.
I had a duty of care to my Congregation so after confrunting the alleged abuser after my observations of him dancing around the line
and after the Elders forbade him entering the property
I relied on a Collegue to provide Pastoral Care to the accused and his wife.
I had learnt in a previous parish that ministry to two parties in conflict doesn't work.
unless one is a mediator but mediation is not our role here
we have Pastoral and legal obligations
the context of my recommendations is to encourage you to provide trauma informed Pastoral care
whilst leaving the investigation to the Police and being a member of an interdisciplinary team ( eg sexual assault counsellors and trauma release therapists)
I have written a site Processing Vicarious Trauma to assist Pastors care for members of the congregation vicariously traumatised by a disclosure or
after an alleged offender has been charged or convicted
and / or after a disclosure or multiple disclosures have been made and risk management / Duty of Care is activated
I have written about providing Pastoral Care for survivors in multiple pages from different perspectives
and am in the process of writing a site or page Processing sexual trauma / Pastoral Care for survivors
as in a Pastor's role in a multi disciplined structure.
let's call it a multi dimentional theistic neuro physological model
or trauma informed Pastoral Care
or Applied Redemptive Theology.
Who should be informed.
- everyone - gossip will be spread anyway. better to inform those affected yourself.
- many will be vicariously traumatised - better to publish a notification that provides support,
than for people to be vicariously traumatised on hearing gossip or media reports or social media
because then a predictable response will be "Why wasn't I informed?"
Basically there is or will be a wave of vicarious trauma , which will roll on until it breaks on a beach or runs out of energy.
as Pastors, let us pray for God's strength and compassion
to fulfill our many duties.
- The Congregation
- The Youth Group and Young Adults
- Parents of children in the church
- other churches with links to your church
- your local Pastors Association to brief your collegues and get support ( hopefully)
- at least one collegue preferably three collegues outside the situation who is supportive.
- be briefed by a sexual assault support organisation.
- research for briefings
The days of hushing up disclosures of sexual abuse are gone.
it didn't work. the delay only made it exponentially worse.
it is acknowledged that for some there are barriers to disclosing en mass
that there has been a disclosure
or that an alleged offender has been charged or convicted
We can't predict how people will respond.
- many will be supportive
- some will go into denial
- some will be antagonistic
- some members may leave the church.
"Be strong and of good courage."
Caring for the Pastor
As Pastors of a church and community who is vicariously traumatised
with many matters to attend to
let us seek God's help
and to reaffirm our decision to follow Him
as a survivor of child sexual abuse I was retraumatised myself I prayed for steps to recovery and got help.
I rang those I could confide in.
I was in a position to go to other churches on Sunday night
May the site
Processing vicarious trauma be of assistance to you.
Talking to Pastors outside your denomination ( to avoid potential conflicts of interest)
and outside of your Parish, suburb, town is recommended as they are outside of the situation.
I hope and pray that these pages are helpful briefings
Link to "The Power of your love" Hillsong
1 John 4 verse 18
Interested parties to laise with
I have listed the groups needing to be notified below.
It's hard, preparing oneself for the unpredictable reactions.
It is a time to trust the Lord with all our heart. Proverbs 3 v 6
because each briefing, each communication vicariously traumatises - see Processing Vicarious trauma.
as the wave of vicarious trauma rolls along.
may God give us strength, courage, comfort and His love which casts out fear.
The Police
- Sexual assault
- Sexual abuse
- enablement
- conceilment
are crimes.
The Police do investigations
take care not to
contaminate a crime scene
or interfere with a Police investigation.
Survivor support
I have listed support services below
ongoing Pastoral Care
should be trauma informed
without Pastoral Care some survivors may feel
abondonded
mutual support within church groups.
avoid victim blaming
more to follow
Denomination
After the initial Mandatory Reporting
to the denominational Safe Church Officer
keep in touch
ask for support
The Church Insurer will need to be notified
by due process which should have been explained
or via the Safe Church Office.
A Pastor may find support from
leadership
collegues
Because there are so many legal processes
and procedures my lived experience is
talking to Pastors outside ones denomination
for debriefing
for personal support
was helpful.
in draft form
more to come
External seminars
Whilst churches provide Safe Church training
my lived experience is that I found external seminars
helpful, in particular other denominations
as the participants are not parties to the procedures
I found an objectivity
I also found secular seminars helpful.
much is being pioneered
and we have a long way to go
but the journey has commenced.
Reading:
I have done many internet searches as issues
and terms emerged
more books are commng onto the market
although many libraries are light on
books are often located on line
I have found Christian bookshops light on.
The Congregation
Suggestions:
Keep the congregation informed.
build a team who will stand with you
comfort the grieving
Sadly some may resist changes
that are needed
sometimes there are enablers left in the congregation.
others want to conceil the knowledge of sexual abuse
or it's impacts.
Be strengthened in Christ
Receive from Him as you give out to others.
many will be vicariously traumatised
"When my heart is overwhelmed
lead me to the rock that is higher than I "
This is a 3 to 5 year project.
take your time
step by step
don't rush it
be open about it - gossip spreads
so best to tell the congregation
and interested parties yourself.
The legal processes are slow
and time consuming but necessary.
Pastoral Care of survivors
Sexual assault counselling
is a specialised counselling
usually undertaken by psychologists or social workers
who have had training in sexual assault counselling
Usually sexual assault units are located
in major hospitals or community health centres.
Survivor support
Blue Knott
Foundation
Bravehearts
Helplines
Blue Knott
1300 657 380
1800respect
Lifeline
( General Support)
13 11 14
and others
Pastoral Care of survivors
Whilst it is generally held that
survivors should be referred
"to the professionals"
as a survivor my lived
experience is that I have
found trauma informed
Pastoral care
invaluable
elements include:
- Prayer
- Relevant Scripture
- debriefs
- compassion
- support
responses of the congregation will vary
eg
shock
denial
vicarious trauma
Survivors in the congregation may be retraumatised
abusers in non Bishop Protestant Churches are usually:
Presbyterian Elders
Baptist Deacons
Youth leaders
longstanding members
and those who have accumulated trust and or power
Whilst clergy abuse this guide is for non offending clergy faced with a massive task
Non Cognative therapy.
includes:
- Prayer
- listening
- Music as therapy
which includes hymns or Praise
- Relevant scriptures
- compassion
note: some survivors may
be so betrayed that
they only want secular
support.
Other therapies:
- EDMR
- art as therapy
- whilst many survivors do not want physical touch
some find remedial massage or physio helpful in releasing trauma from the body
- tapping
- shaking
explanations
and references to follow
Explanation of abreviated Page titles
I have abreviated the page names as they appear on the header to avoid them being a destraction
and because the structure of the site flows
with additional pages set up for explanations of particular issues or factors.
However, after going through the site,
I have listed the abreviations for quick access when reading over a particular page.
EG CSA = examples of sexual abuse in institutions
WVT = a wave of vicarious trauma.
TIPC = Trauma Informed Pastoral Care - a briefing.
SF = When the system fails - as it sometimes does. I know, it happened in Auburn.
CD = Church discipline eg in the Presbyterian Church there is "A Book of Discipline"
there is a process for the discipline of members.
FLP = Maintaining the fellowship of believers.
ABT = Abondonment. experienced by survivors of sexual abuse
exploring the antidotes to abondonment
Barriers = to open disclosure I nearly called this page "keeping the silence"
to recovering from vicarious trauma
1JN1 = a corporate apllication of the text 1 John 1 verses 8 and 9
References a list of references used