b'DAYTODAY INSURANCE SOLUTIONSJon Barron and James DickSafeguardsKey practices to protect your ministry, staff, and guestsM ultiple Citygate Network members employ people with a history of arrest or behavioral issuesand God uses these people mightily in ministry. At the same time, many ministries have seen employees or guests espouse personal transformation but then harm themselves or others.The possibility for these polarized outcomes is a tension to be managed rather than a problem to be solved. The following recommendations may help you create a system that allows you to consis-tently evaluate clients, volunteers, and staff. background checks. Most risk managers accept Invest in a highquality criminal backgroundthis practice provided that the facility and staff check and review it in a nuanced way. A back- are prepared for the increased risk. ground check that uses a Social Security number toUse tools to evaluate current behavior, not just pull from a national database will help you get a fullpast actions. Online screening tools like Heads picture of the subjects history. Citygate NetworksUp Checkup ask questions that can identify risk partner insurance company, Great American,factors based on aggregated data analysis that even recommends you evaluate these variables:a skilled intake specialist might not recognize. Nature and context of the offenseGive staff the training and opportunities that allow them to spot situations that can potentiallyTime since the offense and/or incarcerationescalate. Staff who are regularly trained to identifyAge at the time of the offenseprecursors to violent activity can help your min- Evidence of rehabilitation or mitigatingistry get better crisis-prevention results. But even circumstances (e.g., trauma, addiction,the best-trained staff cannot respond if they can-mental health)not observe, so creating a program facility layoutRelevance of the offense to the specific jobthat minimizes blind spots is very important. duties (or to the kind of residential programMany of the more violent incidents we hear of at Jon Barron and James Dickthey are entering, if a client)member ministries have a causal connection to serve as national directors of unmonitored one-on-one interactions, typically the Citygate Network EndorsedThe appropriate time for many ministries tobetween clients. Reducing such interactions is Insurance Program, administeredengage in this practice is during the hiring processone of the best controls your ministry has. by our contract partner,or upon a persons entrance to a life-recovery pro- With these tools, your ministry will be equipped Gallagher. More information is available for members throughgram. That said, emergency shelters typically taketo recognize Gods transformative work while the Member Portal underon short-term clients without running extensiveprotecting your staff and clients in the process. \x03Partner Perks.60 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025'