BY JENNIE GREY
Jennie@TheBallstonJournal.com
BALLSTON SPA—“Child abuse is a national global disaster.” These stark words on the Creating Safer Havens Web site throw down a challenge — better protection for all children.
Churches, synagogues, schools, and youth institutions have historically been seen as places of safety. Now thousands of high-profile child abuse cases have proven otherwise. When Donalda Shepardson of San Diego, executive vice president of Shepardson Engineering Associates, saw the devastation of such cases, she used her knowledge and resources to help solve the problem.
Shepardson has served on the Child Protective Services Multi-Disciplinary Task Force for the San Diego County Children’s Services Bureau, the San Diego Community Child Abuse Coordinating Council, and the Advisory Board of the California Legislative Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse. She collaborates with police and sheriff’s Child Sex Crimes Units and the California Department of Justice.
In 1996, she implemented the program Creating Safer Havens. This 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization provides consulting services and guided implementations. The program aims to prevent child abuse, protect children and organizations, and offer risk-management training.
Now this national challenge has a local advocate in Vallee Albert of Saratoga Springs. Albert, a reporter for the Saratoga and Glens Falls Business Journals, became involved with the program through her work on the Child Protection Policy Committee at the First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa.
“When child abuse happens, children feel betrayed by the very adults who are supposed to protect them,” Albert said. “It devastates an entire organization. There are heart-wrenching family disruption and heartbreak.”
Reverend Alan Rudnick, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa, said, “I feel very strongly about making our community of faith a safe place for children and adults. For centuries, God’s house of worship has always been a place of refuge and safety. In our modern world, people do not often realize that special precautions need to be taken to protect children.”
“We spent a year as a committee to revise our church child-protection policy and update it,” Albert said. “We feel we’ve done a tremendous amount of work. Now we have the right mix of policies and procedures.”
“We started this process around the summer of 2009,” Rev. Rudnick said. “As the committee went forward with updating our current policy to reflect current New York State laws, Vallee’s knowledge from her training helped us as we drafted our revised policy. We are looking toward our finalized policy to be in place for this fall’s programming and activities.”
Shepardson provided guidance for the committee throughout the process, and Albert grew to know the Creating Safer Havens founder over the phone.
“She said I was very well-spoken and asked whether I’d like to train for her program,” Albert said.
So in April 2010, Albert flew out to California and spent a week with Shepardson learning about Creating Safer Havens. Now Albert is beginning her work as the first certified trainer of the program for New York State. In the future, other instructors may come aboard, but thus far, Albert is the only New York trainer.
In this pioneering role, Albert will constantly review her materials, keeping abreast of new state laws and their impact. Like Shepardson, Albert will confer with professionals in many fields: state officials, law enforcement agencies, child support services, and attorneys.
Albert intends to reach out to religious groups and youth institutions statewide. When such organizations contact her, she will meet with the whole congregation, explain the Creating Safer Havens program, and answer questions.
The next step is working with a small core group, using Shepardson’s materials to guide the organization in making clear, firm policies and procedures. Creating Safer Havens is a detailed, comprehensive program; Albert calls it easy to follow, develop, and implement.
Nineteen different policies are laid out, and groups work on following the procedures for each. The Creating Safer Havens materials, handbooks, and workbooks are available for a nominal donation.
“The modern age requires new guidelines to protect our children and our church from abuse, and it takes time to educate everyone,” Rudnick said. “The congregation provided input into our policy, and we listened. We will have one more congregational feedback session; then we can have the church leadership approve the final policy. It is imperative that the whole congregation has a hand in helping protect our children. Certainly, families can feel assured that we have created an atmosphere where children are affirmed, loved, and respected.”
The First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa is prepared to be a safer haven now. Albert’s next meeting is with the Center for Child and Family Services in Saratoga Springs, which she will tour this week.
“Creating Safer Havens is truly nondenominational,” Albert said. “Anywhere children go, this program can go.”
For more information on the Creating Safer Havens program, visit the Web site at www.creatingsaferhavens.com. For further information or to schedule an informational meeting, contact Vallee Albert at 518-587-2872 or through e-mail at valbert53@earthlink.net.
Photo Caption: Child abuse prevention advocate Vallee Albert stands in front of the First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa. She holds the training booklet for the national program Creating Safer Havens, for which Albert is the first certified New York State trainer. Photo by Jennie Grey.
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