Childcare Policies and Procedures for Off-Campus Groups

I get questions almost every week about small group ministry.  Love getting them because they often become the basis for a really needed article or series.  Here’s a paraphrase of one I got this week:

[quote]

“How do you handle childcare?  Not in the usual sense.  We’ve already made our groups responsible for their own childcare.  Our concern is that we’ve been advised to establish clear childcare policies and procedures for our on-campus ministries.  Things like screening workers, child-worker ratios, the 2 person rule, etc.  But “how can we possibly apply those same standards to small groups meeting in homes?”  Is there any guideline on that?  Are there churches that have established policies and procedures for off-campus groups that are effective?”

Hmmm.  Good question.  I’ve had this discussion with a few churches.  Maybe you’ve had this one.  You understand what they’re asking?  Here’s the basic question:

From a liability standpoint, do we need to require small groups (who meet off-campus in their own homes) to follow the same policies and procedures when setting up childcare for their own meeting?

The question for you is, does your church have policies, procedures or guidelines that you require your off-campus small groups to follow in regards to offering child-care during their meeting?

I’d love to get your answers on this important question.  Email Me and let me know what you’re doing. For more on childcare, see my article What To Do About Childcare.