The Safe Environment Commission: Prevention and Protection of the Order of Augustinian Recollects held a new webinar to delve deeper into the development of risk maps, a key tool for strengthening the culture of prevention in pastoral communities.
The meeting, held virtually, was led by Carmen Montejo, General Sister of the Order and member of the Commission, and constituted the second part of a training initiated last April. On this occasion, the objective was to share concrete experiences of applying the risk map in different parishes of the Augustinian Recollect Family.
A tool to prevent before abuse occurs
During the seminar, Carmen Montejo recalled that the risk map does not seek to generate alarm, but rather to foster a responsible conversation about those spaces, activities, processes, and relationships where situations of vulnerability may exist.
This methodology allows for the identification of risks related to sexual abuse, physical mistreatment, abuse of power, abuse of conscience or spiritual abuse, as well as possible accidents or emergency situations. Based on this analysis, each community can prioritize the most relevant risks according to two criteria: the probability of their occurrence and the severity of their consequences.
The system uses a model similar to a traffic light to classify risks and focus efforts on those requiring more urgent intervention.
From theory to practice: three international experiences
The webinar brought together about twenty participants and allowed for the sharing of three experiences developed in parishes in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Argentina, resulting from the work that attendees had carried out following the first training session held in April.
In the case of the Dominican Republic, the team presented an initial identification of risks related primarily to peer relationships and the organization of parish spaces. Additionally, they shared the experience of having established a national prevention team composed of representatives from different presences and ministries, an initiative that the Commission valued very positively for its capacity to transfer the culture of safe environment to the local reality.
The experience from Argentina, presented by two lay collaborators, focused especially on the analysis of the physical spaces of the parish. Among the proposed measures were simple but effective actions, such as improving the visibility of certain areas through glass panels or adapting spaces such as confessionals to promote safer and more transparent environments.
For their part, the team from Guatemala, composed of a married couple of lay members from the parish of San Nicolás de Tolentino, presented a comprehensive risk map inspired by quality management methodologies. The work analyzed activities such as catechesis and parish celebrations, identifying both abuse risks and others related to safety, for example possible traffic accidents during the arrival of children to activities. Additionally, the team designed preventive measures, responsible parties, schedules, and evaluation indicators for each identified risk.
The Commission highlighted this work as an example of particularly comprehensive implementation and encouraged sharing the three experiences with the rest of the communities to facilitate mutual learning.
The risk map requires concrete measures
One of the central aspects of the training was to recall that identifying risks constitutes only the first step. Each prioritized risk must be accompanied by a concrete preventive measure, a person responsible for its implementation, an execution schedule, and indicators that allow for the evaluation of its effectiveness.
The ultimate objective is for the risk map not to be reduced to a document, but rather to become a living tool that helps to continuously improve pastoral environments.
Three pillars for building a safe environment
During the session, the roadmap that the Commission proposes for implementing a safe environment system in the Order’s parishes was also presented.
This process is supported by three fundamental pillars:
- The implementation and signing of the Code of Conduct by all persons who carry out pastoral work.
- The development of the Risk Map specific to each community.
- The establishment of a parish safe environment team responsible for coordinating and monitoring the entire process.
The Commission explained that both tools—the Code of Conduct and the Risk Map—complement each other. Many of the preventive measures that arise from risk analysis find their practical application in the standards contained in the Code of Conduct, thus strengthening an authentic culture of prevention and protection of vulnerable persons in all pastoral works of the Augustinian Recollect Family.
