Training for Clergy, Employees, Volunteers and Children

For Adults: Protecting God’s Children

• New Employees and Recurrent Adult Volunteers
  • All new employees, volunteers, coaches, educators, priests, and deacons must complete:
    • A live Protecting God’s Children training, available either in-person or via Zoom

• New Volunteers who volunteer fewer than 3 times per year
  • Occasional new adult volunteers who do not serve in a recurring role with youth (as listed above) may complete Protecting God’s Children certification by completing the Protecting God’s Children Online Awareness Session 4.0 and Vulnerable Adults 2.0 combined self-paced training module.
  • The online modules take approximately two hours to complete. The online modules are available in English and Spanish, with closed captioning and Polish or Vietnamese subtitles. The registrant can pause, save, and resume their position in the training if they cannot complete it in one sitting. Individuals in this category will receive a certificate showing completion of the combined module.

• Recertification for all current Adult Employees and Volunteers
  • All clergy, employees, and volunteers with a certificate dated 2023 or older must recertify by completing the online, self-paced module. Read the full recertification policy.
  • Everyone who has completed a Protecting God’s Children session (even as far back as 2002) has an individual account in the Virtus platform. As such, please log into your Virtus account to begin your recertification.
    • Fifteen days prior to your certification expiring, you will automatically be assigned “Teaching Boundaries and Safety Online Module 2.0" and will receive an email from Virtus reminding you to complete this recertification module.
      • Log in to your account and go to "Online Training Modules" to access and complete this recertification module.
    • If you cannot access your account, do not create a new account. Instead, proceed with the username / password recovery option by clicking HERE or contact the Virtus Helpdesk at helpdesk@virtus.org or 888-847-8870.
      • Once you have regained access to your account, go to "Current Trainings" and click “Teaching Boundaries and Safety Online Module 2.0.”

• Ongoing Triennial Recertification
  • All individuals are required to complete the Protecting God’s Children online recertification module within three months of the third anniversary of their previous Protecting God’s Children certification (every three years).

• Annual Mandated Reporter Training
  • All priests, as well as all school administrators, teachers, support staff, and coaches, are required to annually complete mandated reporter training. The module will review the current Michigan Child Protection Law, which, due to central registry reform effective November 1, 2022, has seen extensive statutory changes necessitating a comprehensive review. The module will also teach all mandated reporters the various methods available to report suspected abuse or neglect in Michigan.
  • Training modules have been assigned in Virtus effective July 5, 2026 and are required to be completed by October 1, 2026.
    • With the permission of the Archdiocese of Detroit Office of Safe Environments, a small number of schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit will continue to use non-VIRTUS mandated reporter training.

• Training for Local Administrators
  • At least one person per site must be identified as a local VIRTUS administrator.
  • All training materials for local VIRTUS administrators are available via Microsoft Teams.
    • New local administrators should contact the Archdiocese of Detroit Office of Safe Environments to access training materials.

• Please note that there is no longer a grace period for new employees or volunteers to complete a Protecting God's Children session and background check.
  • Individuals CANNOT be employed or serve in any volunteer capacity in the Archdiocese of Detroit until they have digitally signed the revised Code of Conduct, supplied background check information, and completed the appropriate Protecting God's Children session.

For Children in Grades K-12: Empowering God's Children

• Youth in Our Schools, Faith Formation and Youth Groups
  • Beginning August 15, 2023, Virtus’ Empowering God’s Children online lessons is the only acceptable safe environment program for school-age youth in kindergarten through grade 12 in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
    
    This online program is presented by teachers and catechists in schools, parish faith formation, and teen group sessions. Each instructs youth about boundaries, how to recognize boundary violations, how to respond to persons who violate their boundaries, and how to report such violations to parents, family members, and other trusted adults. There are two lessons each year automatically selected to ensure grade- and age-appropriate content.
  • Teachers and catechists are required to document within the Virtus platform when they present the lessons. This record-keeping will ensure that all the Archdiocese of Detroit schools and parishes are following the Safe Environment requirements of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (The Dallas Charter).

• Teen Volunteers
  • High school students who wish to volunteer at any AOD parish or school must complete Virtus’online workshops: Healthy Relationships for Teens 2.0 Online Module Expansion with SafeEnvironment Components. This module is accessible online through Virtus and is intended to help youth identify the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. The module also equips teens to follow a plan to do the right thing for themselves and others upon recognizing an unhealthy situation. This module takes approximately 35 minutes to complete. To access the module, teen volunteers need to register on the Virtus site. After inputting their date of birth, the system will know they are minor and will assign them the Healthy Relationships forTeens 2.0 module.
  • Certificates and/or notification of completion of the module will be available to local Virtusadministrators.