Child Safety Program

Mercy Ships creates a safe environment for all children to grow and develop in healthy and wholesome ways.

The Mercy Ships Academy is responsible for implementing the organization-wide Mercy Ships Child Safety Policy under the supervision and accountability of the Mercy Ships Child Safety Manager. Many different departments work together to implement and uphold the Child Safety Policy. Human Resources provides support in screening all teachers, our Staff Development department coordinated initial Child Safety Awareness Training for all staff and volunteers, and our Chaplaincy team coordinates every member’s care throughout the organization.

All Mercy Ships staff, as well as crew serving with Mercy Ships, complete two separate child safety online courses. Furthermore, teachers complete school-specific training at the start of each school year, supplemented by additional training within the first 3 months of the school year.

In addition, all students complete annual Child Safety Training. Students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 receive this training as part of the Life Skills Curriculum. Students in Grade 9 to 12 are presented with an annual workshop.

Mercy Ships is a member of the Child Safety and Protection Network.

We believe that children are a gift from God, that the family is designed by God to be the primary source of care and education for each child, and that the community in which the family lives is intended to provide the family and its children with a safe and healthy environment. We believe that by working together, we can create that environment for both children and adults while carrying out the mission of the organization.

As an organization and as individuals, we take our responsibility to protect children seriously. We believe it is never acceptable for children to experience harm. Protecting the children is the shared responsibility of every adult within our organization

We are committed to: