wfn.org | Church Insurance Company no longer requires abuse-awareness training

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2002-136

Church Insurance Company no longer requires abuse-awareness training

by Ed Stannard

     (Episcopal Life) The Church Insurance Company (CIC), one of the leaders in 
the church in raising awareness of sexual misconduct, has been quietly 
eliminating its training mandate for its customers. 

     Since 1994, Church Insurance has required four hours each of adult and child 
awareness training in order for dioceses and other church bodies to qualify for 
liability policies. In the last nine months, however, the company has filed for a 
change removing that warranty requirement, according to Rod Webster, senior vice 
president and general manager of the CIC, a division of the Church Pension Group. 
The filing has had to be made in each state in which CIC does business, so the 
lifting of the requirement has occurred gradually. In addition, those dioceses 
covered by CIC's new affiliate, Church Insurance of Vermont, have not had the 
warranty as part of their policies. The new requirements have been approved in 
about 70 dioceses, though some won't see the change until their next renewal. 

     Webster said the change was made "in large part, because we don't think it's 
necessary anymore. The church is doing a good job." He said he doesn't know of 
any diocese that has eliminated the training. 

     Church Insurance lost some business to other companies that did not require 
the training, Webster said. More important, he said, the requirement put the 
company in a bind in terms of its mission of serving the church. "How are we ever 
going to walk away from a claim? ... It's hard to imagine us doing that." For 
example, denying coverage because a diocese did not conduct the training would 
affect each parish in the diocese. 

     The Rev. Virginia Herring of Greensboro, North Carolina, co-chair of the 
Committee on Sexual Exploitation, said the committee has discussed the issue and 
that, from a personal point of view, she sees the move as positive. "I think that 
it's probably a good thing," she said. "It shouldn't change anything. We ought to 
have policies and procedures in our dioceses because it's the right thing to do, 
not because we're going to lose our insurance." 

     Herring said she could not foresee a diocese or parish simply eliminating 
the training. "My perspective is that it allows us to this because it's part of 
who we are, being sanctuary, being church; it allows us to be a safe place." 

     Julie Denman, director of congregational support for the Diocese of West 
Tennessee, said her diocese is just as committed to misconduct-awareness 
training, but found it could do the training in about half the time. "People 
resented the time, but I don't think we've cut the training," she said. "The main 
emphasis is on understanding [abuse] and reporting it. We're real committed to 
the training." 

     Webster said Church Insurance is planning later this year to implement 
incentives for its clients, "a series of rewards and punishments for dioceses and 
parishes who do a good job at keeping misconduct as low as possible." That will 
happen as its liability business is moved to Church Insurance of Vermont, which 
is able to pay dividends. "That gives us a whole new technique for rewarding 
dioceses and parishes who do it right--with money," said Webster. For those who 
don't "do it right," the company may consider imposing higher deductibles. Those 
changes are still being studied by the CIC board, bishops and diocesan 
chancellors, however. 

     Herring said that at its May meeting the Sexual Exploitation Committee began 
to form a network of provincial representatives, who will help dioceses 
communicate with each other. "My hope is that people would in fact become more 
connected and more creative" in addressing misconduct awareness, she said. 

     On the Web: 

     Church Insurance Co.: www.cpg.org/insurance/liability/index.html 

     Committee on Sexual Exploitation: 
www.episcopalchurch.org/gc/ccab/ecse/default.html

--Ed Stannard is news editor for Episcopal Life. To comment on this story, write 
to him at estannard@episcopal-life.org.