Child Safety Committee

The mission of the Child Safety Committee of the Archdiocese of St. Louis is to reduce and, where possible, eliminate potential risks to youth within the parishes, schools, offices, and agencies of the archdiocese. The committee works in partnership with parents, teachers, schools, parishes, and all others persons and institutions having responsibility for the safety of children in the archdiocese.

The Child Safety Committee helps oversee the development of policies and procedures used by parishes and elementary and secondary parochial schools to deal with emergencies of all kinds, including, but not limited to, accidents resulting in injury, fires, bomb threats, unauthorized entry on a school campus, utility failures and natural disasters.

The Child Safety Committee also assists in the establishment of appropriate actions and responses for archdiocesan personnel in identifying and dealing with child neglect, child abuse, child custody and child privacy issues. The committee has been instrumental in developing and implementing the Code of Ethical Conduct for Clergy, Employees, and Volunteers Working With Minors; background checks; the Safe Touch Program; and Protecting God’s Children workshops.

Established under its present name in 2001, the Child Safety Committee has its origins in a smaller committee that was created in the early 1990s to address child abuse prevention. The committee is chaired by Deacon Phil Hengen, Director, Office of Child and Youth Protection, and reports to Archbishop Robert Carlson through the auspices of the office of Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Hermann. The membership of the committee is multi-disciplinary and comprises representatives of several fields of expertise, including education, risk management, mental health, law, family counseling, and child safety.

Child Safety Committee Members
Most Rev. Robert J. Hermann, V.G.
Kevin Loos, Director Office of Human Resources
Sondra Barker, Catholic Family Services
Father John Borcic, Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Apostolate
Mike Duffy, Archdiocesan Internal Audit
Terry Edelmann, Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program
Rev. Brian Fisher, Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Apostolate
Mary Fitzgibbons, West County Psychological Associates
Anita Kiehne, Gallagher-Bassett Services, Inc.
Deacon Phil Hengen, Director Office of Child and Youth Protection
Bernard Huger, Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale
Lucie Huger, Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale
Cathy Johns, Principal Queen of All Saints
Nancy Lydon, Trinity High School
Robert Ryan, Archdiocesan Office of Risk Management
Mary Schnoring, Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program
Stephanie Welling, Archdiocesan Catholic Education Office
Alan Winkelmann, Archdiocesan Catholic Education Office
Andrea Witt, Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program