Ensuring Coverage for a Sexual Misconduct Liability

Reviewing How to Get Protection for Sexual Misconduct Liabilities

By Josh Keister

A crucial aspect of your church insurance policy is the sexual misconduct liability. This coverage is designed to safeguard the church in the event of an allegation of inappropriate conduct involving a church employee, volunteer, member, or visitor. It's worth noting that sexual misconduct liability claims consistently rank among the highest in terms of payouts within the church insurance industry each year.

Given the potential for substantial financial liabilities and the complexity of legal defense in such cases, insurance companies have begun to either reduce coverage limits or impose additional requirements on policyholders to mitigate risks. To enhance protection, several policies and procedures are often recommended:

·        Implementation of a comprehensive written child and youth protection manual.

·        Conducting national background checks on all employees and volunteers.

·        Ensuring the presence of at least two adults aged eighteen or above at any children's or youth activity.

·        Establishing sightlines in all classrooms through either windows or open-door policies.

·        Enforcing a mandatory six-month waiting period for new church attendees before they can volunteer to work with children.

·        Formalizing a written policy for addressing requests from known sex offenders seeking to attend the church.

If you would like help reviewing your current limits, and or help implementing the procedures above, please contact us at Hummel Group.

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