Safe Environment Coordinator's Toolkit
Access your VIRTUS Online here
Virtus is our Safe Environment Program (SEP) record-keeping database. It is intended for adults only (individuals over the age of 18). A Virtus profile is required for any adult subject to SEP policies and requirements. Please contact the SEP office if you have questins: 206-382-4285.
Safe Environment Program Overview
Updated 3/2024
Safe Environment Program management involves a myriad of different aspects ranging from Adult and Children's training and Outside Organizations, to Record-Keeping and Sex Offender Guidelines. This document gives a full overview of all the procedures and protocols for which local Safe Environment coordinators have responsibility.
Protecting God's Children for Adults is a program to ensure safe environments in all of our parishes, schools and Archdiocesan departments and agencies. This free training focuses on increasing awareness about the nature of child sexual abuse. This VIRTUS program for initial training is offered in two formats: in-person group sessions led by a facilitator and internet-based personal sessions viewed at home. Healthy Boundaries for Adults is our current refresher training and is completed via online module from your home computer. Training is renewed every three years as long as a person is in active service.
Alternate Initial Training Options
There may be situations where an individual may have difficulty with material presented in the Protecting God’s Children for Adults initial training session. They may have a history of sexual abuse and fear that the videos will trigger memories; or perhaps they attended an initial group session and had to leave abruptly because the videos triggered them.
Alternate options for training are available but must be authorized by the Safe Environment office on a case-by-case basis. The Safe Environment office will work with the individual, the Local Coordinator and/or the parish/school Facilitator to accommodate the individual’s needs as best we can. If an alternate version of training is deemed appropriate, an Alternate PGC Class Verification Form must be completed and emailed to the Safe Environment office upon completion of the alternate version of training. This form will be provided to the individual and Facilitator/Local Coordinator if alternate training is being set up.
Please email the Safe Environment office if you need assistance with an individual who is in need of an alternate version for initial training.
Circle of Grace was developed by the Archdiocese of Omaha as a teaching safety program for children in grades K-12. The program has at its core the teachings of the Catholic Church: namely the belief and knowledge of God's Real Presence in our lives.
Materials and lesson plans are sent to school principals and parish faith formation leaders each summer so they can prepare well in advance. For more information please contact the Safe Environment office.
Virtus Users Guides
Updated 7/2024
Background check submissions are done day in and day out as part of the Safe Environment Program. Users begin in their Virtus profile and are redirected to the Trak-1 website, our search vendor, which can be confusing for some users. People are often in a hurry or distracted; they miss steps in the process; or they leave the page thinking they will get back to the application later. Unfortunately these interruptions have a high likelihood of causing errors in the background check submission process. This instruction is very helpful for guiding users through the background check submission process. Feel free to pass it on as needed.
Other Resources
Updated 12/2025
The Local Safe Environment Coordinator (LSEC) works in partnership with the Archdiocesan Safe Environment
Coordinator. The position is designated by the pastor or principal to coordinate the implementation of parish and/or
school compliance requirements designed to keep minors and vulnerable adults safe. This requires a thorough
understanding of the Safe Environment Program (SEP) policies and procedures, and the expectations for record keeping,
compliance management and reporting.
A great handout for quick reference to important topics for managing Safe Environment in your location.
Master Reports are vital in managing compliance with SEP requirements in your location. The expectation is that each location will create a Master Report every month at a minimum, to ensure on-going compliance for your active employees and volunteers subject to the SEP requirements. This version was updated on 12.15.2025.
This guide will assist you in submitting manual background checks into Trak-1 and accessing the reports once complete.
Use this instruction only AFTER going live with ParishStaq. Local coordinators receive an email notification when a new profile has been created and if that new user is a parishioner in ParishStaq you will want to sync the Virtus profile so the SEP compliance is noted in ParishStaq. See the separate instructions for creating the Master Report in the Local Coordinator Toolkit.
Please use this SEP/Insurance decision-making matrix to evaluate how to proceed for parish & school personnel and volunteers, but also for outside entities: organizations that have their own safe environment policies/requirements, or businesses and individuals who do not have their own safe environment policies. The Compliance Form is required documentation for those organizations with their own policy. For those requesting a waiver of insurance please provide a copy of the Compliance Form to the Archdiocesan Insurance Department. Keep all forms in permanent file at the parish or school office.
All minors working in any capacity with younger children in parish or school programs must complete a Professional Code of Conduct Form and return it to the parish or school office prior to beginning work.
SEP 2023 - Code of Professional Conduct for Minors
SEP 2023 - Code of Professional Conduct for Minors - Spanish
Workflow to help Coordinators assess the Safe Environment Requirements for employees and volunteers.
Feel free to use this Welcome to Virtus letter as part of a new adult employee or volunteer packet, to introduce or re-introduce them to Virtus and their Safe Environment requirements.
SEP 2024 - Welcome to Virtus Letter
SEP 2024 - Welcome to Virtus Letter - Spanish
Feel free to use this template or create your own announcement to let your staff and volunteers know about upcoming initial training sessions at your parish or school.
Great brochure giving contact information for sexual assault resource centers around the state.
Manual Background Check Authorization Forms
Updated 7/2023
All employee background checks must be submitted through the employee's Virtus profile. Please contact the Safe Environment office if the employee is having difficulty submitting their background check.
Manual background checks should only be used in rare instances. All adult volunteers who are subject to the background check requirement must submit their background check through their Virtus profile. A manual background check may be submitted by the local Safe Environment coordinator if the adult volunteer has had difficulty submitting their background check through Virtus.
Do not submit a manual background check without completed, signed (in 2 places) and dated authorization form.
SEP 2023 - BACKGROUND CHECK REQUEST - VOLUNTEER ADULT
SEP 2023 - BACKGROUND CHECK REQUEST - VOLUNTEER ADULT - Spanish
Manual background checks should be submitted in accordance with the Safe Environment protocol for Minors Working With Younger Children. The background check must be submitted manually for all minors aged 16-17 (up to the 18th birthday) working in any capacity with children or vulnerable adults. A parent or legal guardian must authorize the parish or school to conduct a criminal background check search on their child.
Do not submit a manual background check without completed, signed (in 2 places) and dated authorization form.
Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Policies
Updated 3/2025
Archbishop Etienne's approval and promulgation of our updated Safe Environment policies as well as our training programs used for adults and children.
This policy applies to all Church personnel while ministering and working in parishes, schools, chancery offices and agencies of the Corporation of the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle.
SEP - Policy Prevention-Response - 03.2025
SEP Policy - Prevention & Response 2025 - Spanish
All Church personnel have a sacred responsibility to uphold Church teachings and the rules and regulations as outlined in this policy.
SEP - Policy CodeOfConduct - 03.2025
SEP Policy - Code of Conduct 2025 - Spanish
Brochure detailing how to report suspected abuse and who is obligated to report these cases.
SEP - Policy Reporting Abuse - 03.2025
SEP Policy - Reporting Abuse 2025 - Spanish
Brochure with contact information for sexual assault resource centers in many counties across the Archdiocese.
Sexual Assault Resource Centers in the Archdiocese of Seattle