Safeguarding our Children

We are committed to providing a safe environment for all children who live or attend school on the Bruderhof. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14). Children belong at the heart of the church community.

We are focused on sustaining and strengthening a culture that is consistent with these core values. Any conduct that results in the harm of any child will not be tolerated. We also continuously look for ways to improve practices and policies.

The Safe Environment Policy

The Bruderhof has adopted a Safe Environment policy which is followed at all Bruderhof communities as well as in all Bruderhof schools. Any individual who works with children or young people is required to provide references and have a background check as well as take a Safe Environments training before working with children. The policy also requires that before an individual is allowed to work with children, they must have been part of our community for a year. It is our policy and practice to report sexual misconduct in accordance with the law.

Training and Awareness

In addition to ongoing community-wide training to educate parents on their responsibility to teach children to discern appropriate behavior and healthy relationships, all Bruderhof schools use developmentally appropriate education and awareness training to assist students in recognizing and responding appropriately to abusive or manipulative behavior they may encounter as they go forward in life. We are strengthening child safety education in Bruderhof-affiliated schools and require all students to complete safety skills instruction including abuse-related education in the middle school and high school curriculum.