Many of you have asked me in recent months about the availability and need for a printed sexual misconduct policy for your church. Most of the churches that I have been working with do not have a written policy. Many of my clients have not done background checks on their employees and volunteers that work with minors.
Insurance carriers are becoming increasinly selective in teir underwriting when it comes to sexual misconduct risks. Many of you have sexual misconduct coverage. All churches need it. Even if no sexual misconduct ever occurs, just the allegation and legal defense can be very costly. If you have this coverage, the insurance company will be obligated to defend you!
The challenge is keeping rates for this coverage under control and sometime just getting the coverage in the first place. If you have a written policy in place and impliment this policy in your church, it will reduce insurance rates and reduce the possibility of a claim in the future.
In Response to the many question I have received, I have drafted a generic sexual misconduct policy for my clients to review, edit and implement. I strongly suggest this for all churches. If you would like a copy you can either call me at the office or send me an email. I will be happy to help!!
Robert Ratliff
rratliff@1stinsurance.net
409-384-2578