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RCAB Volunteer Code of Conduct

- CODE OF CONDUCT FOR VOLUNTEERS OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON
  
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  The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston (the “Archbishop”) places the highest value on the integrity and high moral standards of those who volunteer in support of the work of the Church. With these principles in mind, the Archbishop, in both his canonical role and on behalf of Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, a Corporation Sole (“RCAB”), hereby promulgates this Code of Conduct for Volunteers (the “Code” or “Code of Conduct”).
  
  This Code of Conduct shall apply to all volunteers (“Volunteers”) who support central ministries, parishes, shrines, chapels, and/or parish schools. A “Volunteer” means an individual who performs authorized voluntary service to or for the benefit of RCAB or any department, institution, affiliate or agency thereof, without compensation, for the benefit of the Church and in aid of a recognized RCAB purpose. A Volunteer is not an employee and may be released at any time, without cause or reason, and without right of appeal. This Code shall not apply to separately incorporated organizations, including, but not limited to, Catholic Charities, independent Catholic Schools, or other Catholic organizations. However, those organizations are encouraged to adopt a Code of Conduct based upon this model.
  
  Responsibility for adherence to the Code rests with each individual. It is required that all Volunteers shall have read the Code carefully and understand what is expected of them in their respective roles with the Archdiocese of Boston.
  
  Principles of Ethics and Integrity
  As representatives of the Church and of the Archbishop, all Volunteers must act responsibly and in a manner that will reflect favorably on the Church and the Archdiocese.
  Accordingly:
  1. Volunteers will, in the exercise of their responsibilities for the Archdiocese, conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church as enunciated by the Holy Father and the Bishops in communion with him; more specifically, Volunteers shall, in all such matters, accept, rely upon and defer to the teaching authority of the Archbishop in all matters of faith and morals.
  2. Volunteers will exhibit the highest ethical standards and personal integrity.
  3. Volunteers will continually and objectively examine and evaluate their own actions and intentions to ensure that their behavior promotes the welfare and reputation of the Archdiocese.
  4. Volunteers will follow applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, including, without limitation, mandated reporting requirements to the extent legally applicable.
  5. Volunteers will establish clear, appropriate boundaries with anyone with whom they have a relationship in their role as a Volunteer.
  6. Church Personnel will be responsible stewards of the resources, human and financial, of the Archdiocese, which are entrusted to them in their role as a Volunteer.
  7. Volunteers must not engage in or encourage physical, psychological, written, social media-based or verbal harassment of individuals with whom they interact and should seek to provide and preserve a professional environment that is free from intimidation and harassment.
  Harassment encompasses a broad range of physical, written, social media-based, or verbal behavior, including, but not limited to: physical or mental abuse, racial insults, derogatory ethnic slurs, bullying, unwelcome sexual advances or touching, sexual comments or sexual jokes, requests for sexual favors used as a condition of employment, or to affect other personnel decisions, such as promotion or compensation, and the display of offensive materials.
  Harassment can be a single severe incident or a persistent pattern of behavior where the purpose or the effect is to create a hostile, offensive, or intimidating work environment.
  8. Volunteers working with children and youth under age 18 and any individual over the age of 18 who habitually lacks the use of reason (“Protected Individuals”) must maintain an open and trustworthy relationship with them and their parents, guardians or other adults responsible for their welfare, must be aware of their own and others’ vulnerability when working alone with them and should consider a collaborative approach when working with them.
  • Physical contact with Protected Individuals can be misunderstood and should occur only when completely nonsexual and otherwise appropriate under the circumstances, and never in private. One-on-one meetings with any Protected Individual are best held in a visible and accessible location, or if that is not feasible, then another appropriate individual should be notified about the meeting.
  • Volunteers should always refrain from a) the illegal possession and/or illegal use of drugs and/or alcohol, and b) the use of alcohol when working with Protected Individuals. Adults should never purchase or otherwise provide access to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or any inappropriate videos or reading material (such as pornography) to Protected Individuals.
  • The following actions are specifically prohibited :
  • Permitting, causing, encouraging or assisting in the depiction of or posing for viewing by any person, either in person or by way of graphic means including digital or photographic image of the partially or fully unclothed body of a child, displaying intimate parts, in motion or not in motion, alone or with other persons, or the depiction of a child in apparent observation of sex acts by others in the child’s presence;
  • Displaying or distributing to a child any picture, photograph, book, pamphlet, digital image, movie or magazine the cover or content of which is principally made up of descriptions or depictions of sexual acts or contact, or which consists of pictures of nude or partially nude figures posed or presented in a manner which the average person applying contemporary community standards would find, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest.
  •Other than under emergency circumstances, Volunteers should not provide shared, private, or overnight accommodation for anyone, including, but not limited to, accommodations in any Church-owned facility, private residence, hotel room, or any other place where there is no other adult supervision present, if applicable.
  Confidentiality
  All Volunteers should be respectful of the privacy of others with whom they come in contact in their role as Volunteers. Confidentiality, where appropriate, should be honored at all times.
  Volunteers Well-being
  Volunteers have the duty to be responsible for their own spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health. They should be aware of warning signs that indicate potential problems with their own spiritual, physical, mental, and/or emotional health, and seek help immediately whenever they notice behavioral or emotional warning signs in their own professional and/or personal lives.