Policy for Child Abuse

Another important component of legal due-diligence is ensuring that your ministry understands the state statutes especially related to the protection of children.  In Indiana, there is a very generous counselor-counselee protection policy in the state statute.  For example, as a general rule one does not need to report even criminal behavior unless that person indicates that he/she will do bodily harm to a person in the future.  Therefore, if a counselee comes to see you who regularly smokes marijuana you do not have legal responsibility to report it to the police!  However, that protection ends when child abuse is suspected.  We encourage each counseling ministry to have a policy for how it intends to handle child abuse.

Rob Green
Pastor Rob Green oversees Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries. A seasoned counselor, Rob also teaches others how to counsel--through FBCM's training conferences and Faith Bible Seminary's MABC program.