The Educational Studies Department has requested that ALL students being placed in a clinical experience or clinical practice become certified in Protecting God’s Children. Protecting God’s Children is a workshop offered by VIRTUS in accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The Protecting God’s Children program educates and trains adults (clergy, religious, teachers, staff, volunteers and parents) about the dangers of abuse, the warning signs of abuse, the ways to prevent abuse, the methods of properly reporting abuse and responding to allegations of abuse. (https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/protecting_children.cfm)

Many of Seton Hall’s partner school districts require our teacher candidates to complete the Protecting God’s Children workshop prior to being able to complete any hours in their schools. In an effort to not delay any teacher candidate’s placement in the field, students are being asked to complete a program prior to any clinical placements.

SHU works to schedule a session, once a semester, on campus for the convenience of teacher candidates. To determine if there is a scheduled session on campus, please see the Calendar for any upcoming events. Teacher candidates can attend a session anywhere that is convenient for them. You do not have to attend the session at Seton Hall. You just need to provide us with a copy of your completion certificate.

To register for any session, go to http://www.virtusonline.org. You will need to create an account, if you haven’t done so already. Follow the registration steps to find a location/session near you (any session being offered at SHU will also be listed). Choose a session, register and after completion provide a copy of your certificate to the Office of Clinical Experiences and Applied Research. For a visual guide to registering, please refer here: PGC Registration Directions

If you have any questions regarding the Protecting God’s Children workshop, please contact the Secretary to Educational Studies Department at Erica.Russomanno@shu.edu. You can also find information on the Archdiocese of Newark website at http://www.rcan.org/offices-and-ministries/child-youth-protection.