Preventing and Responding to Sexual Abuse in the Church: Vestry Laight Report for Albany Presbytery
Albany Presbytery has published an independent report by Vestry Laight assessing its policies and practices for preventing and responding to sexual abuse and misconduct in a church setting. The report offers practical recommendations for building survivor-centered, trauma-informed systems for prevention, reporting, response, accountability, and survivor support.
We commend Albany Presbytery for its commitment to transparency and learning, including its decision to make the report publicly available. Its findings and recommendations can serve as a resource for the broader Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other churches, faith-based institutions, and religious organizations seeking to strengthen their prevention of and response to sexual misconduct and abuse.