What's your ministry's elopement plan?

No, no, I'm not talking about people running off to get married. I'm talking about one expression of several disabilities: elopement. It would be described in lay terms as wandering, running away, escaping, or darting off. We have a couple of repeat offenders on Sunday mornings in our ministry.

The two eloping fellows at our church happen to have Down syndrome, but preliminary reports from new research indicate that about half of kids with autism wander.

Below I have a list of tips for working with individuals who elope in ministry settings, but please leave a comment if you have anything else to add!

• Talk with the parents/caregivers. If someone is eloping at church, it probably isn't the first time. What has worked in the past? What hasn't?
• Be proactive. It's always best to avoid elopement if you can! This extends to planning space well (such as arranging the room so that no one has any reason to be near the door) and planning class activity well (so that individuals are less likely to wander). Also...
• Pay attention, and try to figure out the cause(s). Behaviors don't just happen. If someone is eloping, odds are good that something is triggering that. Pay attention to what happens before the person tries to leave, including what other volunteers are doing, what classmates are doing, and how the individual is acting (frustrated? bored? overstimulated?). According to this research, parents reported the following reasons for elopement: the child enjoys exploring (54%), heads for a favorite place (36%), escapes demands/anxieties (33%), pursues special topic (31%), and/or escapes sensory discomfort (27%). In a church setting, that means a child might elope to get to his/her parents, to explore the rest of the church, or to escape from a loud or overstimulating class.
• Be careful not to reward elopement. I know that sounds a little odd; I mean, why would you want to reward that? But consider this: one of our kids who elopes tends to run away, giggling and looking back with a huge grin. If it weren't so unsafe, it would be cute. (Okay, okay, it's a little cute either way!) It takes a lot of self-control not to giggle with him, but every time he sees a helper laugh at that behavior, it reinforces it. Don't reinforce a behavior that you don't want to continue. Don't act like it's a game; treat it as a serious safety matter, because it is one.
• Plan transition times well. During our first two services, most kids go to the playground, and in our third service, children age four and up have small group time in their classes and then large group time in a bigger room. During the transitions from one place to another, I aim to position myself so that I can avoid a running situation with either of our kids who elopes. 
• Make it more difficult to elope. In the past, we've used chimes on doors, baby gates in classes that usually wouldn't have them, and closed doors in classes that would usually have the door open. Also, we have arranged class environments so that no one in the class is by the door at any time other than pick up and drop off. Speaking of that...
• Have a plan for pick-up and drop-off times. Classes tend to be a little more chaotic at those times, as do church hallways. Exercise extra caution and prevention in those instances, and plan activities that keep the person who elopes away from the door. 
• Ensure that you have enough volunteers. We know the parable of the 99 sheep that Jesus told, in which the man leaves his 99 sheep in search of the one that is missing. That is a wonderful parable and a good reminder of why we want to welcome these families, because otherwise we're sending that one sheep away from a church. However, it's not good or safe ministry practice to emulate it by leaving the rest of the class unattended while you go in search of the person who wandered off. Make sure the rest of the class will be fine with other volunteers while one pursues the wanderer (two if the individual might be in a more remote area, because it's never wise or safe practice to create a situation in which the volunteer will be alone with the child).
• Make sure other key staff and volunteers are aware of the best ways to respond when they see someone eloping. This might not be any different from what you would do if any other child ran off. Or it might involve specific tips for the child or adult in question; for example, if a child is fearful of strangers, it might be best for an unknown stranger to follow the child until a known helper arrives.

 And, to highlight why this is important, consider these points copied from the research report I linked to above (which involved surveys of more than 800 parents):

• More than one third of children who elope are never or rarely able to communicate their name, address, or phone number verbally or by writing/typing
• Two in three parents report their missing children had a "close call" with a traffic injury
• Wandering was ranked among the most stressful ASD [autism spectrum disorder] behaviors by 58% of parents of elopers
• 62% of families with children who elope were prevented from attending/enjoying activities outside the home due to fear of wandering
• 40% of parents had suffered sleep disruption due to fear of elopement
• Children with ASD are eight times more likely to elope between the ages of seven and 10 than their typically-developing siblings

Please don't miss in these stats that parents of children who elope are often stressed out - not sleeping, not participating in typical activities. Find ways to show them love and, if possible, give them a break. Sunday morning can be that break, as can respite care (which I'll post more about next week).

For resources related to elopement, go here. Also, the National Autism Association, in collaboration with the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, is offering a box of resources and information for parents, including door alarms and shoe ID tags. You can direct caregivers to this link to fill out a form to apply for a free safety box.

Which of the tips above do you think is most useful? Are there other tips you would add?