Child Safety at Boys & Girls Clubs

Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:

 • Background screening of Club staff and volunteers

• Maintain current safety policies and discuss with staff members as applicable

• Board-led safety committee to provide leadership and oversight

• Provide instruction and direction to members about Club safety

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through the National Sex Offender Registry through our provider First Advantage.

Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities immediately. We are also required to report any critical incident to Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as [seminars, conferences, webinars and a semi-annual safety symposium]. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

 Any employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from the previous Club, even if the Clubs are within the same community.   

Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America works with leading experts in the areas of safety, security and technology to develop state-of-the-art solutions for Clubs. Partners include:

• National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations

• Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the safety direction and key safety initiatives

• Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse

• Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis

Locally, Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County partners with:

• City and County law enforcement

• School districts

• Faith based organizations

• Other youth development organizations in  collabrative efforts

Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated the passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act, which improved background screening systems and access. The national organization has also partnered with the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Centers for Disease Control to contribute to the development of safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.

America’s young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protect every child who is entrusted to our care at Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here."