Child Safety at Boys & Girls Clubs

Culture of Safety

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

Safety Policies

Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

Mandatory Background Checks

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.

24-hour Toll-free Child Safety Hotline

We encourage all staﬀ, members and families to report any incident or situation they feel is unsafe. Through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County members and staﬀ have access to a conﬁdential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.

Required Immediate Reporting

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.

Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments

We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club(s).

Safety Trainings

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.

Safety Committee

Boys and Girls Club of South Logan County has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

• Review and oversite of facility safety

• Direct adherence to safety practices

• Assist with review and updating policies as applicable

Mandatory Employee Reference

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.

State and Local Laws

We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.

Safety Partnerships

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."