Child Safety

 

At Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain, Child Safety is our Number 1 Priority

Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain.

 

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Priority Number One

Every day, we work to create a safe, fun environment where kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have a ZERO tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.

 

Culture of Safety:

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain 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:

  • All facilities have controlled access to prevent strangers from entering the facility.
  • Proper personal boundaries between all persons is both encouraged and enforced through safety policies and on-going training.
  • Facilities are inspected by a community-based safety committee annually, daily by staff.

 

Safety Policies:

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

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 & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline,
866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.

 

Mandatory Background Checks:

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. Every staff member, board member and volunteer is background checked annually using First Advantage to check national and state criminal records, national sex offender registry, social security verification and address verification.

Required Immediate Reporting:

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain 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 Clubs.

Safety Trainings:

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in and conduct a wide variety of child safety training such as seminars, conferences, webinars, and a semi-annual safety symposium, as well as on-going local training and initiatives. 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 & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

    • To ensure the reasonable protection of the members
    • To ensure the reasonable protection of employees, volunteers and visitors
    • To identify and eliminate risk that results in negative impact on the organization

 

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 & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain partners with:

  • Greenville Police Department
  • Pitt County Sheriff’s Department
  • Pitt County Schools
  • Uplift Comprehensive
  • Hyster-Yale
  • Greenville Utilities
  • Piedmont Service Group

 

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 & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.