Child Safety

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance. 

 

Culture of Safety: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta 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:

 

• Staff positioning to ensure clear lines of sight throughout the Club

• All lines of sight into rooms are clear to ensure the safety of Members and Staff

• Multiple Club meetings per week, reiterating Member safety measures and Member expectations on how they conduct themselves, both inside the Club and outside of it

• One entry and exit at the Club to ensure all Members and Visitors sign in and out

• Communication with Members always involves a minimum of 3 parties, whether that be 1 Member and 2 Staff Members, or 2 Members and 1 Staff Member

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Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Shasta has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, 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 Greater Shasta 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, volunteer, and board member at Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through the National Sex Offender Registry.

 

Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta 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 as well as 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.

 

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:

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• 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

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Locally, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta partners with the Mt. Shasta City Police.

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

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Child & Club Safety Policy Statement

Implementing a Safety Management System: Our Layers of Safety Protection

Organization: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta

Review Cycle: Annual

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At Boys & Girls Club of Greater Shasta (BGCGS), safety is foundational to everything we do. We are committed to creating safe, supportive places where young people can learn, build relationships, explore, and thrive, and where employees, volunteers, families, school partners, and visitors can participate with confidence.

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BGCGS programs operate in school-based and community settings and may include off-site activities, field trips, transportation, special events, and other experiences. Our Safety Management System is designed to identify, assess, mitigate, communicate, and learn from risk across these environments while continuously improving our safety performance.

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Our safety commitment includes:

• Safety as a core value. Safety is a precondition to operation and is considered in every program, staffing, facility, and organizational decision.

• Proactive risk management. We identify, assess, and mitigate foreseeable risks before and throughout Club activities, programs, services, events, and travel.

• Safe supervision and operations. We maintain clear expectations, appropriate supervision, safe transitions, and consistent check-in/check-out and emergency practices appropriate to each program setting.

• Physical, emotional, and behavioral safety. We use respectful, developmentally appropriate practices and reasonable supports or accommodations consistent with individual needs, program capacity, and applicable requirements.

• Prepared and qualified adults. We maintain required screening, training, supervision, and role-specific safety preparation for employees and volunteers.

• Ongoing review of environments and activities. We regularly evaluate facilities, shared school spaces, equipment, vehicles, field trips, special events, and other program conditions to reduce the likelihood and severity of incidents.

• Compliance and accountability. We follow applicable laws, regulations, insurance requirements, partner agreements, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America membership and safety requirements.

• Reporting and learning. We encourage prompt reporting of injuries, incidents, near misses, suspected abuse or neglect, hazards, and other safety concerns without fear of reprisal, and we use what we learn to strengthen practice.

• Appropriate escalation. Serious, complex, or legally sensitive safety matters are elevated to the appropriate supervisor, CEO, Board leadership, emergency services, mandated-reporting authorities, or other professionals as required.

• Strong partner communication. Because BGCGS operates in partnership with schools and community organizations, we work to clearly define facility expectations, emergency procedures, responsibilities, access, and communication.

• Resources for safety. We commit sufficient people, processes, tools, training, and financial resources to support safe operations and integrate safety into planning, budgeting, growth, and continuous improvement.

• Shared responsibility. Every BGCGS employee and volunteer has a daily obligation to protect safety, uphold quality and compliance, follow established procedures, and speak up when something does not feel safe.

 

Review and Revision

This Child & Club Safety Policy Statement will be reviewed at least annually by BGCGS leadership and the Board of Directors and may be revised as needed to reflect changes in law, Boys & Girls Clubs of America requirements, partner expectations, organizational growth, lessons learned, and emerging safety risks.