Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of our Club. 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.
BGCSA 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:
BGCSA 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, BGCSA 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 criminal background checks are required every year for every staff member at BGCSA. 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 several databases including the National Sex Offender Registry.
Required Immediate Reporting: BGCSA 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 conferences, webinars and a semi-annual safety symposiums. 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: BGCSA has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
State and Local Laws: We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
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:
Locally, BGCSA partners with:
BGCSA’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
