Safety

Our Safety Commitment

At Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington Child Safety is No.1

In addition to BGCA guidelines, a Board-led Safety Committee and annual safety assessments of each of our sites, we implement comprehensive safety policies that protect youth including: supervision, transportation, child abuse prevention and mandatory reporting.

To ensure the safety of every member our policies strictly enforce extensive employee screening, the prohibition of one on one interactions with youth, and child sexual abuse training for all adults interacting with youth. All employees, board members, and volunteers (including minors) are screened through multiple background check systems and trained to identify and prevent child abuse.

Culture of Safety

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington continually updates safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote the physical and emotional safety of our youth and protect them from threats that are present in our society. As an organization BGCSW is committed to Equity & Social Justice. Our club communities are inclusive, empowering and a place for everyone to belong.

 

Layers of Safety

Mandatory Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington. In addition, criminal background checks are also required for any adult volunteer who has direct contact with youth.
Required Immediate Reporting
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington staff 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.
Mandatory Annual Assessments
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements at each of our Club sites.
Safety Training
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training such as staff workshops, seminars, and webinars. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the National Childrens Advocacy Center.
Board-Led Committee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington has a dedicated Operations Committee which provides guidance and input on safety strategies and local policies.
State and Local Laws
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
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