SAFETY IN OUR CLUBS
“The absolute most important promise we make to the community and specifically to our Club Members and their parents is to do everything within our power to keep kids safe. Safe from any type of harm. We work daily to put in place every best practice we can to do this.”
We are pleased to share the results from Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 2024 safety assessment of our Clubs in Sonoma and Marin counties. See how we are meeting the national standards of excellence and keeping our Clubs safe!
Ensuring the safety of children is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs.
For more than 100 years, child protection and safety have been the bedrock principles of our work. In today’s world, young people are faced with enormous challenges – from poverty to the high school dropout crisis to an obesity epidemic – that threaten their chance to have great futures. And, unfortunately, headlines remind us every day that we live in a dangerous world that puts too many young people at serious risk.
Given these realities, we must be ever-vigilant in ensuring that our Clubs are safe havens for Sonoma and Marin County’s youth, staffed by caring adult mentors who have the best interests of kids at heart. While child safety has been priority #1 for Clubs throughout our history, our work in this area is never done.
If you see any suspicious behavior while in our Clubs, we encourage you to immediately notify the Program Director and/or call our anonymous abuse reporting line at 707-919-0566.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin is committed to helping our Clubs provide a safe and secure experience for youth. Multiple layers of protection ensure a comprehensive approach to Child & Club Safety.
Our policies, detailed below, prohibit staff, volunteers, parents, or other Members from abusing, mistreating, or having any inappropriate conduct with Members. We take these policies seriously. You learn more about how we keep kids safe in our Master Safety Plan.
To keep these commitments to the Members & families we serve, as well as the broader community, we have put in place the following policies, practices, and procedures to maximize safety in our Clubs*. Violation of any of these policies can lead to immediate termination.
All staff & volunteers undergo a strict background check prior to employment. Local police agencies, sheriff departments, District Attorneys, and probation departments compile and submit arrest and conviction information to the California Department of Justice. All of our applicants undergo a live scan, which is a request for this information using digital fingerprint scanning. Pursuant to California Penal Code section 11105(m), we receive the following information during a live scan:
(A) Every conviction of an offense rendered against the applicant, except a conviction for which relief has been granted pursuant to Section 1203.49.
(B) Every arrest for an offense for which the applicant is presently awaiting trial, whether the applicant is incarcerated or has been released on bail or on his or her own recognizance pending trial.
(C) Every arrest for an offense for which the Department of Social Services is required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 1522 of the Health and Safety Code to determine if an applicant has been arrested. However, if the records of the Department of Justice do not contain a disposition for an arrest, the Department of Justice shall first make a genuine effort to determine the disposition of the arrest.
(D) Sex offender registration status of the applicant.
This background check process provides live & ongoing updates if any member of our team breaks the law in anyway. The Department of Justice sends us Subsequent Arrest and Disposition Notifications each time a team member is arrested. We follow up on these updates immediately and make decisions regarding continued employment prior to the start of this employee’s next shift.
Volunteers are never alone with kids. They are always matched with a staff person to ensure safety & supervision in every Club space.
Club staff are never in one-on-one situations with kids. We know we can better keep kids safe if they are always in group situations.
Club staff cannot drive kids in their person vehicles.
Club staff are not allowed to have contact with members outside of the Clubs. This includes in person, via phone or text, and all social media/online outlets.
Prior to working directly with youth, all staff are trained on appropriate recognition & reporting of child abuse in compliance with state & local laws.
In addition, annually, all Club staff receive at least 40 hours of training to ensure proper supervision, behavior, & discipline techniques to keep kids engaged & safe while participating in our programs.
Every Club day, at least 5 senior leaders are on call to support in a dangerous or unsafe situation should one arise. These leaders are in direct communication with law enforcement and child protective services partners.
Each Club has extensive and robust emergency protocols and procedures in place for unexpected situations. These include earthquakes, fires, sharp shooters, and missing children. These plans were created in conjunction with schools & law enforcement partners.
Parents and approved adults must sign out their children daily. Unidentified adults are never allowed to pick up members.
Annually, safety audits are conducted in our clubs and improvements are made to ensure a high standard of safety at every location.
Third Party Safety Leaders: Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin benefits from the support of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national Child & Club Safety Department. As part of this collaboration, the best practices we implement are informed by leading third-party safety experts including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing Children, RAINN, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.
* In rare cases, usually when working with teens and always with parent permission and CEO approval, we allow variation in these practices to best serve kids & families.
Keeping kids safe takes a community. If you are concerned that a young person in your life is being abused but is not connected to one of our Clubs, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you are unsure if a young person is being abused, we encourage you to review these common signs of abuse.
Our message to communities and parents is clear: We work every day to create a safe, fun environment where kids can pursue academic success, good character, and a healthy lifestyle – all under the guidance of caring, trained, trustworthy adult leaders.
And our message to anyone who would potentially compromise our Clubs and our mission is equally clear: We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, and we put resources behind that stance.
Our community’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.