At Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Child Safety is Job No. 1

Ensuring the safety of children and teens is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (BGCSM). For more than 100 years, child protection and safety have been the bedrock principles of our work. Our policies and operational procedures are designed to ensure we employ the highest standards of member safety.

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority

We work every day to create a safe, inclusive, and fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have no 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 Clubs of Southern Maine continually updates robust safety policies, programs, and training for staff and volunteers to promote child safety and protect young people from threats in our society. These resources include but are not limited to:

·      Child safety and sexual abuse training for all staff members and volunteers

·      Clean and safe youth development facilities

·      Fleet of 12-passenger vans with regular maintenance schedules, van safety and driver education trainings

·      Organization policies regarding one-on-one interactions between youth and adults, restroom use, background checks, bully and drug free workplace and transportation safety

Safety Policies

BGCSM maintains comprehensive safety policies that protect youth, including but not limited to policies on supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibition of one-on-one contact. 

Our facilities and vehicles comply with all applicable federal, state and local safety laws. Our transportation policy provides standards for driver onboarding, training, and operating safety.

24-hour Toll-free Child Safety Hotline

Communication around safety is encouraged. Unit directors have an open-door policy for members, parents, staff, and volunteers to discuss any issues. Additionally, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer are available. Through BGCA’s partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, there is a 24 hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 1-866-607-SAFE (7233) or SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com to allow Boys & Girls Club staff members, volunteers, and parents to confidentially report suspicions or concerns. 
 
Mandatory Background Checks

Mandatory criminal background checks are required upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at BGCSM. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct, repetitive contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are run through First Advantage, one of the country’s largest data sources for criminal history records, to provide the most comprehensive screenings available today. 

Required Immediate Reporting

BGCSM staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters and 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 employ a multi-tiered safety assessment approach to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.

Safety Trainings

Ongoing training and supervision of staff are critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training through online courses, in-person trainings and Boys & Girls Clubs of America events 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 & Exploited Children and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

Safety Committee

BGCSM’s Board of Directors oversees a Safety Committee to assess and manage all facility and operational safety related priorities. A board-authorized Technology Committee has developed policies for the safe use of internet and social media in Clubs by members.

Mandatory Employee Reference

Any employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from their 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, composed of local Club leaders who provide input on 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, BGCSM partners with:

• Community police and fire departments in Auburn, Lewiston, Portland and South Portland
• Auburn, Lewiston, Portland and South Portland school departments

Continued Commitment

In July 2020, Boys & Girls Club organizations voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Though many of these practices were already commonplace across our Movement, this vote made them mandatory for all Clubs. These include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Safety Committee requirements, stronger communication of key safety resources and information, and more. With unprecedented majority, on July 26, 2021, local Boys & Girls Clubs voted in record number to adopt additional membership requirements that further enhance child safety, implementing recommendations from RAINN that began in 2020 and will continue over the next two years - a demonstration of our continued commitment to keeping kids safe.

Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated for passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act to improve 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 support 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 BGCSM.