At Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg, Child Safety is Job No. 1
Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg
The Safety and Well-being 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 Club of Harrisburg 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 continually enhance and implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
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All Visitors must sign in and out of the facility
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No parent or visitor is allowed to walk through facility without escort
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Anyone picking up a child from our Clubs must be on the approved list and show ID
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Safety policies are reviewed and updated regularly
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Safety is discussed monthly with leadership to review practices, issues and best practices
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Senior team reviewing Incidents & Accidents
Safety Policies: The Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg 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, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg 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 upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg. 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 the First Advantage.
Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg 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 Clubs.
Safety Trainings: Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as First Aid, CPR site inspections from HBG FD, seminars, conferences, webinars and a semi-annual safety symposium. 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: Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
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All Visitors must sign in and out of the facility
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No parent or visitor is allowed to walk through facility without escort
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Ensuring building safety policies and procedures are adhered to and all staff are trained
Safety Visits
Ratios of staff to members are enforced
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
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Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the safety direction and key safety initiatives
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Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse
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Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis
Locally, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg partners with:
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The Harrisburg Police Department
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The Harrisburg Fire Department
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Dauphin County Children and Youth
Continued Commitment: In July, 2020, all local Boys & Girls Clubs voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Many of these practices were already in place, however, Boys & Girls Clubs determined these practices should be mandatory for all Clubs. These measures include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Club Safety Committee requirements for all Club, greater communication of key safety resources and information available for staff and members, and more.
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 Harrisburg. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
Our Goal
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.
PROGRAMS THAT MATTER
The Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg offers programs and services that promote and enhance the development of our boys and girls.
GET INVOLVED
Email Us at BGCHBG
Looking forward to hearing from you