Child Safety is Always Our #1 Priority
Ensuring Child Safety is fundamental to our mission since 1949.
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 this commitment.
COVID-19 Safety - All Club Employees received a 14+ hour COVID-19 safety training that includes supervision, health and wellness, and required CDC practices for youth development professionals. All Clubs are equipped for temperature checks, social distancing, and facial masks. Restrooms, transportation, and Club capacity is modified to support the safety of members and staff. Club doors are locked at all times. A parent and member orientation is required for registry at any one of our Club locations.
Culture of Safety
Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County continually updates robust safety policies, programs, training and supervisory practices 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 multiple layers of protection to keep our kids safe including:
BGCA-approved child abuse prevention training
BGCA-approved mandated reporting training
BGCA-approved grooming prevention training
BGCA-approved Youth Development Professionals training
Mandatory Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks for all staff are required upon hire, and at least annually thereafter at Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County. 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 National Sex Offender Registry and First Advantage.
Safety Training
Ongoing training and supervision of staff and volunteers is critical. Both staff and volunteers participate in a wide variety of child safety trainings on a continuous basis, such as conferences, webinars, and virtual school. 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.
State and Local Laws
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
Safety Policies
Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting one-on-one contact.
Required Immediate Reporting
Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County 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.
Board-Led Safety Committee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County has a dedicated safety committee to provide oversight, input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
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, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the 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
Local Safety Partnerships
24-Hour Toll-Free Child Safety Hotline
Through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the national’s leading safety experts, Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County families, members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline,
866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Preaesidiuminc.com
Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.
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.
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 Clubs Safety Committee requirements for all Clubs, 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, and 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 case at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.