CHILD
SAFETY

We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.

Culture of Safety: The Boys & Girls Club of Chester 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 implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:

• Criminal and Child Abuse background checks via KeepKidsSafe.com

• Fingerprinting

• Board-led Safety Committee

• Regular facility inspections

• Incident reporting

Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Club of Chester has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication prohibiting private one-on-one contact, and whistleblower policy.

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 Chester 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, child abuse background, and fingerprinting checks are required annually for every staff and board member at the Boys & Girls Club of Chester. Criminal, child abuse, and fingerprinting background checks are also required for all volunteers who have direct contact with children. In addition, all potential employees and volunteers are also run through the National Sex Offender Registry.

Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Club of Chester 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 Club.

Safety Trainings: Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as Child Abuse Training and Mandated Reporting in Early Child Care & Education Training. 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 Chester has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

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:

Locally, Boys & Girls Club of Chester partners with:

• Criminal and Child Abuse background checks via KeepKidsSafe.com

• Fingerprinting

• Board-led Safety Committee

• Regular facility inspections

• Incident reporting

• Reviewing safety policies, strategies and providing necessary updates at each meeting.

• Completing the BGCA Child and Club Safety Assessment annually.

• Reviewing the BGCC’s incident reports.

• 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

• Chester Police Department

• Chester Upland School District & Community Charter Schools

• Delaware County Behavioral Health

• Crozer Keystone Health System

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 Boys & Girls Club of Chester . To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.​