Safety

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

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas, safety is our top priority. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment where kids can thrive and 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 dedicate significant resources to ensure this commitment is upheld.

To protect youth, BGCSCK has implemented comprehensive safety policies and procedures, including (but not limited to):

•   Emergency Operations
•   One-on-One Contact
•   Transportation of Members
•   Child Abuse & Mandated Reporting
•   Incident Management
•   Supervision & Facilities
•   Employment Screening & Onboarding
•   Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace
•   Technology Acceptable Use
•   Health & Emergency Procedures
•   Medication Administration

These policies are reviewed regularly and supported through ongoing training, oversight, and accountability measures to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in our care.

Culture of Safety

Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas 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:

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 Clubs of South Central Kansas 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 every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas. 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 National Background Check.

Required Immediate Reporting

Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas 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(s).

Safety Trainings

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as Regional/National BGCA leadership trainings, first aid/CPR training, and Mental Health First Aid. 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 Clubs of South Central Kansas has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

Safety planning. Identify the goals, objectives and outcomes for a safety improvement plan. Oversee fulfillment of improvement tactics, using measures to track progress.
Safety assessment review. Closely review results of the online Annual Safety Assessment and NYOI Member Survey.
Annual facility safety checks. Develop strategies to immediately eliminate or reduce identified hazards.
Mandatory reporting laws. Understand, implement and enforce the child abuse mandatory reporting laws.
Incident review. Regularly review reported safety incidents to help determine if additional policies and/or procedures should be in place to prevent future incidents.

Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas partners with:

Wichita Police Department
Mental Health Association
HealthCore Clinic

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

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