CLUB SAFETY
At Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan, Child Safety is job number 1.
The Safety and Well-being of Young People is our Number One Priority
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
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan 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:
·Installation and monitoring of state-of-the art video surveillance
cameras for full view of classrooms, gyms, hallways, and game rooms
·Contract for a full time Berrien County Deputy Sheriff as a certified
School Resource Officer
·Emergency management planning updated annually to conduct variety
of weather, hostile action, first aid drills throughout the year.
Member/Parent Guide
This Member/Parent Guide is a tool for you and your family to understand our Club policies and procedures. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your local site director or contact us at 269-926-8766 or info@bgcbh.org.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.
Mandatory Background Checks & Required Reporting
Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan. 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.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan 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.
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs and community-based locations.
24-Hour Toll-Free 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 Greater Southwest Michigan members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.
Safety Training
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as annual First Aid and CPR training, DHHS Mandatory Reporting, Mental Health First Aid, and Emergency response drills conducted by Berrien County Emergency Management Office. 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.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan has a dedicated board-led safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
·Annual safety assessment and corrective action plan is completed
·Review current operational practices and procedures conform with best practices and legal requirements
·Corrective action of any safety-related incidents are completed
Working Together for Safety
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.
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
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
Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan partners with:
·Berrien County Sheriff's Department
·Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital
·Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
·Benton Harbor Public Safety Department
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 Greater Southwest Michigan. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
