At Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, safety is the priority.
The Safety and Well-being of Young People is Our Number One Priority: Our staff works tirelessly every day to create a safe, fun environment so members can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior of any kind, and we provide significant resources and follow implemented guidelines to ensure this priority is achieved.
Culture of Safety: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston continually updates robust and required safety policies, programs, and training for our staff and volunteers. These policies are designed to promote child safety and protect young people.
Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, and communication and prohibiting one-on-one contact with youth.
Mandatory Background Checks: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston conducts background checks on all prospective employees. Background checks include three (3) reference checks for all individuals hired for employment. Other background checks, such as verification of information supplied on application materials and credit checks for jobs with finance responsibilities, may be conducted. In addition, BGCB requires a state criminal offender record information (CORI), a state sexual offender record information (SORI), a social security number trace, and a national criminal file/ sex offender registry check for all employees. BGCB will ask candidates and others identified for background checks to fill out appropriate release forms. Refusal to do so will result in an individual’s elimination for consideration of employment at BGCB.
Arrival & Dismissal: BGCB requires all members to check in and out each day. In addition, members may not leave the club unescorted unless they are 10 years and older and have included in their membership application written parent/guardian consent.
Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities immediately, and to report any critical incident to Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.
Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments: We conduct a safety assessment annually 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 trainings each year including First Aid & CPR.
Safety Committee: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston has a dedicated Board-led safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
State and Local Laws: We comply with federal, state, and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
Safety Partnerships: Locally, we partner with local law enforcement agencies where our Clubs are located (Boston & Chelsea Police Departments). 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.
24-hour Toll-Free Child Safety Hotline: Through Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national partnership with Presidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour, toll-free Child safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233).
Contact us to learn more about child safety at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
