Club Safety

CLUB SAFETY

Child safety is Job No. 1. Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of our Club.

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority:
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 ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance. 
Culture of Safety: Every day, the Club’s trained and dedicated staff work diligently to ensure the safety, protection and well-being of the children we serve. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress has rigorous policies and procedures in place to address all aspects of child safety. The Club continually updates and innovates its safety policies, programs and training for Club staff and volunteers in order to better protect young people from threats present in our society.
 
To name just a few things that your Club does to keep your child safe:
  • Mandatory background checks are completed on every employee before hiring and annually thereafter.
  • 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.
  • CPR, First Aid and AED certification for all staff.
  • All Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress employees are mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical safety concern to local authorities immediately.
  • The Club completes annual safety assessments and inspections.
  • The Club runs safety drills for both staff and members on a regular basis.
  • Safety policy reviews are incorporated into regular staff trainings, keeping the Club's commitment to safety at the forefront of all of our programming and policies.
Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact. 

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 Greater Anaheim-Cypress 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 Committee: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress has a dedicated Board-led Safety Committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
  • Facility Management and Updates
  • Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Practices
  • Inclusion of Youth with Special Needs
  • Transportation Program Safety
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Cyber Safety and Digital Citizenship
  • Water Safety and Drowning Prevention
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:
  • National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations
  • Blue Ribbon Taskforce, composed of local Club leaders who provide input on 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 Anaheim-Cypress partners with:
  • City of Anaheim Police Department
  • City of Cypress Police Department
  • North Orange County Public Safety Task Force
  • American Red Cross
  • Regional Center of Orange County
  • 2-1-1 Orange County
  • Children's Home Society
  • 501 c Services HR Hotline
  • TechHeights 
  • Raise Foundation
  • Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Continued Commitment: In July 2020, Boys & Girls Club organizations voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Though many of these practices were already commonplace across our Movement, this vote made them mandatory for all Clubs. These include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Safety Committee requirements, stronger communication of key safety resources and information, and more. With unprecedented majority, on July 26, 2021, local Boys & Girls Clubs voted in record number to adopt additional membership requirements that further enhance child safety, implementing recommendations from RAINN that began in 2020 and will continue over the next two years - a demonstration of our continued commitment to keeping kids safe.

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 Anaheim-Cypress. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page by clicking HERE.

Share by: