Sustaining the Monitoring Behavior Protocol
Develop a culture of child safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) using your Monitoring Behavior protocol that includes leadership-driven…
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Home / Policies & Procedures / What are Policies and Procedures?
Policies and Procedures are an essential backbone of your prevention strategy at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), providing an overarching written structure that demonstrates your commitment to the safety and well-being of children entrusted to your care.
At minimum, your Policies and Procedures must include:
A mission statement that clearly establishes your organization’s commitment and responsibility to maintain a safe environment for children. Policies and Procedures should be centered around the best interests of children, the values of your organization, and the organization’s role in guaranteeing safety in all settings.
A Code of Conduct that details the expected and prohibited behaviors between staff and children. Your Code of Conduct should cover expected and appropriate behaviors and prohibited and harmful behaviors. It’s not necessary to outline every possible scenario. However, your Code of Conduct should reflect the core standards and principles guiding all your activities.
Screening and Hiring policies that determine the best candidates to be placed in positions of responsibility with children. Screening and Hiring policies must clearly outline how staff and volunteers will be adequately screened and vetted to work with children. This includes implementing a systematic interview process for all staff and volunteers and conducting recommended initial and periodic background checks.
A Safe Environment policy that covers physical and procedural protocols for in-person and virtual environments. Your Safe Environment Policies should include the five categories of safety, including, visibility, access, supervision and communication, transportation, and safe technology use. These policies dictate the type of safe environment you want to build and outlines how you will guarantee the safety of all children in your care.
Monitoring Behavior and Reporting protocols that guide staff on how to recognize, respond, and report abuse. All staff and volunteers are responsible for holding each other accountable for appropriate behaviors and reporting inappropriate behaviors. Additionally, your policies must include clear direction on how and to whom to report suspicions or reports of abuse.
A Training policy that requires all staff to be trained, at hire and annually, in your organization’s child protection policies and protocols. This includes ongoing training on your organization’s policies and procedures, the signs of symptoms of abuse, and how to identify grooming behavior in adults. Training should be accessible to all staff in a variety of learning formats, used as a tool to heighten awareness, and create a culture of zero-tolerance for abuse.
Policies and Procedures should guide the safety standards at your YSO. Your policies must be continuously referred to and adhered to by all staff and volunteers to ensure that all children are kept safe at your YSO.
Monitoring Behavior
Develop a culture of child safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) using your Monitoring Behavior protocol that includes leadership-driven…
Screening & Hiring
By checking a candidate’s references, you can obtain additional information about applicants and help verify their previous work and volunteer…
Reporting
Recognizing Abuse & Neglect The minimum required safety elements for you to prepare leadership, staff, and volunteers to recognize, respond…
Screening & Hiring
State and federal laws and regulations require specific types of screening and background checks—particularly criminal and sexual offense records…
Screening & Hiring
If a criminal record is discovered, its existence alone does not necessarily automatically disqualify a candidate from employment or volunteer…
Reporting
Sometimes, a child/youth might self-disclose an abusive situation to an adult in your organization. These disclosures can be direct, where the child…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct is an essential tool to help you ensure the safety of the children and youth in your care, and prevent child sexual abuse.
Code of Conduct
Once your Code of Conduct is in place, it’s important to implement it through training and by disseminating the information widely, in a variety…
Policies & Procedures
In order to create concrete and detailed Policies and Procedures at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), it is necessary to analyze what policies…
Reporting
Visit the website, Massachusetts Department of Children & Families Locations to find contact information for your local office and see…
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