Stakeholder Collaboration for Sustainability
Leadership at Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs) should maintain regular communication on the culture of safety with staff, volunteers, parents, and…
Child sexual abuse is a difficult topic. If you find yourself triggered by any of the website’s content, please stop and take the time you need to talk with someone to get support. If you need help now, please contact one of these resources today.
Home / Code of Conduct / What is a Code of Conduct?
A Code of Conduct establishes acceptable and prohibited types of behaviors and interactions between staff, volunteers, and children. Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should create a Code of Conduct to outline safety standards and identify clear lines of communication to be followed if the Code of Conduct is violated.
At minimum, your Code of Conduct should include:
Your organization’s mission statement outlining your commitment to safety and guiding ethical principles and standards (Code of Ethics). The Code of Ethics are your organization’s core standards and principles and should focus on values guiding behavior and policies at your organization. This aspect of your Code of Conduct acts as the foundation for behavioral expectations at your organization and can be referred to in situations that are uncommon, unexpected, or not specifically defined in the Code of Conduct.
Guidance on and definitions of specific behavior and interaction, including appropriate, inappropriate, and harmful and prohibited. Defining categories of behavior, including appropriate, inappropriate, and harmful, helps staff and volunteers understand what is expected of them. Be sure to include behaviors and situations specific to your organization to provide clarity for all staff and volunteers.
Reporting obligations, procedures, and process, investigation, and monitoring procedures. Clear explanations of reporting standards and processes should be outlined, including the expected timeframe and how to report concerns. Your reporting standards should follow your state’s child abuse reporting requirements as well as your organization’s procedures for reporting any concerns.
Statement of Receipt and Agreement as well as a Signature Block to ensure the Code of Conduct is included and addressed within the organization. The Code of Conduct should be part of your organization’s screening and hiring process. New staff and volunteers should have a chance to read and discuss safety and reporting standards and sign an agreement to abide by the Code of Conduct at hire.
The creation, implementation, and reinforcement of the Code of Conduct are critical in your YSO’s mission to keep children safe. In order to outline your YSO’s commitment to safety, the Code of Conduct should provide staff and volunteers guidance for behavior, lines of communication should violations of the Code be observed, and reporting standards.
Sustainability
Leadership at Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs) should maintain regular communication on the culture of safety with staff, volunteers, parents, and…
Reporting
It is extremely disturbing for most adults to consider that a colleague or co-worker might be abusing children—but it happens. In these cases,…
Screening & Hiring
When possible, it can be informative to observe an applicant in your environment with the child(ren) and youth you serve, to look for potential red…
Sustainability
Depending on the size of your youth-serving organization, the data you’ll need to collect and analyze—or even simply summarize—could be…
Screening & Hiring
Criminal background checks are an important tool in your screening and selection process—and you should ensure that you’re aware of any federal,…
Reporting
Who Are Mandated Reporters? Massachusetts law defines a number of professionals as mandated reporters (for the full list, see MGL Chapter 119,…
Training
When it comes to training your volunteers, there is certain core content that is critical to include in a comprehensive training program to…
Sustainability
True Change: A Matter of Strategy and Culture Organizational changes are challenging enough, but the issue of child sexual abuse prevention and…
Sustainability
Long-term organizational change is a process of continuous review, evaluation, and communication. It includes regularly examining what is working…
Screening & Hiring
Screening means thorough reference and background checks, including review of criminal and sexual offender records, for all employees, staff,…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
Learning Center Registration
Sign up for an account and start your learning experience.
Free Online Assessment
Let us help you find out where to start.