The Role of Communication for Sustainability
In order to uphold a culture of safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), communication between leadership, staff and volunteers must focus…
Home / Policies & Procedures / Continuous Improvement of Your Policies and Procedures
Your Policies and Procedures must be continuously referred to throughout the year. At a minimum, an annual review of all policies and procedures should be conducted as well as a comprehensive assessment every three years. Ongoing consideration and revision guarantee that your policies are up to date with the broader circumstances in and outside of your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO).
Policies and Procedures remain effective when organizations:
Communicate your policies and protocols to all stakeholders, including parents. Policies and Procedures provide a means of expressing, in a public way, your organization’s ongoing pledge to keep kids safe from harm. All stakeholders, including parents and your community are made aware of the concrete steps your organization plans to take to protect children from harm.
Form community partnerships with local organizations to improve your child abuse prevention plans at your organization. Stakeholders include organizations providing similar services, child welfare agencies, and law enforcement. Any entity that works on behalf of the safety and security of children can be considered an important stakeholder with whom to collaborate on efforts.
Ensure staff and volunteers adhere to internal and external communication protocols when there is a suspected case of abuse. All staff and volunteers must be aware of their duties to report suspicions of abuse and neglect in a prompt manner. The names, contact information, and roles of staff who are designated to file reports are known to all.
Conduct an annual review and update of your policies, including Code of Conduct, Screening and Hiring, Reporting, Safe Environments, and Training. Continuous assessment of your current policies and procedures is necessary to remain effective. Leadership must coordinate these efforts and review the findings with all staff and volunteers.
Run a comprehensive assessment of your child abuse prevention plan every three years and include interviews with all stakeholders. In order to remain sustainable, your child abuse prevention plan must be continuously reviewed and revised. Ongoing communication with and feedback from stakeholders is crucial to keeping them engaged in your organization’s child safety plans and initiatives.
Your Policies and Procedures are the backbone of the initiatives to protect kids from sexual abuse. Your policies must be continuously referred and adhered to and reviewed to ensure they are up to date and effective at protecting kids.
Sustainability
In order to uphold a culture of safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), communication between leadership, staff and volunteers must focus…
Screening & Hiring
Here’s how you can develop a screening policy that fits your organization’s role, size, and resources: Know the screening rules and…
Safe Environments
Your youth-serving organization may provide transportation to children and youth—either on a regular or occasional basis. If you’re a larger…
Safe Environments
Standards should be implemented to ensure safe physical spaces for children, such as clear sight–lines and visitor procedures. To ensure child…
Screening & Hiring
State and federal laws and regulations require specific types of screening and background checks—particularly criminal and sexual offense records…
Reporting
Physical and Behavioral Indicators of Abuse Type of AbusePhysical IndicatorsBehavioral IndicatorsPhysical Abuse● Unexplained bruises (in…
Safe Environments
Physically safe spaces, with proper supervision, are required to maintain safety standards at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). Ensure policies…
Policies & Procedures
Policies and Procedures are an essential backbone of your prevention strategy at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), providing an overarching…
Screening & Hiring
Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should create protocols for the application, interviewing, and screening process. Each step of the process…
Monitoring Behavior
Protocols should be developed in order to inform staff and volunteers about supervision, communication, and reporting procedures at your…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
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