Conduct a Risk Assessment
To strengthen your screening and hiring process, you can use the questions in Thinking About Risk to make decisions about what additional background…
Home / Reporting / Reporting: Responding to Allegations of Abuse
Staff and volunteers at the YSO (Youth-Serving Organization) should be proficient in discussing abuse and responding to disclosures of abuse. YSO leadership should create environments in which staff and volunteers feel safe to discuss any question, concern, or issue about behavior toward children in the workplace, and report suspicions and allegations of abuse without fear of negative consequences.
To support appropriate responses:
Maximize opportunities to talk with staff about child protection issues and policies to build comfort with the topic of child abuse. It is critical that conversations about child abuse prevention occur frequently to increase children safety as well as staff and volunteer comfort with the subject. Open conversations with staff and volunteers can help encourage asking questions about responsibilities of safety and reporting.
Use supervision to support staff in coming forward to discuss concerning behaviors, or to report suspicions, observations, or disclosures of child abuse. Leadership should continuously discuss child safety with staff and volunteers and clarify concerns or questions they may have. Encourage observations and support staff and volunteers in coming forward when there are concerns, suspicions, or disclosures of sexual abuse.
Reinforce and remind staff that how adults respond to a disclosure of abuse can impact the recovery of the child. In-depth training should be provided to support staff and volunteers in responding properly to disclosures of sexual abuse. Adults should respond by validating and supporting the child when they disclose sexual abuse.
Certify that staff and volunteers know reporting suspected abuse affords protections for the reporter under Massachusetts law. All staff and volunteers should be aware of the protection they are given when they report suspected abuse to DCF. Without concerns of personal liability, the reporter is more likely to come forward.
Ensure staff and volunteers who report suspected abuse will not be subject to any adverse action by the organization or their colleagues. Mandated reporters should also be afforded protection from any negative action at the organization. Staff and volunteers should feel safe to report, without retaliation from the organization or from others at the organization.
Appropriate responses to disclosures or suspicions of sexual abuse increase the likelihood of safe outcomes for children at your YSO. Leadership should train and frequently discuss responses to potential abuse with staff and volunteers in order to reinforce the YSO’s mission of safety.
Screening & Hiring
To strengthen your screening and hiring process, you can use the questions in Thinking About Risk to make decisions about what additional background…
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…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct will provide your staff, volunteers, and others responsible for children and youth with very specific guidelines that will…
Sustainability
Community interaction and involvement is important in maintaining a culture of safety surrounding your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). In order to…
Training
Ideally, all children/youth should receive training and education on issues of personal safety and abuse prevention. Personal safety and child…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Ethics helps to guide the behavior and decision-making of your staff, volunteers, and participants by clarifying the standards and…
Monitoring Behavior
Protocols should be developed in order to inform staff and volunteers about supervision, communication, and reporting procedures at your…
Screening & Hiring
Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should create protocols for the application, interviewing, and screening process. Each step of the process…
Code of Conduct
Along with guiding appropriate behavior, your Code of Conduct should include a clear description of the lines of communication and reporting…
Policies & Procedures
Sample Self-Audit Form for YSOs You can use the following “Self-Audit” form to take an inventory of your youth-serving organization’s abuse…
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.