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…
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 / Sustainability / Strategies for Implementing Systemic Change
Organizational changes are challenging enough, but the issue of child sexual abuse prevention and what you can do to better protect the children/youth in your care comes with extra challenges. This particular change forces everyone in your organization to consider the uncomfortable truth of child sexual abuse, and acknowledge the real possibility that the children you seek to support may also be exposed to risk through participation in your programs. The idea that “one of us” could sexually abuse a child is hard for many to accept.
Research from Industrial/Organizational psychologists suggests that true system change in an organization requires strategies and actions that impact the entire structure in positive ways, with outcomes that:
These elements, however, must be part of a process that brings the conversation between you, your managers and supervisors, and your staff and volunteers to a very different level than a set of mandates about new policies, procedures, programs, and timelines. Two important factors in this process are the strategy for change (the roadmap for defining and implementing the changes considered necessary for your organization’s growth or development) and the culture in which the change needs to occur (organizational mindset, history, decision-making style, behaviors, accountability structures, etc.).
Sustainability
In order to uphold a culture of safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), communication between leadership, staff and volunteers must focus…
Training
Staff and volunteers must be trained on child abuse prevention, including the signs and symptoms of child abuse. In order to identify and vet these…
Reporting
Effective reporting structures rely on staff and volunteers’ recognition of signs and symptoms of sexual abuse. The Youth-Serving Organization…
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…
Reporting
With some exceptions, a single incident or observation of suspected abuse or neglect may not necessarily trigger the need for a call to the…
Reporting
In addition to the institutions mentioned specifically in the 51A law, any youth-serving organization can identify a “designated agent”—an…
Monitoring Behavior
Protocols should be developed in order to inform staff and volunteers about supervision, communication, and reporting procedures at your…
Reporting
Visit the website, Massachusetts Department of Children & Families Locations to find contact information for your local office and see…
Screening & Hiring
A personal interview provides an opportunity for you to meet applicants and determine if they are a good fit for your organization. It’s also a …
Screening & Hiring
Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should create protocols for the application, interviewing, and screening process. Each step of the process…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
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