Safety

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority 

We work every day to create a safe, inclusive, and fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have no tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance. 

Culture of Safety

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver continually updates robust safety policies, programs, and training for staff and volunteers to promote child safety and protect young people from threats in our society. These resources include but are not limited to: 

• No 1:1 contact between members and any adults in our buildings 
• Conducting lockdown, evacuate, secure, shelter, and hold drills 
• Training all staff in CPR/First Aid  
• Annual safety assessments 
• Policies around bathroom use 

Safety Policies

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver maintains comprehensive safety policies that protect youth, including but not limited to policies on supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibition of one-on-one contact. 

24-hour Toll-free Child Safety Hotline

We encourage all staff, members, and families to report any incident or situation they feel is unsafe. Through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline at 866-607-SAFE (7233) or SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com. 

Mandatory Background Checks

Mandatory criminal background checks are required upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct, repetitive contact with kids. All potential employees and volunteers must pass a comprehensive background check through Sterling Volunteers. 

Required Immediate Reporting

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters and are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities immediately. We are also required to report any critical incident to Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.

Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments

We employ a multi-tiered safety assessment approach to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club(s).

Safety Trainings

Ongoing training and supervision of staff are critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training through online courses, [seminars, conferences, and webinars. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.
 

Mandatory Employee Reference

Any employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from their previous Club, even if the Clubs are within the same community.   

State and Local Laws

We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles. 

Safety Partnerships

Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America works with leading experts in the areas of safety, security and technology to develop state-of-the-art solutions for Clubs. Partners include: 

• National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations 
• Blue Ribbon Taskforce, composed of local Club leaders who provide input on safety direction and key safety initiatives
• Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse 
• Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis 

Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver partners with: 

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 
• American Red Cross 
• Police Departments throughout the Metro Denver region. 

Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated for passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act to improve background screening systems and access. The national organization has also partnered with the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Centers for Disease Control to support the development of safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.

America’s young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protect every child who is entrusted to our care Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page.