Child Safety is Our #1 Priority.

Ensuring child safety is fundamental to our mission!

The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is our #1 Priority
We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.

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Culture of Safety
The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe, including:

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• Daily health screenings for all children

• Monthly fire drills and bi-annual shelter in place drills

• Monthly extensive School Aged Child Care (SACC) safety checks

• Annual safety assessments

• All youth development staff meet the standards set forth by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)

• All youth development staff are background checked and must be cleared by the NYS Statewide Central Register Clearance System

• All staff receive annual national criminal background checks pursuant to Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) standards

• All youth development staff are monitored and evaluated on a monthly basis to ensure the safety of our Club Members

• All program sites have at least one staff member who is CPR and First Aid-certified on duty at all times

• All staff are screened and trained to ensure the safest, highest quality programs for our members

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Safety Policies
The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth-including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

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Mandatory Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at the Tioga County Boys & Girls Club. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through the NYS Statewide Central Register (SCR) Clearance System, Staff Exclusion List (SEL), National Background Checks through Intellicorp, including criminal records and National Sex Offender Registry.

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Required Immediate Reporting
The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We 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.

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Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club.

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Safety Trainings
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training, such as NYS OCFS Mandated Reporter Training, NYS OCFS Health & Safety Training, and other OCFS-approved training. 

Safety Committee
The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

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• Identifying programmatic/camp challenges/areas of concern

• Developing and modifying safety protocols

• Updating best practices for organizational policies and procedures

• Reviewing critical incidents for quality improvement

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

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

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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:

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• National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations

• Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the 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

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Locally, the Tioga County Boys & Girls Club partners with:

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• Tioga County Sheriff's Department

• Tioga County Emergency Services

• Owego Police Department

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Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated for the passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act, which improved 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 contribute to 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 at The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Child Safety page, here.

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Child & Club Safety Policy Statement

Implementing a Safety Management System: our Layers of Safety Protection

 

At The Tioga County Boys & Girls Club, safety is foundational to everything we do.  We strive to create safe places where youth and staff thrive, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment at all times. 

 

To ensure the safety of our operations and services, we are committed to a safety management system to identify, assess and mitigate risks and to continuously improve our safety performance.  This requires our unyielding commitment to the following principles:

 

• Promoting the concept that safety is a core value and precondition to operation.

• Enabling proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks associated with our activities, programs, and services. 

• Fostering a positive safety culture through behavioral norms, expectations and “unwritten rules.”

• Prioritizing the safety and health of all individuals involved in our operations and affected stakeholders.

• Conducting risk assessments on a regular basis to proactively address risks and minimize the likelihood and severity of incidents.

• Complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards, including Movements’s membership requirements.

• Actively encouraging the reporting of incidents, near misses and other safety concerns without fear of reprisal. 

• Promoting safety awareness through open, regular communication and engagement initiatives. 

• Provident comprehensive training to employees, volunteers, and other stakeholders to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their tasks safely.

• Allocating sufficient resources (people, processes, tools, and training) to support this safety policy.

• Integrating safety into all aspects of our business planning and decision-making processes.

• Ensuring all employees understand that we all have a daily obligation to pursue safety, quality and compliance as described in this safety policy.

 

Review and Revision

This Child & Club Safety policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its continued effectiveness and relevance.  It may be revised as necessary to reflect changes in regulations, industry standards, and organizational requirements.

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Jill Teeter, CEO