Commitment to Safety
At Boys & Girls Club of the Black Hills, safety is Job No.1. Ensuring child safety is fundamental to our mission.
Main Priority Safety & Wellbeing
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.
State & Local Laws
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
Fostering futures through unwavering commitment to safety at the Boys & Girls Club – where every child’s well-being is our top priority.
Culture Of Safety
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills 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:
- Monthly staff trainings from Leadership staff, BGCA, and local experts
- Annual Safety Assessment at each location
- Staff and volunteer annual background checks
- Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills 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, BGCBH 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 the Black Hills. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct, repetitive contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are run through the National Sex Offender Registry with Veriscreen.
Required Immediate Reporting
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills 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 Clubs.
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.
Safety Committee
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills has a dedicated Board-led Safety Committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
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.
Safety Partnerships
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills partners with local law enforcement agencies as well as local school districts.
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
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 at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Black Hills. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page.