Club Safety & Non-Discrimination Policies

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 Topeka 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:

 

• Code of Conduct

• Anti-Bullying Policy

• Incident Reporting Policy

• Drug, Alcohol, Tobacco Free Environment Policy

• Internet, Social Media & Technology Use Policies to protect youth online

 

 

Safety Policies: Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka 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 Topeka Club 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 Topeka.  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 First Advantage employment background screening, identify and verification solutions system and the Kansas State Registry

Required Immediate Reporting: 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, that include Child & Club Safety 101, Keeping Your Boys & Girls Club Safe, Workplace Safety orientation, CPR/First Aid and AED training. Annual training include Incident Management,  Mandated Reporting and Sexual Abuse Prevention. 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 Topeka has a dedicated Board-led Safety Committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

 

• Safety Planning. Identify gaps, objectives and outcomes for a safety improvement plan. Oversee fulfillment of improvement tactics, using measurers to track progress

• Safety Assessment Review. Closely review results of the online Annual Safety assessment and NYOI Member Survey

• Annual Facility Safety  Evaluation. Develop strategies to immediately eliminate and reduce identified hazards

• Mandatory Reporting Laws. Understand implement and enforce child safety reporting laws

• Incident Review. Regularly review reported safety incidents to help determine if additional policies and or procedures should be in place to minimize recurrence

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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 Topeka partners with:

 

• Topeka Police Department

• FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force

• Shawnee County Sheriff

• Alltech Communications

• Kansas Highway Patrol

• U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

• Lifehouse Child Advocacy Center

 

Continued Commitment: In July 2020, Boys & Girls Club organizations voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Though many of these practices were already commonplace across our Movement, this vote made them mandatory for all Clubs. These include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Safety Committee requirements, stronger communication of key safety resources and information, and more. With unprecedented majority, on July 26, 2021, local Boys & Girls Clubs voted in record number to adopt additional membership requirements that further enhance child safety, implementing recommendations from RAINN that began in 2020 and will continue over the next two years - a demonstration of our continued commitment to keeping kids safe.

 

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 at Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka . To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page.

 

Non-Discrimination Statement: In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

 

mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax:

(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

email:

Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.