Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should develop a protocol to keep staff and volunteers accountable for their behaviors. Identify the responsibilities staff and volunteers have in the Monitoring Behavior process as well as their responsibilities to identify concerning or inappropriate behaviors and to report when suspicions or observations of harmful behavior arise.  

Determine how your Code of Conduct is being adhered to and where additional policy or training may be needed. Examine which areas of your Code of Conduct are well understood and followed by those at your organization and which need to be reinforced. Use this information to employ additional policies or conversations with staff and volunteers regarding expected behaviors.  

Include language indicating all staff have the responsibility to observe and report inappropriate or concerning behaviors displayed by staff or by children. Clearly define all staff and volunteer responsibilities when observing and reporting safety concerns. Staff and volunteers at your YSO should report all concerning behaviors including the behaviors of children, staff, and volunteers.  

Consult your child safety team to identify areas of strength and higher risk activities where monitoring would be especially important. Evaluate the activities at your YSO requiring different levels of supervision. Determine and implement the appropriate level of supervision for each area or activity and update your protocols when needed to ensure the highest standard of safety 

Define the people who must be informed when staff, volunteers, or children observe inappropriate or harmful behavior. Outline the reporting chain for everyone in your organization to follow when reporting suspected or disclosed abuse. Be sure to make this information clear to staff, volunteers, and children at your YSO.  

Outline the steps all staff and volunteers must follow when reporting suspected abuse. Reporting procedures should be clearly defined and available for all staff and volunteers. Continuously discuss reporting procedures with staff and volunteers, to ensure they know their responsibility in reporting suspicions and observations of harmful behavior.  

Continually highlight the importance and responsibility of staff and volunteers to monitor ongoing behaviors at your YSO. Leadership must ensure staff and volunteers are following your Monitoring Behavior protocols and staff and volunteers know who to consult when they have concerns.   

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