Your Policies and Procedures must be adhered to by all staff and volunteers to maintain safety standards at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). Once implemented, Policies and Procedures should undergo at least an annual review and revision to remain effective.  

Successful implementation of your Policies and Procedures involves: 

Policies and Procedures that are constructed collaboratively with staff and other stakeholders to create a sense of shared ownership. Staff and volunteers understand and acknowledge their responsibility to keep children safe at all times. 

Enforcement of the Code of Conduct and address any breaches accordingly. All staff and volunteers know how and to whom to report allegations of suspected abuse and neglect promptly. Staff and volunteers who have been found to breach the Code of Conduct are disciplined and dealt with accordingly.   

Conducting all pre-employment and volunteer screening and hiring procedures and periodically repeating criminal background checks. The staff responsible for screening and hiring practices at the organization must be identified. All applicants are assessed on their suitability to work with children.   

Training staff at least annually on how to recognize, respond, and report concerning behaviors in adults and signs of abuse in children. Frequency of training is determined by the individual needs of the organization but must occur at least annually. All training must include a means of confirming participation and completion.  

Adhering to your monitoring behavior and reporting protocols and addressing any issues when they occur. Roles and responsibilities regarding monitoring behavior of all staff and volunteers must be clearly defined. All staff and volunteers must know how and to whom to report inappropriate and harmful behaviors or suspicions of abuse.   

Ongoing implementation of your Policies and Procedures is a protective factor against sexual abuse at your YSO. When all staff and volunteers are aware of their role, duties, and the policies associated with keeping kids safe, all children are safer.  

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