Screening Toolbox: Massachusetts Criminal Background Checks
Criminal background checks are an important tool in your screening and selection process—and you should ensure that you’re aware of any federal,…
Home / Safe Environments / Determining Additional Risk to Ensure Safe Environments
Standards should be implemented to ensure safe physical spaces for children, such as clear sight–lines and visitor procedures. To ensure child safety, it is also important to understand and secure environments, when possible, outside of your Youth Serving Organization (YSO). Off-site and overnight environments and the behavior of staff and volunteers should be in accordance with your YSO’s Code of Conduct and therefore examined ahead of time to confirm child safety.
To maintain Safe Environments:
Review and incorporate any state and national regulations and accreditation requirements that apply to your YSO. Confirm your Safe Environment policies and standards meet the applicable requirements established by the state and other regulatory agencies.
Confirm drivers meet screening and hiring requirements if transportation to and from the site is provided by your YSO. Drivers should go through the same screening and hiring procedures as other employees, and their driving records should also be examined. In addition, drivers should be familiarized with your YSO Code of Conduct and safety protocols. Ensure companies that provide contract drivers have also screened and vetted their drivers.
Define the policies and procedures, including needed changes in staff-to-child ratios when overnight trips, outings, and field trips are conducted. Staff-to-child ratios may need to be adjusted for off-site trips, to safely monitor children. Ideally, each child should be assigned to a specific staff member or volunteer and know who to go to for any questions or concerns. Staff and volunteers should work in pairs or groups to oversee children, especially during overnight trips.
Establish how staff and volunteers communicate when they are not in the same physical location. Staff and volunteers may use cell phones or radios to communicate needs when separated. Children may also be provided access to important phone numbers in case of emergency.
Determine what additional policy or oversight modifications may be needed for children with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities. Staff-to-child ratios should be determined based on developmental or support needs of each child. Policies for access to private facilities such as the bathroom or shower should also take the needs of children with disabilities into account.
Decide if electronic communication between staff and children is necessary, allowed, or prohibited, and is outlined in your policies. If personal electronic communication is allowed between staff and children, leadership should outline both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors for this communication. Social media usage between staff, volunteers, and children must also be kept up to date and reinforced.
There are many environments requiring oversight inside and outside of your YSO in order to protect children. Carefully examine each of these environments, to ensure they are safe for children. To keep children safe, staff and volunteers should meet all safety requirements and expectations. Visitors who access the YSO and the spaces that children occupy should be subject to the same safety requirements and behavioral expectations as staff and volunteers.
Screening & Hiring
Criminal background checks are an important tool in your screening and selection process—and you should ensure that you’re aware of any federal,…
Training
Once you have identified your training expectations and standards and have researched current and available local and national training, explore…
Screening & Hiring
A personal interview provides an opportunity for you to meet applicants and determine if they are a good fit for your organization. It’s also a …
Training
Staff and volunteers must be trained on child abuse prevention, including the signs and symptoms of child abuse. In order to identify and vet these…
Safe Environments
Safe Environments should be created by having clear sight lines, proper staff-to-child ratios, and safety standards for all personnel and…
Reporting
Visit the website, Massachusetts Department of Children & Families Locations to find contact information for your local office and see…
Screening & Hiring
To determine what screening tools are most appropriate to use for a particular position and to ensure consistency in your screening protocols, we…
Policies & Procedures
Sample Self-Audit Form for YSOs You can use the following “Self-Audit” form to take an inventory of your youth-serving organization’s abuse…
Reporting
The term Human Trafficking is used by Department of Children and Families (DCF) as an umbrella term used to include two specific allegations of…
Reporting
Thinking of children or youth as capable of sexually abusing other children or youth can be difficult to consider and challenging to address. In…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
Learning Center Registration
Sign up for an account and start your learning experience.
Free Online Assessment
Let us help you find out where to start.