Safe Environment Strategies: Access
Safe Environment Strategies: Access Complementing the physical aspects of safety are the procedural aspects of safety and security, and how…
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In the past, youth-serving organizations needed to worry about safety only within the physical environment—the building(s) where their services were provided. Today, the environment extends beyond physical spaces into the virtual realm—a world that lacks geographic and physical boundaries. Electronic and social media have become a significant part of everyday life—especially for children and youth. In just a few years, they have profoundly changed the nature of communication, and are already a preferred means of communication among children and youth. Undoubtedly, new social media technologies, tools, and devices will continue to expand in type and grow in sophistication and usefulness.
The skills learned in social networking—such as cooperation, collaboration, the management of information, organization, and communication—are key skills for children and youth as they seek future employment and prepare for professional work in our totally connected world. At the same time, social media can and has been misused and employed to facilitate communication among youth and between adults and youth in inappropriate ways that violate boundaries and lack the standards of visibility or accountability. The 24/7 nature of social media communications blurs many boundaries as our formerly private spaces become more public—and questions of liability for organizations like yours cannot be ignored. That’s why your efforts to build a safe environment must take the cyber-environment into account.
Your organization should consider adding social media policies or statements to your safe environment frameworks, including these elements:
Safe Environments
Safe Environment Strategies: Access Complementing the physical aspects of safety are the procedural aspects of safety and security, and how…
Reporting
Staff and volunteers at the YSO (Youth-Serving Organization) should be proficient in discussing abuse and responding to disclosures of abuse. YSO…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct is an essential tool to help you ensure the safety of the children and youth in your care, and prevent child sexual abuse.
Policies & Procedures
Your Policies and Procedures must be adhered to by all staff and volunteers to maintain safety standards at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO)….
Screening & Hiring
One way you can help prevent child sexual abuse within your organization is by screening out those at risk to cause harm—before they are hired …
Training
The approaches in the chart below can provide frameworks that make your organization most effective when training adults and/or children/youth….
Sustainability
Leadership at Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs) should maintain regular communication on the culture of safety with staff, volunteers, parents, and…
Screening & Hiring
When possible, it can be informative to observe an applicant in your environment with the child(ren) and youth you serve, to look for potential red…
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…
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.
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