Research and Identify Trainings
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…
Home / Sustainability / Sustaining Systemic Change in the Organization
Natural conflicts exist between strategy and culture. These conflicts—if left unaddressed— predict that significant change to any organization will not be a smooth, linear process, and that in times of crisis (or even even when one might think the change is achieved), organizations undergoing a change process that is not yet complete tend to “slide backward” into traditional ways of behaving. For this reason, a sustained level of vigilance, encouragement, and support by senior management is necessary for all levels of your organization as you undergo change.
Vignette:
Consider a youth-serving organization attempting to implement a child sexual abuse prevention program for the first time. The administration appoints several staff members to create new policies and procedures, new screening and hiring practices, and new training and awareness programs for staff. The Director also publishes a letter to all staff letting them know about the importance of protecting children and what’s coming next; periodically attends the planning meetings for updates; and talks about the effort at the quarterly “all hands” staff meetings. The strategy makes sense: It seems to be a logical way to approach the task, has a list of products, and has the Director’s attention and support. After several months of work, the framework is ready. The Director announces that the changes are in effect immediately, and even attends the first training class to set the example and emphasize that the new requirements apply to everyone.
In time, the training programs for all current staff are completed, training for new employees and volunteers happens in small groups as they’re hired, the new organizational processes are in place, and some anecdotal instances indicate that the safety framework appears to have facilitated children’s safety. There is a growing sense of accomplishment and confidence that the children/youth are now safer and, as that sense increases over time, the staff members who drafted the strategy resume their regular job responsibilities, and management turns its attention to other pressing matters. A year later, a child is harmed under circumstances that the strategy should have prevented. How could this happen?
The answer is that a safety program may be adopted but not retained or sustained. After the initial activities to create and implement the safety structure fade, and communication about the issue becomes less frequent, organizations and people tend over time to view the policies, programs, and initiatives as having addressed the situation. This allows them to turn their attention to the many other tasks and activities that typically demand their attention. That’s when the “corporate memory” about why these programs exist begins to weaken, and vigilance can suffer. If your organization lets that happen, you’ll face a great deal of risk.
Turnover of staff and volunteers can also add to this effect, as each succeeding “generation” of managers, employees, and volunteers is further removed from the energy and enthusiasm of the initial effort. Unless there is regular, widespread communication to your organization about the importance of the abuse prevention programs, policies, and procedures, why they are in place, what they are intended to do, and how they are working, the practice of maintaining safe environments can weaken. In other words, you can invest significant time and effort to implement a new safety framework, but you must also pay attention to the longer-term processes of adapting, revising, evaluating, providing feedback, and sustaining the implementation over time as it becomes a new part of your organizational culture.
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…
Reporting
When a member of your staff suspects that a child is being abused and/or neglected, they are required to immediately call your local Department of…
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
Training should be used to increase knowledge and awareness of child abuse prevention, to teach staff about responding to children who disclose…
Safe Environments
Safe Environments should be created by having clear sight lines, proper staff-to-child ratios, and safety standards for all personnel and…
Screening & Hiring
Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should create protocols for the application, interviewing, and screening process. Each step of the process…
Safe Environments
How is Your Facility Designed to Keep Children Safe? Child development and school-age programs operate in many different types of facilities….
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
Policies for youth-serving organizations in Massachusetts should clearly identify the duties and responsibilities of all staff, reflect both Federal…
Safe Environments
Physically safe spaces, with proper supervision, are required to maintain safety standards at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). Ensure policies…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
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