The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority
For almost 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hawaii has been dedicated to serving youth and families on Oahu and Kauai. Above all, the safety and well-being of the children we support remain our number one priority.
Our organization is unwavering in its commitment to upholding the utmost standards of safety and integrity. We proudly enforce a ZERO-tolerance policy towards any conduct that could harm a child. Our Clubhouses are meticulously crafted and thoughtfully designed to serve as both physically and emotionally secure safe places for our youth. All of this is made possible under the guidance of compassionate, well-trained, and trustworthy staff and volunteers.
BGCH is committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment at our Clubs to protect the well-being of our entire ‘ohana by utilizing resources and direction from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA), Hawai’i Department of Health (DOH), Hawai’i State Department of Education (HIDOE), and other relevant state agencies.
CULTURE OF SAFETY
BGCH continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe. We have comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.
We encourage all Club staff, Club members, or families to report any incident or situation in which they feel unsafe. Through a partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, BGCH members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233), or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.
REQUIRED IMMEDIATE REPORTING
BGCH staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities immediately. We are also required to report any critical incident to Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.
MANDATORY BACKGROUND CHECKS
Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at BGCH. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through the National Sex Offender Registry.
BOARD LED SAFETY COMMITTEE
BGCH has a dedicated board-led safety committee that provides advice and oversight to BGCH’s safety policies.
SAFETY TRAINING
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. BGCH staff participate in a wide variety of child safety trainings throughout the year conducted by local and national partners. Each year, BGCH employees are required to participate in a two day training where safety best practices are discussed and shared. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches.
MANDATORY ANNUAL SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
BGCH completes a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club(s).
STATE AND LOCAL LAWS
BGCH complies with federal, state, and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
SAFETY PARTNERSHIPS
Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America works with leading experts in the areas of safety, security and technology to develop state-of-the-art solutions for Clubs. We are proud of the work we are doing together with our local and national partners.
Our young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protect every child who is entrusted to our care.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America also advocated for the passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act, which improved background screening systems and access. We have also partnered with the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Centers for Disease Control to contribute to the development of safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.
To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page here.