BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA
WINTER 2020
STRENGTHEN ORGANIZATIONS PRIORITY 1
Child & Club Safety As a Movement, we are committed to identifying and implementing best practices that support the safety and protection of Club members. Our focus remains on the continued advancement of technology solutions, staff training and engaging local safety committees. In 2019, we made significant strides in Club safety – particularly in the areas of abuse prevention and stronger communication. This began with the launch of an all-new sexual abuse prevention training, offered to Clubs at no cost; 60,535 courses were completed by 9,498 Club professionals from 597 member organizations. All local organizations also shared the contact information of their safety committee chairs to support better communication around emerging trends at the national and local level, as well as to connect Clubs to the right safety resources. Supporting emergency operations, the Movement’s emergency notification system, LiveSafe, was also rolled out, with 52 Clubs using the system by year-end. This strong forward momentum will be accelerated in 2020, as safety work focuses on: Independent Review: An independent, top-to-bottom thirdparty review of our policies, practices and procedures is underway, led by Alston & Bird and RAINN. They will provide progress reports throughout the year, with a final report later this year, and RAINN will consult with us in real-time on our safety approach throughout the year. We will share findings from the review with the Movement and with the public.
Emergency Operations: LiveSafe, our emergency notification mobile app, launched in Q4 of 2019 and is available for purchase at the annual rate of $400 per organization. LiveSafe helps Clubs get ahead of emerging threats and prevents serious safety or security incidents through both day-to-day and emergency communications to keep staff, volunteers, members and parents informed. We encourage every Club to take advantage of this opportunity. Visit livesafemobile.com/boysgirlsclubs to register your organization.
External Site-level Assessments: In Q4 of 2019, BGCA launched a pilot test of a multi-tiered assessment process in 216 Clubhouses across the nation. In the coming months, we’ll begin socializing an assessment framework for your feedback. The enhanced assessments and new technology platform are anticipated for rollout starting in 2021.
Education & Training: A significant element in year-overyear quality improvement will be rooted in training and professional development. In 2019, 1,166 sites from 430 organizations received on-site safety consultations, and 359 organizations participated in safety-related learning events. To meet the complex needs of our Movement, we are modifying our training strategy to make it more agile. More to come later this year.
Learn more about BGCA.net/ChildSafety.
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