At Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State, there is nothing more important than the safety of our youth members. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment, so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life.
We do not tolerate inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct. From strict adherence to policies and guidelines within Club facilities and staffing structure, to equipping young people with the critical thinking and social-emotional skills to make healthy, safe choices, ensuring Club members are safe is the first step to their success.
For the nearly half a million young people who enter the doors of a Boys & Girls Club each day, Clubs offer safe, inclusive spaces and experiences that empower members’ learning and growth.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America continually updates and innovates robust safety policies, programs and training for local Club staff and volunteers that are designed to protect young people from threats that are present in our society. Through our national Child & Club Safety Department we implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
- Mandatory criminal background checks.
- Local Boys & Girls Clubs are required to immediately report any incident regardless of severity to the appropriate authorities and then to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
- Each Club has a Board led Safety Committee elevating safety to the highest level of governance.
- Clubs are required to complete a mandatory annual safety assessments.
- BGCA and local Clubs engage leading 3rd party safety experts on training, policies and resources.
- Any employee looking to move to another Club, MUST have a reference from the previous Club.
And much more. Learn more about our safety policies and actions.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America advocated for the passage of the U.S. PROTECT ACT, which improved background screening systems and access, and is proud to partner with the following organizations to develop safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.
