Our Commitment to Safety

Ensuring the safety of all youth is fundamental to the mission of the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos

STANDARD SAFETY POLICIES

We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids and teens have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance. We continually update 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 continually update 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.
MANDATORY BACKGROUND CHECKS

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos. 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 First Advantage checking social security, criminal records, and the sexual offender database. Their fingerprints are also run through Livescan and the Department of Justice .

SAFETY TRAININGS
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as localized all-staff trainings, monthly safety and abuse prevention trainings, and National/Regional Trainings. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.
ANNUAL SAFETY ASSESSMENTS
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos completes a safety assessment every year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.
SAFETY COMMITTEE
We have a dedicated Board-led safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

• Annually updating the Emergency Operations Plan
• Conducting safety assessments and providing recommendations

REQUIRED EMPLOYEE REFERENCES

Any potential employee is required to submit the following contacts for reference checks before eligible to hire:

  • 1 Personal Reference
  • 1 Professional Reference
  • 1 Family Member or Relative


*Any current or former employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from the previous Club, even if the Clubs are within the same community.

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. Partners include:

• National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations
• Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the safety direction and key safety initiatives
• Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse
• Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis

Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos partners with the San Marcos Sheriff's Station and the City of San Marcos in order to ensure that all organization-wide policies are in compliance with or exceed requirements.

Contact Us

24-HOUR TOLL-FREE CHILD SAFETY HOTLINE

We encourage all staff, members, and families to report any incident or situation they feel is unsafe. Through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation's leading safety experts, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline by phone at (866) 607-SAFE(7233) or by email at SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.

GENERAL HEALTH & WELLNESS REMINDERS

As a reminder, we recommend these preventative actions every family should take to prevent illness.

 

  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Wash your hands often:
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • It takes an average of 11.8 seconds to sing the entire Happy Birthday song, so if you sing it twice, that will ensure you've scrubbed long enough. This is a great method to share with children in your family. While this measure is simple, it is effective.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. For more information about handwashing, see CDC's handwashing website

 

It is recommended for children to engage in usual preventative actions to avoid infection, including cleaning hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoiding people who are sick, and staying up to date on vaccinations, including influenza vaccine.

America’s 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 at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
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