Boys & Girls Club Safety

Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County 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 including:
• We background check our staff and volunteers annually.
• We partner with local school officials, police departments, and other stakeholders to ensure the safety of
members.
• We have a board-led safety committee that meets regularly.

Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County has 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 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 Club of Leflore County members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour
toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233), or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every
staff and board member at Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County. 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 with Veriscreen Background Services.

Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County 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.

We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as conferences, webinars, and local advocacy and reporting 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.

The Boys & Girls Club of Leflore County has a dedicated safety committee to provide input
and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
• Creating the safest environment possible for young people in Leflore County
• Ensuring transparency and reporting in case of injury
• Safety assessment is completed annually for each of our Club sites.

Any 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.

We comply with federal, state, and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.

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 Club of Leflore County partners with:
• Leflore County EMS
• Poteau Police Department