Parent
Information
PARENT INFORMATION
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford is your parenting partner!
Our doors are open after school Monday-Friday. Our Clubs provide a safe space to learn, grow, exercise and contribute to our community. We help with homework, build self-esteem, teach healthy habits, and prepare your children for great success in life.
At Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, Child Safety is our Number 1 job! Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford.
The Safety and Wellbeing of Young
People is Our Number One Priority
We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can 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.
Culture of Safety
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford 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:
- All Visitors must sign in and out of the facility
- No parent or visitor is allowed to walk through facility without escort
- Anyone picking up a child from our Clubs must be on the approved list and show ID
- Safety policies are reviewed and updated regularly
- Safety is discussed monthly with leadership to review practices, issues and best practices
- Senior team reviewing Incidents & Accidents
Safety Policies
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.
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 Hartford 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 Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford. 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 First Advantage.
Required Immediate Reporting
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford 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 Annual Safety Assessments
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.
Safety Trainings
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as First Aid, CPR, Medication disbursement, ALICE training with Hartford Police, seminars, conferences, webinars and a semi-annual safety symposium. 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.
Safety Committee
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
- Ensuring building safety policies and procedures are adhered to and all staff are trained
- Safety Visits
- Ratios of staff to members are enforced
Mandatory Employee Reference
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.
State and Local Laws
We comply 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. 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 Hartford partners with:
- The Hartford Police Department
- The Hartford Fire Department
- Code One (first aid, CPR, EPI Pen and medication disbursement training)
- Department of Children and Family Services
Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated the passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act, which improved background screening systems and access. The national organization has 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.
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 Hartford.
To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
Questions, Comments, Concerns? Contact Chantel Gray or Joe Bumpers.
RKidz
RKidz is a parent group working with Boys & Girls Club staff to achieve our mission of helping young people reach their full potential. To get involved talk to your Club’s director.