Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of
Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica
The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority
We work every day to create a safe, inclusive and fun environment so kids can have every opportunity o be successful in life. We have no 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 Santa Monica 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 continually enhance and implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
• Monthly site safety inspections
• Routine safety training for staff
• Annual background checks for all staff, board & volunteers
Safety Policies
Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.
Mandatory Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks are required upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica. 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 Sterling.
Required Immediate Reporting
Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica 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.
