CHILD SAFETY

Safety is our HIGHEST Priority

At Boys & Girls Clubs of East Alabama, 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.

Report a Critical Incident

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Our Safety Guidelines

Boys & Girls Clubs of East Alabama continually updates and innovates robust safety policies, programs and training for Club staff and volunteers that are designed to protect young people from threats that are present in our society. Through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe.

Safety Policies

We have comprehensive safety policies in place to protect members, including and not limited to, supervision, restrooms, communication, and prohibiting one-on-one contact.

Mandatory Background Checks

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with any members.

Immediate Response & Reporting

Staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/suspicion, and safety concerns 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 annually for all Club locations to ensure technology, transportation, background checks, restrooms, supervision, training standards, and policies are enforced and/or addressed and improved at Clubs.

Board-Led Safety Committee

We have a dedicated board-led safety committee working to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.

Safety Training

Ongoing training and staff supervision is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training such as annual conferences, quarterly workshops, annual board retreats, and third-party safety training from experts in the field. Regular web-based safety and abuse training.

State & Local Laws

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

Local Safety Partnerships

  • Lee County Sheriffs Department
  • City of Auburn Fire Department
  • City of Auburn Police Department
  • City of Opelika Fire Department
  • City of Opelika Police Department
  • Auburn City Schools
  • Opelika City Schools
  • Auburn Housing Authority
  • Opelika Housing Authority
Child & Club Safety Handbook
Parent Handbook