Club Safety

The priority of Boys & Girl Club of Cape Cod is the physical and emotional safety of its members, staff and volunteers. Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod maintains a zero-tolerance policy for child abuse. Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod implements policies and procedures for members, employees, volunteers, visitors or any victims of sexual abuse or misconduct to report any suspicion or allegation of abuse.

Staff and Volunteer Standards

All employees and volunteers at school, camp, day care and other agencies working with children to have criminal background checks every three years. It is the policy of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cape Cod to require annual state and national criminal and sexual offender record background checks for all employees, volunteers, and Board members.

Any applicant for employment or for a volunteer position at BGCCC shall be ineligible for any position that entails potential unsupervised contact with children if he or she has been convicted of, or has pending, any charge for any crime in 102 CMR 14.16: Table A and if he or she has been convicted of, or has pending, any charge for any crime in 102 CMR 14.16. Such conduct shall include, but not be limited to the following: 1. criminal charges or a criminal conviction included in a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) report that BGCCC has determined to impair the applicant’s ability to care for children; 2. engaging in, or having engaged in, any other conduct, criminal or otherwise, determined by BGCCC to impair the applicant’s ability to care for children; 3. engaging in, or having engaged in conduct which results in his/her child being adjudicated to be in need of care and protection; 4. allegations of abuse or neglect of a child, supported in a 51A report; 5. use of alcohol or drugs, legal or illegal, to an extent or in a manner that is determined by BGCCC to impair the applicant’s ability to care for children properly. Failure to disclose relevant criminal history will result in mandatory disqualification.

Every staff member or volunteer of Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod who becomes aware of or has suspicion of child abuse or neglect must immediately report to Club leadership. Club leadership is responsible for reporting the incident immediately to the appropriate authorities according to statewide mandated reporting laws, as well as to Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) within 24 hours via the critical incident system.

Boys and Girl Club of Cape Cod is committed to providing a safe environment. All Club activities and program spaces shall always be under continuous supervision by sight or sound (for restroom supervision) by an appropriately trained staff. Also, there will always be a 1:20 or better staff to children ratio in all program areas

To ensure appropriate supervision, staff and volunteers:

• Must abide by the prohibition of private one-on-one interaction policy.
• Must abide by all the organization’s disciplinary policies and procedures.
• Must ensure that at least one trained staff is present when supervising members.
• Must always maintain proper supervision ratios.
• Must be trained on appropriate supervision tactics and behavior patterns.
• Must ensure that all youth staff and volunteers are supervised by a trained staff staff member.
• Must immediately notify Club leadership and/or submit written reports detailing supervision issues, accidents or critical incidents.
• Must never use electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs or other communication devices while supervising members unless for Club purposes.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod is committed to providing a safe environment for members, staff and volunteers. To further ensure their safety, the organization maintains a drug- and alcohol-free workplace. The unlawful or improper use of drugs – including marijuana, controlled substances or alcohol in the workplace – presents a danger to everyone. The organization also has a duty to comply with the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

• Employees are prohibited from reporting to work or working while under the influence of alcohol and/or illegal or unauthorized drugs.
• Employees are prohibited from reporting to work or working when the employee is using any legal drugs; exceptions can be made in accordance with state law when the use is pursuant to a doctor’s orders and the doctor has advised the employee that the substance does not adversely affect the employee’s ability to safely perform his or her job duties.

Employees taking any legal drugs that potentially affect job safety or performance are responsible for notifying their supervisor and/or Club leadership so that a determination of job performance or a reasonable accommodation can be made. An employee may not be permitted to perform his or her job duties unless such a determination or reasonable accommodation has been made.

• Employees are prohibited from engaging in the unlawful or unauthorized manufacturing, distribution, dispensing, sale or possession of illegal drugs and alcohol in the workplace, including on

organization paid time, on organization premises, in organization vehicles or while engaged in organization activities. Employees must notify their supervisor and/or Club leadership immediately of any criminal drug or alcohol violation.

• Employment with the organization is conditional upon full compliance with the foregoing drug- and alcohol-free workplace policy. Any violation of this policy might result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod further reserves the right to take any and all appropriate and lawful actions necessary to enforce this drug- and alcohol-free workplace policy, including but not limited to the inspection of organization-issued lockers, desks or other suspected areas of concealment, as well as an employee’s personal property when the organization has reasonable suspicion to believe that the employee has violated this policy.

STAFF AND VOLUNTEER ONBOARDING

Upon offer of a position, each new Club employee shall receive and confirm in writing receipt of an up- todate employee policies and procedures manual or handbook that, at a minimum, articulates current:

• Conditions of employment;
• Benefits;
• Rights and responsibilities of employees;
• Club safety policies; and
• Any other important employment-related

Before working with any Club members, all staff, board, and volunteers at a minimum shall be given an orientation that includes an overview of the following:

• The organization’s mission, goals, policies and procedures and schedule;
• Job descriptions and performance standards for their position;
• The needs and other relevant characteristics of program participants, including cultural and socioeconomic characteristics;
• Personnel and volunteer policies and procedures, including expectations regarding work hours and schedules, breaks and planning time;
• Operational policies and procedures related to safety, supervision, transportation, facilities, emergency operations, etc.; and
• Completion of the required Child Abuse Prevention Trainings approved by Screening and Onboarding Policy

TRANSPORTATION:

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod is committed to providing a safe environment and enforces the following transportation policy for members, staff, volunteers and other adults. Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod only provides transportation to and from the Clubhouse and various approved off-site locations. The Club only transports youth in Club vehicles or other vehicles approved by Club leadership.

DRIVERS

• Must allow for DMV background check and be cleared to transport youth per the barrier crime policy

 of the organization.

• Must keep an updated list of all youth who are transported to and from the Clubhouse and Clubrelated

 activities.

• Must confirm that no children are left on a vehicle after every trip (based on a seat-by-seat scan of

 each vehicle); log must be signed daily to ensure compliance.

• Must perform regular checks to ensure that all members are picked up and dropped off at the

 appropriate times and locations.

• Must submit written reports detailing issues or incidents involving transportation of members to and

 from the Clubhouse or to and from Club-related activities.

• Must only transport members in official Club
• Must ensure that at least three individuals are present when transporting If one child

 remains to be dropped off, two adults (18 or over) must be present in vehicle.

• Must never transport Club members in personal
• Must never use cell phones, PDAs or other communication devices while transporting members to

 and from the Clubhouse or Club-related activities.

Vehicle

• Each agency vehicle should meet all local, state and federal inspection and licensing
• Each vehicle should be inspected as outlined by DMV by staff before every trip for which youth are being transported; any problems with the vehicle must be addressed promptly.
• Regular maintenance should be performed on vehicles and documents/records reflecting that maintenance should be maintained.
• Each vehicle must provide a seat belt for every passenger and fully comply with state and federal seat belt regulations. Each vehicle must have a complete first-aid kit that satisfies state licensing
• Each vehicle must have a working and current fire extinguisher that satisfies state licensing

 requirements.

• Each vehicle must have reflective traffic warning signs (e.g., triangles or flares) that are stored

 securely during transport.

• The vehicle must be clean and well maintained and exterior physical damage must be repaired

 promptly.

SUPERVISION

Boys and Girl Club of Cape Cod is committed to providing a safe environment. All Club activities and program spaces shall always be under continuous supervision by sight or sound (for restroom supervision) by an appropriate adult staff (18 or over). To ensure appropriate supervision, staff and volunteers:

• Must abide by the prohibition of private one-on-one interaction
• Must abide by all the organization’s disciplinary policies and
• Must ensure that at least one adult staff (18 and over) is present when supervising
• Must always maintain proper supervision
• Must be trained on appropriate supervision tactics and behavior
• Must ensure that all youth staff and volunteers are supervised by an adult (18 and over) staff
• Must immediately notify Club leadership and/or submit written reports detailing supervision issues, accidents or critical incidents.
• Must never use electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs or other communication devices while supervising members unless for Club purposes, as defined in the Acceptable Technology Use

Policy.

RESTROOM USAGE

Boys & Girls Clubs (local name) is committed to providing a safe, clean environment and enforces the following restroom policy for members, staff, volunteers and other adults.

• There will be either a designated adult restroom or procedures to ensure adults and minors never utilize a restroom at the same Staff and adults must always use the staff bathroom when members are on site. Not in BGCA policies
• Club will either have single-user restrooms or multi-user restrooms with single stalls that can be secured from the inside. When using restrooms at public facilities during field trips, a minimum of three youth will be escorted by one staff member, who will wait outside the main entrance of the

RESTROOM MONITORING ON FIELD TRIPS

Restrooms shall be regularly monitored by designated staff according to a schedule set by Club leadership. Monitoring includes walk-throughs, inspections and/or any (but not necessarily all) of the best practices outlined below:

• Implementing procedures to limit the number of children using restrooms at the same
• Prohibiting younger children and teens from sharing a
• Positioning staff near restroom entries to maintain auditory supervision of
• Designing or renovating multi-user restrooms to eliminate outer doors, while maintaining privacy with individual stalls.

Staff observing unacceptable restroom conditions or incidents shall:

• Immediately notify Club leadership of the
• Document, in writing, restroom conduct incidents and report them to Club leadership as soon as possible in compliance with the Club’s Incident Reporting Policy.

ENTRANCE AND EXIT CONTROL

All facility entries and exits shall be controlled and monitored by paid adult staff (18 or over) during all hours of operation, along with a system to monitor and track everyone who is in the facility.

All exit doors shall have an audible alarm to discourage unauthorized use to exit or enter the facility. Only designated adult staff (18 or over) shall be authorized to possess keys and/or badges to open any facility. If an employee is supervising a scheduled activity, they shall be responsible for the security of their program space.

FACILITY CONDITION

All program spaces shall have clear lines of visibility and be monitored by adult staff when in use. Areas that are not in use shall remain locked and only accessible by adult staff.

All interior and exterior spaces, hallways, stairs and stairways shall be monitored, maintained, well-lit, clean and free of hazards and obstructions. All storage closets and other unused spaces are to be locked during operational hours.

Damages to facilities shall be repaired in a reasonable manner. Damages that pose imminent risk to the health and safety of members, staff or volunteers shall be repaired immediately. If immediate repair to damage that poses imminent risk is not possible, Club leadership shall determine whether temporary or permanent closure of the facility may be required. Any damage to a facility that results in an incident deemed critical to the organization shall be reported to the appropriate authorities as a critical incident.

FOOD AND DRINK

Any distribution, preparation or consumption of food and/or drink at any facility shall comply with all applicable food services sanitation and public health codes. If food is prepared and served on site, required city or county health department inspection certificates shall be posted. Any dangerous kitchen utensils, including knives, shall be properly and securely stored.

GENERAL INCIDENT DESCRIPTION

Safety incidents that will lead to internal and/or external reporting can include but are not limited to:

• Inappropriate activity between adults (18 and over) and youth;
• Inappropriate activity between multiple youth;
• Allegations of abuse;
• Bullying behavior;
• Inappropriate electronic communications between adults (18 or over) and youth;
• Minor and major medical emergencies;
• Accidents, including slips and falls;
• Threats made by or against staff, volunteers and/or members;
• Physical assaults and injuries, including fights;
• Missing children;
• Criminal activity, including theft and robbery;
• Other incidents as deemed appropriate by Club leadership.

Safety incidents include those that occur during Club programs, on Club premises and/or during a Club affiliated program or trip.

INTERNAL INCIDENT REPORTING 

Any employee or volunteer who becomes aware of an incident, as defined in this policy, shall immediately complete an incident report and submit the incident to Club leadership.

The following information shall be included on an Incident Report:

• Date and location
• Incident details (if applicable)
• Witnesses and contact information
• Names of all involved (youth and staff if applicable)
• All notifications made (first responders, parents, leadership, etc.)

EXTERNAL INCIDENT REPORTING (to BGCA, DCF, or Law Enforcement)

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod follows all applicable mandated reporting statutes and regulations and all applicable federal, state and local laws (including those around licensing, for licensed organizations) for the protection and safety of youth. Types of incidents reported include but are not limited to:

• Inappropriate activity between adults (18 or over) and youth;
• Inappropriate activity between multiple youth;
• Allegations of child abuse;
• Any form of child pornography;
• Criminal activity, including assault, theft and robbery;
• Children missing from the premises.

INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod takes all incidents seriously and is committed to supporting external investigations of all reported incidents and allegations or internal investigations by the Safety Committee when not an externally reportable incident. Federal, state and local criminal and or mandated child abuse reporting laws must be complied with before any consideration of an internal investigation. The internal investigation should never be viewed as a substitute for a required criminal or child protective services investigation. In the event that an incident involves an allegation against a staff member, volunteer or Club member, the Club shall suspend that individual immediately (employees with pay) and maintain the suspension throughout the course of the investigation.

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

To keep the members and staff safe and to protect against theft and other misdeeds, it is the policy of the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod to employ video cameras throughout the buildings, with the exception of the bathrooms. The cameras are monitored by the Front Desk Attendant real time and only Director and Manager-level staff are allowed to review previous footage. The Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod will work with law-enforcement bodies in the of a crime or in the assistance of an investigation.

TECHNOLOGY 

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod is committed to providing a safe use of technology and online safety for members, staff and volunteers. The acceptable use policy provides the framework for those safety practices and procedures.

CLUB MEMBER USAGE 

Before a member will be allowed to use Club technology equipment or their personal device, both the member and his/her parent/guardian will need to read and sign the Technology Acceptable Use policy, located on membership form and return it to the Club. Under the Technology Acceptable Use policy, the following relevant principles shall apply: Club devices shall include any and all Club-owned existing and/or emerging technologies and devices that can take photographs, play and record audio or video, input text, upload and download content and/or media and transmit or receive messages or images. Personally owned devices shall include any and all member-owned existing and/or emerging technologies and devices that can take photographs, play and record audio or video, input text, upload and download content and/or media and transmit or receive messages or images. Club purposes shall include program activities, career development, communication with experts and/or Club peer members, homework and Club activities. Members are expected to act responsibly and thoughtfully when using technology resources. Members bear the burden of responsibility to inquire with staff when they are unsure of the permissibility of a particular use of technology prior to engaging in its use.

Authorized use: Club devices and personally owned devices are permitted for use during approved Club times for Club purposes and in approved locations only. The Club expressly prohibits the use of Club devices or personally owned devices in locker rooms, restrooms and other areas where there is an expectation of privacy.

Appropriate use: Members may not use any technology to harass, threaten, demean, humiliate, intimidate, embarrass or annoy their peers or others in their community. Any inappropriate use of a Club or personally owned device, as determined by Club staff, can lead to disciplinary action including but not 40 limited to confiscation of the device, immediate suspension from the Club, termination of membership or other disciplinary actions determined to be appropriate to the Club’s existing disciplinary policies including, if applicable, referral to local law enforcement.

Monitoring and inspection: Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy and review any personally owned device that is brought to the Club. Parents/guardians will be notified before such an inspection takes place and may be present, at their choice, during the inspection. Parents/guardians may refuse to allow such inspections. If so, the member may be barred from bringing personally owned devices to the Club in the future.

Appropriate Communication: Members must be aware of the appropriateness of communications when using Club or personally owned devices. Inappropriate communication is prohibited in any public or private messages, as well as material posted online.

Inappropriate communication includes but is not limited to the following:

• Obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, rude, inflammatory, threatening or disrespectful language or images typed, posted or spoken by members;
• Information that could cause damage to an individual or the Club community or create the danger of disruption of the Club environment;
• Personal attacks, including prejudicial or discriminatory attacks;
• Harassment (persistently acting in a manner that distresses or annoys another person) or stalking of others;
• Knowingly or recklessly posting false or defamatory information about a person or organization; or
• Communication that promotes the destruction of property, including the acquisition or creation of weapons or other destructive devices.

If a member is told to stop sending communications, that member must cease the activity immediately.

Cyberbullying: Members may not utilize any technology to harass, threaten, demean, humiliate, intimidate, embarrass or annoy their peers or others in their community. This behavior is cyberbullying, which is defined as bullying that takes place using emerging technologies and devices. Any cyberbullying that is determined to disrupt the safety and/or well-being of the Club, Club members, Club staff or community is subject to disciplinary action.

Examples of cyberbullying include, but are not limited to:

• Harassing, threatening or hurtful text messages, emails or comments on social media.
• Rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites.
• Embarrassing pictures, videos, websites or fake profiles.

Personal Laptops & Computers: Members may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Club’s network, or to any other computer system through the Club’s network. This includes attempting to log in through another person’s account or accessing another person’s files. Members may not use the Club’s network to engage in any illegal act, including, but not limited to, arranging for the purchase or sale of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs; engaging in criminal activity; or threatening the safety of another person. Members may not make deliberate attempts to disrupt the computer system or destroy data by spreading computer viruses.

Monitoring and inspection: Boys & Girls Clubs of Cape Cod reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy and review files stored on Club-owned devices or networks. In addition, Boys & Girls Clubs of Cape Cod reserves the right to inspect and/or review personally owned devices that are brought to the Club. Parents/guardians will be notified before such an inspection takes place and may be present, at their choice, during the inspection. Parents/guardians may refuse to allow such inspections but the member may be barred from bringing personally owned devices to the Club in the future.

Internet access: Personally owned devices used at the Club must access the internet via the Club’s content-filtered wireless network and are not permitted to directly connect to the internet through a phone network or other content service provider. Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod reserves the right to monitor communication and internet traffic, and to manage, open or close access to specific online websites, portals, networks or other services. Members must follow Club procedures to access the Club’s internet service.

Loss and damage: Members are responsible for keeping the personal device with them or in their backpacks at all times. Staff are not responsible for the security and/or condition of the member’s personal device. Furthermore, the Club shall not be liable for the loss, damage, misuse or theft of any personally owned device brought to the Club.

Parental notification and responsibility: Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod’s Technology Acceptable Use Policy restricts the access of inappropriate material, supervision of internet usage might not always be possible. Due to the wide range of material available on the internet, some material might not fit the particular values of members and/or their families. Because of this, it is not considered practical for Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod to monitor and enforce a wide range of social values in student use of the internet. If parents/guardians do not want members to access information beyond the scope of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy, they should instruct members not to access such materials.

Members Discipline Policy

The Boys & Girls Club strives to keep the consequences for unacceptable behavior clear, appropriate and timely. The safety of all members is of utmost importance to us. Our standards, along with the expectation that all members use good common sense, exist to ensure that your child and every other child at the Club can safely enjoy the Club’s activities. Any member who disrupts programs or creates a dangerous situation will be disciplined appropriately, usually with a time out. Members who do not follow rules can expect to lose privileges and face consequences. First-time offenses are never excused as such and will be handled based on their severity. Parents will be called to remove any member who has failed to curb his or her disruptive behavior and/or is behaving in an aggressive or violent manor that creates a dangerous situation for themselves, fellow members, staff or visitors.

When a member is suspended, it is his/her responsibility to let you (the parent/guardian) know. A phone call will be made to you at the time of suspension. We will also complete a written suspension report that we will give to the member or to you, when you pick up your child in person. In some cases, a suspension report will be mailed to you if the situation dictates such a need.

Disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Verbal Counseling
• Time-Out
• Suspension from Program Area
• Loss of Club Privileges
• Suspension (one day to two weeks)
• Indefinite suspension (until the situation can be resolved or the parent/guardian is consulted)
• Expulsion (i.e., permanent suspension)

Child & Club Safety Policy Statement:

Implementing a Safety Management System & Layers of Safety Protection

At the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod, safety is foundational to everything we do. We strive to create safe places where youth and staff thrive and we are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment at all times. 

To ensure the safety of our operations and services, we are committed to a safety management system to identify, assess and mitigate risks and to continuously improve our safety performance.
This requires our unyielding commitment to the following principles:

• Promoting the concept that safety is a core value and precondition to operation.
• Enabling proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks associated with our activities, programs, and services.
• Fostering a positive safety culture through behavioral norms, expectations and “unwritten rules.”
• Prioritizing the safety and health of all individuals involved in our operations and affected stakeholders.
• Conducting risk assessments on a regular basis to proactively address risks and minimize the likelihood and severity of incidents.
• Complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards, including the Movement’s membership requirements.
• Actively encouraging the reporting of incidents, near misses and other safety concerns without fear of reprisal.
• Promoting safety awareness through open, regular communication and engagement initiatives.
• Providing comprehensive training to employees, volunteers, and other stakeholders to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their tasks safely.
• Allocating sufficient resources (people, processes, tools and training) to supporting this safety policy.
• Integrating safety into all aspects of our business planning and decision-making processes.
• Ensuring all employees understand that we all have a daily obligation to pursue safety, quality and compliance as described in this safety policy.

Review and Revision:

This Safety Management System policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its continued effectiveness and relevance. It may be revised as necessary to reflect changes in regulations, industry standards, and organizational requirements.

One-on-Contact Prohibition:

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod prohibits isolated one-on-one interaction

between Club participants and staff or volunteers, including board members. This includes prohibiting one on-one contact at any time at the Club, in vehicles or by phone, text, social media or any other means.

Contacting the proper authorities

* Please note that any time a law is broken in or around the Boys & Girls Club or it is suspected that a Club member, parent or guest has broken the law, the police will be notified immediately. The Boys & Girls Club is NOT a haven or refuge for those committing illegal acts or fleeing the authorities. Please do not show up at the Club with alcohol on your breath or impaired by drugs.

Members are expected to respond to discipline without incident. Failure to do so will almost always increase any action taken in time or severity. Staff members are trained and fully expected, by policy, to maintain full control of any situation that occurs in their program area and will NOT tolerate anything that threatens that control, in appearance and/or manner. Also, please understand that sometimes the story that gets home is not always complete or accurate. Children sometimes tend to explain an incident in a manner that will not implicate them or cast blame their way. In addition, staff members, though well trained and experienced, are human, so please call the Club if you have any questions at all concerning disciplinary measures or any other Club activity. Your support and involvement as the parent/guardian is vital to our success as youth development professionals. Please feel free to call the Club with concerns regarding your child’s behavior or any discipline that was taken.