At the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, we are committed to safety.
The safety of young people has always been and remains our number one priority. Our organization is committed to the highest standards of safety and integrity to ensure the Club is a physically and emotionally safe place for our youth and teens every day.
Culture of Safety: The Club continually updates robust safety policies, procedures, 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 procedures to keep our kids safe.
Safety Policies: The Club has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibition of one-on-one contact.
Background Checks: Mandatory criminal background and sex offender checks are completed for all staff and volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area who have access to members.
Required Immediate Reporting: Staff and volunteers are 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.
Program & Safety Committee: The Club has a dedicated committee comprised of staff and community leaders to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments: We complete a robust safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club. Additionally, our program & safety committee conducts onsite walk-throughs twice a year to assess our facility, youth programs, and ensure policies/procedures are being met.
Safety Trainings: Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. Staff participate in a wide variety of child safety trainings upon hire and continuously throughout their employment. 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.
Program & Safety Committee: The Club has a dedicated committee comprised of staff and community leaders to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.
Safety Plan: Our Clubs maintain a comprehensive safety plan that includes emergency procedures and reporting requirements for any incident that could pose harm to a youth or staff. The plan is updated annually by our program & safety committee.
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, the Boys & Girls of the Bemidji Area partners with the following including, but not limited to:
- Local Law Enforcement and Emergency Responders
- Beltrami County Public Health
- County Social Services
- Department of Human Services
- Local Schools
- Support Within Reach
Continued Commitment: The Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area is continually reviewing, updating, and creating additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Club.
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 the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@nullPraesidiuminc.com.
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.
Our community’s young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protecting every child who is entrusted to our care at the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
*For more details on safety related policies or procedures, contact the Club at 218.444.4171