Safety Policies
Safety Is Our #1 Priority
Ensuring safety in our clubs is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro. We work every day to create a safe environment across all of our programs.
BGCP is committed to creating a safe, inclusive and culturally responsive club environment to help all members reach their full potential. We employ zero-tolerance for any disregard of our safety and child abuse prevention policies. Any incidents or concerns brought to our attention are investigated and reported to the appropriate authorities.
24-hour Toll-free Child Safety Hotline: We encourage all staff, volunteers, members and their families to report any incident or situation they feel is unsafe. If you have any safety-related concerns or questions, please contact your local club or Gabe Bradford, our Senior Director of Safety & Facilities. Alternatively, through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, the BGCP club community has access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline at 866-607-SAFE (7233) or SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.
A Culture of Safety:
BGCP continually reviews safety best practices and updates our safety policies, programs and training for staff and volunteers to promote youth safety. All staff and volunteers that have repetitive direct contact with club members review and acknowledge our Code of Conduct annually and complete a Praesidium developed training curriculum for prevention of child sex abuse and mandated reporter requirements.
Ensuring the safety of our Club members:
At Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro, we incorporate national best practice safety standards and work with other community organizations to consistently strengthen our safety programming through new trainings and policies, such as:
Mandatory Criminal Background Checks
Mandatory criminal background checks are conducted upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at BGCP. Additionally, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct, repetitive contact with youth. Screenings include criminal background checks in all 50 States and a check of the National Sex Offender Registry.
Annual Training & Tools
Each year, staff receive mandatory training prior to the start of school year in topics that include; First Aid/CPR, Mandated Reporter Requirements, Positive Youth Development Principals, Active Supervision, Playground Safety, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention & De-escalation, Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care, Facility, Vehicle, and Youth Safety Updates. Additionally, mandatory summer camp specific trainings are completed prior to the start of summer camp in topics that include; Field Trip Safety, Swimming & Water Safety Policies, Transportation Safety, Air Quality/Wildfire Smoke Safety, Heat Illness Prevention.
Incident Reporting
BGCP staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters and are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities & Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.
Internal & External Mandatory Safety Assessments
We employ a multi-tiered safety assessment approach to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs. This includes an internal annual safety audit, as well as external annual audit conducted through Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Staff & Board-Led Safety Committees
BGCP has both dedicated staff and Board-led Safety Committees to provide input and guidance on local policies, procedures and practices
