Keeping Our Youth Safe
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOUTH PROTECTION
As an organization that serves thousands of youth every year, the Y’s most important work is creating safe environments for all. Ensuring the safety and well-being of youth is foundational to helping youth learn, grow and thrive. The Eugene Family YMCA is accredited by Praesidium, renowned authorities and institutional consultants focused on the elimination of child abuse within organizations.
HOW WE CREATE SAFE SPACES FOR YOUTH
- Screening & Hiring: All new hires go through an interview process, three reference checks, a criminal background check and a sex offender check.
- Training: All staff members complete child abuse prevention training and receive education on creating a youth-safe environment. Youth Focused Staff members renew training every year.
- Volunteers: Volunteers who will have ongoing interactions with youth also complete thorough background checks.
- Policies & Procedures: We maintain rigorous policies and procedures that are enforced at all locations to ensure that youth in programs are supervised at all times and no single staff person is ever alone with a youth.
- Prevention: The Eugene Family YMCA partners with Praesidium, a team of experts in child abuse prevention, to assess all aspects of our programs and implement best practices. Additionally, the Eugene Family YMCA operates under the YUSA Child Protection and Aquatics Safety Membership Qualification Standards.
- Reporting: If any staff member or volunteer suspects or becomes aware of any inappropriate behavior toward a minor, they are to report the incident immediately.
- Eugene Family YMCA Staff are mandatory reportors 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.
YMCA ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
The Eugene Family YMCA has zero tolerance for abuse and will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of youth in its programs. Any mistreatment or abuse by personnel will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or volunteer service and cooperation with law enforcement.
The Eugene Family YMCA has zero tolerance for abuse, mistreatment, or sexual activity of youth in its programs. We are committed to providing all youth with a safe environment and will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of one youth by another youth. Conduct by youth that rises to the level of abuse, mistreatment, or sexual activity will result in intervention or disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal from the program.
In addition, the Eugene Family YMCA will not tolerate any behavior that is classified under the definition of bullying, and to the extent that such actions are disruptive, we will take the necessary steps to eliminate such behavior.
If you have a safety concern about something at the YMCA, please share it below.
KNOW. SEE. RESPOND.
When these are put into practice, they help us create safer environments for youth to grow and learn.
KNOW:
Knowing about child sexual abuse can help us better understand what to look for and how to keep it from happening in the first place. For example, did you know that 1 in 10 children in the U.S will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday?
SEE:
When we know the signs of abuse, we can intervene on behalf of youth.
RESPOND:
If you suspect abuse, call the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 1-855-503-7233 to report abuse or neglect of a child or adult in Oregon.
If someone is being hurt or is in danger right now, call 911.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CALLING THE OREGON CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE
IDENTIFYING CHILD ABUSE
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WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT CHILD ABUSE
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INTERNET RULES
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WHAT IF MY YOUTH DISCLOSES ABUSE
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RESOURCES
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WHO DO I CONTACT AT THE YMCA?
If you have questions or concerns about abuse or the Y’s abuse procedures, contact one of our senior staff members below:
- Holly Kriz- Anderson, VP of Operational Excellence
- Brian Steffen, CEO
- Crispin Shelley, VP of People & Culture
