Child Safety

The Safety and Well-being of Young People is Our Number One Priority

We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind.

Culture of Safety

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods continually updates robust safety policies, programs 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 implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:

  • Employee/Volunteer Handbook
  • Operations Handbook
  • Parent Handbook

These policy resources can be requested from the Director of Operations at any time.

Safety Policies

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

Mandatory Annual Safety Assessment

We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at 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, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline.

(866) 607-SAFE

SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com

Mandatory Background Checks

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every volunteer, staff and board member at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through the National Sex Offender Registry.

Required Immediate Reporting

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods staff and volunteers are all 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.

If you are a Club employee or volunteer and need to report an incident to Club staff, please email info@bgcnorthwoods.org

State and Local Laws

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

Safety Training

Ongoing training and supervision of staff are critical. Staff participate in a wide variety of child safety training such as PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Supports), ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate), Trauma-Informed Care, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), and many more. We engage local leading third-party safety experts to guide our policies and approaches, nationally we work through Boys & Girls Clubs of America to gain insights & resources from Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

Safety Committee

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

  • Safety Calendar for all procedures that take place during the year related to safety (i.e. emergency drill tracking, policy reviews, review of facility for maintenance and safety concerns)
  • Building Safety
  • Emergency Prepardness

Safety Partnerships

Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods partners with:

  • City of Antigo Police Department
  • City of Antigo Fire Department
  • Langlade County Sherriff’s Department
  • Unified School District of Antigo
  • Rhinelander School District
  • Rhinelander Police Department
  • Oneida County Sherriff’s Department

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

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.

America’s young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protect every child who is entrusted to our care at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwoods. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.