A Desk Guide for Leaders
Goal
Creating a truly child-safe space starts with establishing strong policies and practices that reinforce caring and professional adult relationships with children.
Goal
Education and training designed for leaders, staff, volunteers – as well as for parents, children and teens – are essential components of effective prevention.
Goal
Where possible, organizations will benefit from creating regulations and re-designing physical spaces to facilitate the monitoring of all adult-child interactions.
Goal
Parents and children should be regularly surveyed and interviewed about their interactions with leadership, staff and volunteers to enhance professional conduct.
Goal
Mitigating risk relies first on identifying and recognizing setting-specific safety concerns, and then implementing solutions in partnership with staff and parents.
Goal
Creating and maintaining child-safe spaces requires consistent policies and practices, strong oversight and the active participation of all stakeholders.
Goal
Separate measures are required to address sexual behavior between youth. Relying on policies meant to prevent adults from abusing youth is inadequate.
Goal
An organization is defined by its people. Maintaining child-safe spaces becomes easier when staff and volunteers understand and embrace their role in protection.
