The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority

We work every day to create a safe, inclusive and fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have no tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.

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 Club of Clifton. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page.

BGCC Safety PageConfidential Help

Our Safety Resources

In July 2020, Boys & Girls Club organizations voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Though many of these practices were already commonplace across our Movement, this vote made them mandatory for all Clubs. These include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Safety Committee requirements, stronger communication of key safety resources and information, and more. With unprecedented majority, on July 26, 2021, local Boys & Girls Clubs voted in record number to adopt additional membership requirements that further enhance child safety, implementing recommendations from RAINN that began in 2020 and will continue over the next two years – a demonstration of our continued commitment to keeping kids safe.

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.

Boys & Girls Club of Clifton 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 continually enhance and implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:

      • Installation of Security Access Control system, protecting our membership, families, volunteers and staff.
      • Increased rigor of the criminal background checks preformed for Volunteers & Staff

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 Club of Clifton members and staff have access to  a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.

Boys & Girls Club of Clifton 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 criminal background checks are required upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. 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 and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families’ Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) background check regardless of age and a Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) fingerprint background check, for staff 18 years of age or older.

Boys & Girls Club of Clifton 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.

We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as seminars, conferences, webinars and a semi-annual safety symposium. 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.

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

      • Incident & Accident Review. The Committee regularly reviews reported safety incidents to help determine if additional policies and/or procedures should be in place to prevent future incidents.
      • Annual Walkthroughs. Safety Committee holds committee meetings at Club sites, arranging a walkthrough before or after the meeting. Develop strategies to immediately eliminate or reduce identified hazards.
      • Ensure Training. The Committee Support Club management efforts to deliver appropriate, ongoing safety training to all staff and volunteers, and ensures all staff and volunteers receive adequate training prior to access to members.

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.

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

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, Boys & Girls Club of Clifton partners with:

      • Clifton Police Department
      • Clifton Fire Department
      • Passaic County Sheriff’s Department
      • Clifton Public Schools Climate and Security Office