Ensuring Club member safety is fundamental to the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County
The Safety and Wellbeing of the 5,000+ Skagit County Kids and Teens Served Each Year is our Number One Priority
We work every day to create a safe, fun, and positive Club environment so Club members can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have zero-tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and the organization invests resources purposefully to support this.
- Mandatory Background Checks: Mandatory criminal background checks are required for every staff and board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County, and any volunteer who has direct contact with children. These are conducted in advance, as well as each year. They are conducted by a third-party vendor engaged for this purpose, and includes screenings through the child abuse and sex offender registry, as well as county, state, and national criminal records.
- Training/Tools: Each year, staff receive training on the requirements of being a Mandated Reporter, how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to childhood sexual abuse, First Aid/CPR, Supervision of Children, and more. These training elements are provided by leading third-party safety experts to ensure that Club staff are the most up-to-date in all areas of safety. In 2018, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County gained national attention with the development and execution of a Safety Tool that provides all staff and volunteers with easily accessible, at-a-glance ‘flip charts’ to respond appropriately to various emergency situations. These tools are located in each room of Club facilities, as well as vehicles, and have now been localized and adopted by other Clubs across the country.
- Equipment: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County focuses on safety when making resource allocations and decisions regarding equipment and other capital expenditures. This includes being intentional when replacing Foos Ball tables, with new ones that feature telescoping rods to limit direct contact during play, to purchasing AED units and vehicles.
- Facilities: Club-owned facilities have been renovated or built to maintain clear lines of sight throughout the building, allow for single-use restrooms, and eliminate any blindspots from supervision.