Child Safety

Children’s safety is our priority. Ninety percent of our sites are state-licensed and all of our programs follow strict protocols for staff screening and training at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire, including:

• FBI Fingerprint Background Checks are conducted on every staff member and volunteer that interacts with members. The only exception to this rule are one-time volunteers who come only once for storytelling, artwork, etc. and are monitored by a staff member at all times.
• A staff member is generally prohibited from being alone with one minor. This includes all of our service sites, bus rides to and from the Club, mentoring services, etc.
• A staff member is not to be alone with a child in the bathroom with the door closed. In some instances, a staff member may be required to assist children with bathroom needs.
• All staff receive training on preventing sexual harassment, sexual grooming, and recognizing the signs of child sexual abuse.
• All staff receive and are responsible for reviewing policies and procedures, including the employee toolkit, policy manual, safety manual, and child protection policy.
• All program staff are required to receive professional development each year.

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

Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire 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.

Mandatory Annual Safety Assessments: We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.

Safety Committee: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire has a dedicated safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.

Mandatory Employee Reference: 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.

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

Safety Partnerships: 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 the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.

Click to hear from our CEO Chris Emond on the importance of safety. Safety Video

If you have any safety concerns, they can also be directly reported to Chris Emond, CEO (603-568-0923), and the president of the board of directors.

On February 8, 2018 NH adopted Senate Bill 247 “Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning from Paint and Water.” This law requires, among other actions, that all schools and licensed childcare facilities test for lead in drinking water at all locations where water is available for consumption by children. In accordance with this the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire conducted these tests in June of 2019. The data collected has been uploaded to the NH DES and is available here for the following sites: Bradley Street, Lakes Region and Suncook facilities. There will also be paper copies posted on site.

The other facilities that are in use by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern New Hampshire and its extension units are located in schools and can be found on the individual school district websites:

Concord School District SAU # 8 – Broken Ground/Mill Brook, Christa McAuliffe, Eastman

Franklin School District SAU # 18 – Franklin

Kearsarge School District SAU # 65 – Warner, Sutton

Weare School District SAU # 24 – Weare

Andover School District SAU # 46 – Andover

Holderness School District SAU # 48 – Holderness

or at the NH DES website.