Screening Organizations

When you are choosing an organization for your child to attend (such as a sports facility, school, or child care facility), it is important to find out what systems are in place to prevent child sexual abuse. The following steps will help you choose the right organization:

  1. Get to know the organization
    • What do you know about the organization?
    • Call and schedule a tour. What impression did you have after visiting?
    • How did you feel in the environment? Did you feel welcome and comfortable?
    • What did you notice about employee and volunteer interactions with children and with each other?
    • Is the organization open to questions and outside ideas?
    • Does the organization encourage family involvement, and if so, how?
    • Does the organization have an open-door policy for addressing concerns?
    • Are parents welcome to stay and watch activities?
  2. Ask the organization questions
    • Does the organization train staff about child sexual abuse?
    • Does the organization have a Code of Conduct for adults working with children?
    • Does it set out expectations for appropriate boundaries between staff and children?
    • For volunteers? For children? For parents?
    • How are staff and volunteers supervised in their interactions with children?
    • Does the organization have screening and hiring processes for staff and volunteers (e.g. interview process, background checks)?
    • What is the organization’s policy for reporting child abuse or staff misconduct?
  3. Inquire about how the organization manages the following adult-child interactions:
    • Naptime
    • Toileting
    • One-on-one time
    • Offsite activities (e.g. field trips, walks, etc.)
    • Transportation
    • Overnight trips (e.g. camps, tournaments, etc.)
    • Child visiting staff/volunteer homes (i.e. activities that are held at a staff member’s house, sleepovers, etc.)
    • Staff/volunteers having contact with children outside their work duties (i.e. in-person contact, phone contact, text messages, online contact, sleepovers, etc.)
    • Staff offering activities or services for children outside work (i.e. sport clubs, tutoring, babysitting, school trips to visit another city, etc.)
    • Staff visiting a child’s home