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Local Club Safety

Safe Places Are Our Foundation

Young people deserve a safe environment to learn and grow.

At Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, child safety and wellbeing is our number one priority. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids 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 we put resources behind that stance.

Culture of Safety

BGCSA continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers designed to promote child safety. These are in place to protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including, criminal background checks of our Club staff, volunteers, and board members, annual safety assessments, staff training, and more.

We value the safety and comfort of all our youth, families, staff, and volunteers and take concerns, feedback, and criticism seriously. If you have something to report or feedback you would like to provide, please complete the form below. If you would prefer the feedback to remain anonymous, you can opt to not share your name/contact information.

Submit a Report

Safety Policies

BGCSA has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth  including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication and prohibiting private one-on-one contact. For more information, see our parent handbook.

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, BGCSA members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-SAFE (7233) or email [email protected].

Mandatory Background Checks

Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for all staff members, recurring volunteers, and board members at BGCSA.

Required Immediate Reporting

BGCSA staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident or safety concern to local authorities immediately. BGCSA is 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 Trainings

Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training, such as seminars, conferences, webinars, and symposiums. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches. These third parties include Praesidium, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Spillett University, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

Safety Committee

BGCSA 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:

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