Child Abuse Prevention

Anonymous Reporting Link - Click Here

What is Praesidium Accreditation?

This acredditation demontrates our organizations commitmet to safety and adherence to the highest standards in abuse prevention. Visit - www.praesidiumaccreditation.com

We are proud to be designated as a 2023-2024 DARKNESS TO LIGHT Partner in Prevention

Child Protection Information

Experts estimate one in 10 children - or 400,000 each year - will experience child sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. At the Y, we know that ending child sexual abuse takes a cooperative community effort. That's why we've partnered with Darkness to Light, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization and creators of the award-winning Stewards of Children™ curriculum. Prevention training for staff, volunteers and parents creates a culture of awareness. This program teaches adults to recognize the signs of sexual abuse in children, identify unsafe behaviors by adults and react responsibly if warning signs exist. Prevention training for adults creates an environment with much less opportunity for those who may offend.

As you know, at the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA, child protection is our number one priority.  Our goal is to help educate parents and children on how to be safe from child abuse in any environment with the skills they learn at our Y.  Our team trained on comprehensive and innovative practices around child safety to ensure your children are safe in our care.

While we cannot eliminate all threats, we want to do what we can to ensure that the children in our care are safe.  When entering the Y all members, participants, and guests must have a valid picture ID that will be scanned through a national child abuse database.  If a sex offender match occurs, the YMCA reserves the right to cancel the membership, end program participation, and remove visitation access. 

We appreciate your cooperation.

Our policies state:

Screening:

  • YMCA employees undergo a background check prior to hiring, and they must provide at least four references.
  • Volunteers are screened using social media and internet searches, which include The National Sex Offender Registry. Volunteers must complete a two staff behavioral interview process and provide four references prior to volunteering. 
  • Daily ourmembers and guests identification are scanned through the web-based Raptor system; which integrates with The National Sex Offender Registry.

Training:

  • YMCA employees must complete comprehensive online and in-person mandatory child abuse prevention training annually.
  • YMCA volunteers must complete a comprehensive online training.

Reporting:

  • Should any allegation arise, the YMCA will proactively work with the authorities and all parties involved responding in a prompt, thorough and empathetic manner.

Policy:

  • The Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA maintains a zero tolerance policy toward child abuse and child endangerment, and staff are to report any questionable behavior they see, or violations of the Staff/Volunteer Code of Conduct.

Auditing:

  • To ensure we continously uphold the highest standards in child safety and protection, we have a Certified Praesidium Guardian on staff and utilize the Praesidium's Know Your Score Assessment tool. Praesidium is a consulting firm that specializes in abuse prevention and risk management. 

The development of children is the core of which the Y’s values were built. This is why the safety of all children in our care is our number one priority. Staff and volunteers at Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA follow our Code of Conduct to ensure the safety of all children who come through our doors, whether they’re regular program participants or only visit once a year.

VIEW OUR CODE OF CONDUCT HERE

In response to the unique challenge of keeping kids safe during this time, this training helps parents and caregivers navigate through the unusual circumstances they may be facing due to our current global health crisis. The training, provided at no cost, takes 30 minutes and can be taken online at any time. 

Click HERE to begin the FREE online training.

For more information on additional training, or if you have any questions, contact Terri Booth at childcare@ccaymca.org

Click the links below for more online resources.

Praesidium Child Protection Videos for Parents

Click the images below for tips on how to talk to your child about body safety.

     

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