The Safety and Well-being of Young People is Our Number One Priority!

Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City

Every day BGCCC provides young people with safe spaces during out-of-school time. These young people are served by caring professional staff who guide and mentor in positive Club environments. Our focus remains on creating a nurturing environment where children are safe, happy, and empowered to become healthy, active, and productive adults.

For nearly half a million young people who enter the doors of a Boys & Girls Club each day, Clubs offer safe, inclusive spaces and experiences that empower members’ learning and growth. Our data shows our approach works: 

• Club teens are more likely to abstain from health-risk behaviors like alcohol and smoking than their peers nationally.
• Clubs provide safety, mentorship, and a sense of community during the critical out-of-school hours. Fifty-four percent of Club alumni said the Club “Saved my life!”
• Clubs help build sense of civic responsibility and leadership. In fact, eighty-three percent of Club members believe they can make a difference in their communities and eighty-nine percent stand up for what they think is right. 

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: The Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe.

Safety Policies: We have comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

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

Mandatory Background Checks: Mandatory criminal background checks are required every year for every staff and board member at Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City. In addition, criminal background checks are required for any volunteer who has direct contact with children. All potential employees and volunteers are also run through First Advantage checking social security, criminal records, and the sexual offender database. 

Required Immediate Reporting: All Club 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: BGCCC completes a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Club.

Safety Trainings: Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training conducted such as localized all-staff trainings, monthly safety and abuse prevention trainings, and National/Regional Trainings. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center.

Safety Committee: We have a safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:

• Annually updating the Emergency Operations Plan
• Conducting safety assessments and providing recommendations 

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 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. 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

Locally, Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City partners with:

• Cathedral City Police Department
• Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
• Citizens on Patrol (COPs)

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 Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page.

If you have any questions or would like to report a concern, please feel free to contact our Chief Executive Officer, Scott Robinson at 760-770-4965 or srobinson@bgcccity.org