is our #1 priority at the BGCLAH
SAFETY
At the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor, Club member safety is our number 1 priority.
Ensuring the safety of our Club members is fundamental to the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor.
The Safety and Wellbeing of Young People is Our Number One Priority
We work every day to create a safe, inclusive, and fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We have no 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 Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor 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 continually enhance and implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
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Anti-Bullying Policy
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Incident Reporting Policy
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Drug & Alcohol Policy
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Internet, Social Media & Technology Policies to protect youth online
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Installing Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at each Club site
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Installing Safety Suggestion Boxes to establish a system for anonymously collecting safety concerns from staff
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Disinfecting and routine cleaning of club sites to prevent infectious disease(s)
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Safety Policies:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor has 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, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor 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 upon hire and annually for every staff and board member at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor. 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 the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State of California Department of Justice.
Required Immediate Reporting:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor 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.
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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 conducted such as Child & Club Safety 101, Preventing Bullying in Youth Organizations, Keeping Your Boys & Girls Club Safe, Social Media Safety, Annual Suicide Prevention Training, Workplace Safety Orientation, Beyond the Bell Risk Management, Safety at Work: A Systemic Approach, Annual Child Abuse Awareness Training, Mandated Reporter: General Training, Promoting a Substance-free Workplace, and both National and Regional Boys & Girls Clubs conferences. A full list of trainings is available upon request. 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:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor has a dedicated Board-led safety committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies. Priorities and initiatives include:
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Annual Site Safety Inspections
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Updating Safety Policies & Emergency Response Plan
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Identifying and resolving current safety issues at the Clubs
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Partnering with local law enforcement to coordinate emergency response efforts
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Identifying new safety trends and training opportunities to further staff development
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.
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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National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations
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Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the safety direction and key safety initiatives
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Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse
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Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis
Locally, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor partners with:
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Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS)
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Los Angeles County Office of Public Health (LACOPH)
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Peninsula Security, fire and alarm system monitoring
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Black Knight Patrol Security Services
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Local police and fire department
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State and Local Laws:
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
Continued Commitment:
In July 2020, all local Boys & Girls Clubs voted to adopt additional safety measures to further improve safety within our Clubs. Many of these practices were already in place, however, Boys & Girls Clubs determined these practices should be mandatory for all Clubs. These measures include more stringent reference and background checks, enhanced Club Safety Committee requirements for all Club, greater communication of key safety resources and information available for staff and members, and more.
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 the Los Angeles Harbor. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
BGCLAH: COVID-19 Response Update
In a preponderance of caution ​following the surge of positive COVID-19 cases, our programs will be virtual! Check in daily to in the link below to find out how you can participate in our virtual distance learning support and our triple A programming!
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Due to the financial hardship our families are currently facing, our programming will be FREE to all members!
New safety measures have been put in place to ensure that all our members and staff are safe when they walk in through our Club sites. These include temperature checks for all members and staff before entering every site, requiring of masks at all times, frequent sanitizing of all high frequency touch areas, hand sanitizing/washing for all staff and members between program areas, individual supplies for every member and more. This year every member will receive an individualized backpack filled with academic supplies, notebooks, art supplies, and more to further keep our members safe.
Please continue to check our website and social media channels as the latest information is being updated.
Resources
"Grab & Go" Food Program
Stop by any of our 3 "Grab & Go" Food Distribution Sites
Monday- Friday from 10:00am-11:00am! A lunch and snack will be given to every child on a first come, first serve basis. Child does NOT need to present to receive food and all food must be eaten off-site.
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Port of Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club: 100 W. 5th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731
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Wilmington Boys & Girls Club: 1444 W. Q Street, Wilmington, CA 90744
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Cheryl Green Boys & Girls Club: 1435 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501
Virtual Programming
Access our in-person programming virtually! Contact your College Bound case manager or subscribe to our YouTube channel,
@bgclaharbor program, to access virtual programs in Arts, Athletics, Academics, Writer's Workshop, Keystone Leadership, Career Bound and College Bound! Be sure to follow us on instagram @bgclaharbor to keep up with the latest news!
Community Resources
Check out the following links to for more information regarding resources available to Los Angeles Harbor residents. The BGCLAH may not be affiliated with the resources listed below.
Access Free Educational Resources at home
Check out the following links to access free educational resources at home during the LAUSD closure.
Get Up latest info on the health epidemic
Click on the following links to get the most accurate information regarding the Coronavirus COVID-19.