At Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, the safety and protection of the children entering our doors every day is our number one priority. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe, including the following mandatory safety requirements:

• Criminal background checks for Club staff, board members, and volunteers (including minors) who have direct, repetitive contact with children.
• Clubs are required to immediately report an incident regardless of severity to authorities first and then to BGCSC within 24 hours. This allows us to understand more deeply the resources/needs of Clubs to ensure the safest environment.
• Clubs are required to complete a safety assessment each year. If any concerns arise, BGCSC staff will act to make recommendations, require changes or provide support.

We have layered additional safety policies in the following areas, which we update and enhance following our annual safety assessments to reflect the needs of our Club members and staff. These include:

• Prohibition of one-on-one contact between staff and Club member
• Sex abuse prevention training
• Drug and alcohol prohibition
• Emergency response plan
• Mandatory background checks of all staff and volunteers prior to employment and on an annual basis
• Monitor restroom use by Club members
• Separate adult/Club member use of restrooms
• No one-on-one transportation of Club members and staff
• Strengthened control of Club entry areas

We have numerous in-person trainings, a board-led safety committee and are constantly working to improve our efforts to keep kids safe, and our dedication to the youth of our community is, and will continue to be, unwavering.

For questions please contact: Shaila Khan, Director of Child & Club Safety: skhan@bgcsc.org or 425-258-2436