YMCA of Simcoe/MuskokaChild Protection Orientation

November 2013

Our Commitment

The YMCA is committed to ensuring that it;

Provides a safe environment for children and young people

Identifies children and young people who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm and

Takes appropriate action to see that such children and young people are kept safe at the YMCA

Who Does our Policy apply to?

Our Child Protection Policy covers;

Children

Young Adults

Vulnerable Adults

What is included in our policy?

Terminology

Roles and Responsibilities of Management, Staff and Volunteers for Child Protection

Code of Conduct for all staff and volunteers

Procedure for the Recruitment and Selection of staff and volunteers

Education and Training for keeping children and young people safe

Responding to Disclosure or Suspicion of child abuse

Managing an allegation, complaint and claim of abuse against the YMCA

Access, Facility and Program Controls

Who is required to implement?

All YMCA staff and program volunteers who are 16 years of age and older are responsible for implementing our Child Protection Policy

The following volunteers are exempt from the policy; Program Volunteers under the age of 16 Philanthropy Volunteers Event Volunteers Governance, Policy and Advisory Volunteers

Who is the Child Protection Lead?

The Vice President, Child Development and Family Support Programs is the Association Lead for Child Protection

The Child Protection Lead is responsible for the implementation and compliance monitoring of the child protection policy.

Fiona Cascagnette is our Association’s Child Protection Lead.

Where can I find the Policy?

Every staff and volunteer will receive a copy of the policy.

In addition, every YMCA program location will have a hard copy of the policy available in a known location to all staff and volunteers

Key Messages

You don’t need to be sure! If you suspect that a child is being abused, call your local

Children’s Aid Society (CAS) right away You can call CAS just for advice CAS is available 24 hours a day to talk about your concerns,

they are the experts and will make a decision of what, if any, intervention is needed

Child Abuse is everyone’s responsibility Under section 72 of the Child and Family Service Act

everyone is obligated to report their suspicions Leaving a message with CAS is not considered a report. If

you don’t hear back you need to continue calling until you speak with a Child Protection Worker

Reporting to CAS

The staff or volunteer who suspects that a child has been abused or is at risk of abuse must call him/herself

Do not ask anyone to help you decide if a report should be made or to make the report for you

The Child Abuse Reporting Kit includes the report you to need to complete and additional information to assist you in making the call to CAS. These are available in all YMCA program locations.

After you have made the call, complete the Child Abuse Reporting Form and submit it to your supervisor or their designate immediately.

Where does the Report Go?

Completed Child Abuse Reporting Forms are signed by the person who made the call to CAS and by their direct supervisor or designate

Once signed, the reports are sealed, labeled and couriered to the Child Protection Lead at the Association Offices

Reports remain sealed and are stored indefinitely

In the event of an allegation against a staff or volunteer, the Child Abuse Reporting Form is forwarded through the chain of command for signing at all levels of management.

Training and Orientation

All staff and program volunteers age 16 years of age or older are required to complete the Child Protection Orientation before they begin working.

The Child Protection Orientation includes; Reading the policy YMCA Canada Orientation Videos YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Orientation Child Protection Quiz 1 Annual Sign Off

Training and Orientation

Annually, all staff and program volunteers age 16 years of age or older are required to complete a re-orientation and annual sign off.

The Child Protection Re-Orientation currently includes; Reading the policy YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Orientation Child Protection Quiz 2 YMCA Canada Orientation Videos or Child Protection

Case Study Annual Sign Off

Access, Facility & Program Controls

All YMCA staff and volunteers are responsible for ensuring a safe environment.

Site specific practices will be developed and implemented fully by June 30th, 2014. These practices should consider the following where appropriate; Access points into the facility are secured and/or monitored.

Access is restricted to child care and childminding areas YMCA ID or photo ID is required to gain access A system is in place to maintain access details and records A system in in place to record access of all visitors, vendors and

contractors Areas that are not actively used are kept locked Key areas of vulnerability are monitored

Question and Answer

Thank You!