Standards Overview: Standard 9

1. Youth Protection in Local Programs Standards Overview: Standard 9

2. Webinar Outcomes • At the close of this session participants will understand: • Who shares in the responsibility for keeping youth protected in our network • What the research tells us • The benefit youth protection work has to the agency • What is meant in each section of Standard 9 • The rationale behind the policy requirement • The myths many have around certain policies • The tools you can use to help you determine the best policy for your affiliate. 2

3. Standard 9: Today’s Reality Sandusky gets at least 30 years for child sex abuse Tue October 9, 2012 "I did not do these disgusting acts," he told the court several times, calling his situation "the worst loss of my life.“ "I will cherish the opportunity to be a candle for others," he said, adding that "somehow, some way, something good will come out of this.“ Sandusky addressed the court for about 13 minutes. His wife, Dottie, had tears in her eyes. The judge acknowledged Sandusky's "positive work" -- an apparent reference to his charity for young people -- but said it served only to hide his true character. “All the qualities that make you successful concealed your vices," Cleland said. "This, in my view, makes you dangerous." 3

4. Standard 9: Today’s Reality In the News Posted: Mon, Oct. 1, 2012, 2:28 AM Boy Scouts to report pedophiles missed previously PORTLAND, Ore. - The Boy Scouts of America plan to begin doing what critics argue they should have done decades ago , bring suspected abusers named in the organization's so-called perversion files to the attention of police departments and sheriff's offices across the country. The Scouts have, until now, argued they did all they could to prevent sex abuse within their ranks by spending a century tracking pedophiles and using those records to keep known sex offenders out of their organization. But a court-ordered release of the perversion files from 1965 to 1985, expected sometime in October, has prompted Scouts spokesman Deron Smith to say the organization will go back into the files and report any offenders who may have fallen through the cracks. Smith said Mike Johnson, the group's youth protection director and a former police detective, will lead the review. 4

5. Standard 9: Today’s Reality Child Sexual Exploitation in the U.S. • Adverse Childhood Experience studies show that 25% of females and 16% of males have experienced sexual abuse as a child (Dube et al., 2005) • Every week, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children receives 4,296 report of child sexual exploitation. Approximately 95% of those are child pornography reports. (Annual reports of approximately 208,000) (NCMEC, 2011) • Since 2002, more than 51 million images and videos of pornography depicting children have been reviewed by analysts at NCMEC (U.S. Committee on Judiciary to U.S. House of Rep., 2011) • The U.S. Justice Department reports that there were more than 9 million unique IP addresses trading child pornography in the U.S. across peer to peer networks (Oct, 2008-Oct, 2009) and 20 million worldwide for the same time period (www.justice.gov/psc/docs/natstrategyreport.pdf) 5

6. Keeping Youth Safe What does “Youth Protection” mean to BBBS? Who is Responsible for Youth Protection? (Slide 7) What do we know about Youth Protection? (Slide 8) What benefit do strong youth protection programs bring to your organization and the children you serve? 6

7. Working Together to Keep Children Safe • Parents as Partners • Trained volunteers • Child training • Professional staff training • Affiliate board members, administrators, and • support staff 7

8. Youth Protection: Informed by External Experts • The Standards took into consideration what current research informs us of and what the BBBS network has learned through reported child-safety related incidents as well as research outside Big Brothers Big Sisters in consultation with the following organizations: • Crimes Against Children Research Center • Centers for Disease Control • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children • National Child Protection Training Center • Non-Profit Risk Management Center • Prevent Child Abuse America 8

9. Youth Protection: What our Internal Research Says • 96% of incidents occurred in community-based programs • 61% of alleged offenders had been matched previously • Average length of match child abuse was occurring was 2.5 years, ranging from 1 month to 9 years • 68% of child abuse incidents began occurring within the first year of match (50% began occurring within the first 6 months) • However 7% of child abuse incidents did not occur until more than 3 years following match date or later • 76% of reported child abuse cases involved repeated incidents, in some cases spanning years • A YOS or SOR where child abuse was occurring in a match would likely score very high 9

10. Prevention in BBBS Programs • 300 potential volunteers were rejected for safety reasons (ineligible) in one year • 1,200 matches closed for safety reasons or ground rule violations in the same year • This number represents one half of one percent of children served in the report year • And 214 timesthe number of current reports of sexual abuse or exploitation reported to BBBSA within that year 10

11. Reporting in Local Programs • Most often a child discloses to parent, trusted adult or another child: • 28% of reports were made within 3 months following the first incident of abuse (Earlier Intervention) • 37% of reports were made more than 10 years after first incident • 63% of the reports were made after the match closed, but 95% of abuse occurred during the match • Press around the Sandusky case caused report rates to go up by 4 times 11

12. Standard 9 Walk Through 9a. Criminal history record checks 9b. References when prior experience w/children 9c. In-depth references from “Spouse” or “Spousal Equivalent” 9d. Transporting children 9e. Mandatory training on child safety 9f. Children visiting volunteer’s homes (Slide 13) 9g. Overnight visits (Slide 14) 9h. Firearms and weapons 9i. Digital technology and social networking 9j. Mandatory reporting of child abuse 9k. Board and staff as Bigs 12

13. 9f: Children Visiting Volunteer’s Homes • Minimum waiting period of 3-6 months to allow time to establish the relationship and build trust • Require parent approval before a child is allowed to a visit a volunteer’s home • Advise volunteers, parents and children that activities that take place at the Big’s home should not be excessive • Require match support staff to regularly and thoroughly address activities taking place at the volunteer’s home to ensure adherence to agency ground rules • Require that match support staff monitor the match for patterns of over-involvement or excessive visits to the volunteer’s home 13

14. 9g: Overnight Visits • Establish that there is a specific benefit to the child of the overnight visit • Establish a minimum waiting period of one year before an overnight visit can occur to monitor for healthy relationship development • Require professional staff and parent approval in advance of each overnight visit • Establish limits on the frequency with which overnight visits can occur (for instance: special occasions or 2-3 times per year) • Require in advance that conditions allow for privacy for sleeping and changing clothes • Require follow up by professional staff following the overnight visit to monitor whether guidelines were followed 14

15. Question and Answer Session 15

16. Resources Coming in July, August, September • Webinars • Customer Relations and SDM Enhancements: July 30, 3pm (eastern) • Reference Forms • Enrollment | Matching and SDM Enhancements: Aug. 13, 3pm (eastern) • YOPD • Match Support and SDM Enhancements: Sept. 19, 3pm (eastern) 16

17. Standard 9: Companion Guide Agency Connection > Operations > Standards > Companion Guide to the Standards 17