Tom Rawlings and I will be leading a workshop on Thursday afternoon, October 2, about “Creating a Culture of Trust, Safety, and Accountability in Christian Youth Organizations.” We also will be at the YSO Academy booth in the main exhibition hall. Register here, and join us in the workshop or look for us at Booth 36! #cafosummit #cafo2025
*
Creating a child protection policy is a significant milestone for any youth-serving organization. But writing the policy is just the beginning. The real challenge—and the real opportunity—lies in ensuring your policy remains a living, breathing part of your organizational culture rather than a document that gathers dust on a shelf. Yearly audits aren’t about catching…
Anti-bullying programs get a lot of attention these days, because everyone wants to spare children the trauma of true bullying. Yet in spite of our best efforts, the problem is not getting better, and some experts worry that we are creating new problems for our kids. One problem is that, contrary to what many parents…
One thing that has become clear during the pandemic is that rates of mental health problems and suicide among our children have skyrocketed. As youth organizations open back up, we are likely to encounter quite a few children whose anxiety and depression reach levels that, in the words of federal nondiscrimination law, “limit one or…
Rules for behavior is what most people think of when they hear child protections policies—the guidelines for interaction among children and between children and adults. Of course you need to prohibit harsh treatment and actual abuse, but you also need to address “boundary” issues. In other words, decide where to draw the line on behavior…
One area that we’re seeing many youth organizations get caught these days is lack of clear rules about contact between adults and young people on social media. Social media is an area where groups can encourage positive communications. Welcome messages, group chats and email lists can be great ways to build morale among team members…
All youth organizations need to guard against grooming. The problem is that the characteristics used to describe both good mentors and predatory groomers are often similar, making it hard to tell the difference from outside the relationship. We’ve had numerous clients say, “Until we found out about the abuse, we thought he was the best…