The New Year is a Good Time to Review Your Policies

One of the unfortunate side effects of increased awareness of child sexual abuse is increased stereotyping of men who work in early childhood education. I have lost count of the many times that clients have told me, “I never hire men to work with children because the risk is too high.” That attitude is understandable,…

One thing that you must do in your program is criminal record and background checks of the adults working in your program. The specific details, however, can vary based on the needs of your program. Criminal Records Checks First, require criminal background checks for anyone working directly with children. The background checks rarely turn up…

The sentencing of a former child care worker on federal child pornography charges last week was the occasion for an advocacy group to express concerns about the original investigation. The part that struck me was the claim that the school responded in litigation defense mode rather than full transparency. At this point, it is impossible…

One story all over the news lately is the New York foster parent accused of using the system to force young women into prostitution. From news reports, it’s hard to know exactly how the foster care system missed the signs here, but there are some lessons that youth-serving organizations can learn about screening. Sharice Mitchell,…

The first of the year, after the end of the holiday rush and before spring holidays kick in, is a natural time to regroup and plan ahead. It is a good time to be sure that your organization has good policies, particularly employee handbooks and child protection policies. It’s also an important time to be…

One of the better trends in the last decade of caring for children is the recognition that children need to develop resilience. In spite of our best efforts, all children will face setbacks and conflicts. They will be much better off if we spend our resources not on preventing all life difficulties but helping them…