About This Blog
Youth-serving organizations take on a serious responsibility when they open their doors to children and other vulnerable people. Fulfilling that responsibility well requires two things working together: a safety culture strong enough to prevent harm, and independent investigations credible enough to find the truth when someone alleges mistreatment.
Youth Services Law covers both. Posts examine the legal landscape, practical decisions, and organizational choices that shape how schools, camps, churches, colleges, faith-based groups, and community organizations protect the people in their care and respond when something goes wrong. The goal is the same in every post: precise, useful guidance for child protection and investigations.
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Featured Post
September 8, 2026
Every plaintiff's attorney in a youth sexual abuse case asks the same question: did the organization follow accepted safety practices? Many organizations assume the answer required two adults present at every activity. That assumption does not hold up under scrutiny. No universal legal standard...
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The reports about a district attorney’s recent press conference in Massachusetts contain some important lessons for youth-serving organizations. The DA in Pittsfield, MA has charged two middle school educators with involuntary manslaughter and related crimes after the 2024 drowning death of a young teen during a school field trip. We are seeing more frequent criminal…
We appear to have another illustration of the many reasons I strongly advise my clients against zero tolerance policies. A student has sued a school in Missouri after it suspended him for posting a picture of soda cans that he had glued together in the form of an AK-47. With all the usual caveats that…
A new study of the effects of cyberbullying is getting a lot of attention, but its results may not match the press reports. Researchers pulled data from a survey of almost 2700 teens between the age of 13 and 17. The survey asked the minors to respond to an 18-item scale measuring types and instances…
Indiana’s governor recently signed an amendment to the state’s mandated reporter law. It has two new provisions that youth organizations in the state need to note when it goes into effect on July 1, 2025. The first change is that it specifically restricts the ability report to a supervisor instead of child protective services or…
National Take a Chance Day — April 23, 2026 National Take a Chance Day, observed every April 23, celebrates stepping outside your comfort zone. Try something new. Take a leap. Embrace the unfamiliar. For most people, the invitation feels exciting, even liberating—a nudge toward the adventures and opportunities that caution has kept at arm’s length….
Every child protection professional shares the same nightmare: that a predator slipped through the system because no one recognized the warning signs. That fear is what drives legislation like Minnesota’s HF 3489, a bill currently moving through the state legislature that would make grooming a standalone felony. The bill is born from real pain—the testimony…
An excellent article from Nature magazine explores the research showing that children benefit from risky play. Mental health professionals are discovering that children allowed to stretch their limits in uncertain and adventurous play benefit both physically and emotionally. Those opportunities allow them to develop coordination and spatial awareness, but also confidence and resilience. A study…
Having a claim of abuse is every youth organization’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, there are things you can do now to be better prepared to deal with such a claim. By planning ahead, you and your team will be better able to guide your organization through the process and help it heal from tragedy. – Put…
As you review your child protection policies and consider changes, you need to know the standards in your field. We lawyers call it the “standard of care,” a term that means the policies and procedures that similar youth-serving organizations (YSOs) in your area follow. Camping programs, for example, will have different standards than schools, and…
One important part of auditing and developing child protection policies for your youth-serving organization (YSO) is to understand all of the risks that your organization faces. We have seen a tendency, for example, for youth-servicing organizations (YSOs) to concentrate all of their efforts on preventing sexual predators from entering the organization. While hardening your organization…