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.
A landmark 12-year longitudinal study reframes what your organization can do—and why it matters. Many staff members and leaders in youth-serving organizations carry a quiet tension. They engage with the ACE research, they understand the cumulative weight of adverse childhood experiences on the children and youth they serve, and they wonder whether the damage already…
Today is Tolkien Reading Day, a day I get to indulge one of my favorite hobbies, exploring the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. This year’s theme is Unlikely Heroes. The Tolkien Society chose the theme to invite readers to reflect on Tolkien’s most quietly revolutionary idea: that the fate of Middle-earth did not turn on Gandalf…
In early March, the Georgia Court of Appeals issued a ruling that youth-serving organizations should note. The case — Darlington School v. Philadelphia Indemnity et al. — reversed a $345 million judgment against five insurance carriers, finding that policies written decades after abuse occurred cannot be stretched to cover that historic harm. The decision makes…
Every year on March 14th, people around the world observe National Write Your Story Day — a simple invitation to write about what’s on your mind. Founded in 2017, the day is a reminder that story matters. For those of us who work with young people who have experienced trauma, it’s also an opportunity to…
A recent news story from Pennsylvania offers an object lesson about what happens when a youth organization forgets that abuse allegations are subject to mandated reporting laws rather than the usual disciplinary procedures. A vice-principal in Altoona has pleaded no contest to recklessly endangering another person and failure to report or refer suspected abuse. The…
You’ve read through every page of the independent report and appreciate that the investigator identified clear paths forward. But here’s the next difficult question for you: How do you ensure these recommendations don’t simply become another binder on the shelf? In my previous post, I emphasized that recommendations from an independent investigator must become an…
Commissioning an independent investigation is a difficult decision for a youth organization, and it is only the beginning of the process. What happens after the report lands on your desk — how you read it, who sees it, what you do with it, and how you support everyone affected — will define whether your organization…
You hired an independent investigator to find the truth. But knowing what “the truth” requires — and what a thorough search for it actually looks like — is your responsibility. Here’s how to hold your investigators accountable for the work that protects your youth. When an allegation surfaces in a youth-serving organization, most administrators do…
One type of independent investigation that many organizations now have to face are allegations of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct, whether recent or long-ago. Entering this territory requires both compassion and unflinching objectivity. Understanding how these values work together—rather than against each other—is essential to ensuring that the investigations you commission both protect vulnerable people…
One particularly When your organization engages independent investigators following allegations of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct, you’re entering territory that requires both compassion and unflinching objectivity. Understanding how these values work together—rather than against each other—is essential to ensuring that the investigations you commission both protect vulnerable people and seek truth. Let’s walk through how…