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.
When serious allegations surface and you want investigators with experience, it’s common to turn to attorneys and former law enforcement. As a former prosecutor and currenty attorney in private practice, I obviously think that instinct is a good one. But you need to consider the distinct strengths and limitations that each profession brings to investigations….
Government entities implementing child protection measures often focus solely on effectiveness—does this policy make children safer? But a recent Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision reminds us that even well-intentioned safety measures must respect constitutional boundaries. The recent ruling in Sanderson v. Hanaway, following the logic of the 11th Circuit in 2022 in McClendon v. Long,…
The decision to bring in an external investigator represents a turning point for your organization. You’re facing allegations of misconduct that require more than good intentions—they require expertise, objectivity, and an investigative process everyone can trust. Finding the right investigator isn’t just about checking credentials or comparing hourly rates. It’s about ensuring the integrity of…
Saturday is International Mentoring Day—a day dedicated to celebrating the transformative power of mentoring relationships in young people’s lives. It’s also an important opportunity to address a question that keeps many parents, educators, and youth-serving organizations awake at night: How do we distinguish between healthy mentoring and the deceptive process of sexual grooming? The stakes…
The call comes during afternoon carpool pickup. A parent mentions—almost casually at first—that their daughter said something concerning about a counselor. Or you’re reviewing incident reports and notice a pattern you can’t ignore. Or an email lands in your inbox with “Urgent: Formal Complaint” in the subject line. Your stomach drops. Your mind races. And…
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…
When the Investigation Ends: How to Use the Results to Protect, Heal, and Strengthen Your Organization A practical guide for administrators of youth-serving organizations navigating the critical steps after an independent investigation concludes. Commissioning an independent investigation is one of the most difficult decisions a leader of a youth-serving organization will ever make. It requires…
The winter holidays are a good time to think about how we can help individual foster families. This time of year, there is an even greater need for community support. Foster parents have the same holiday to-do lists as every other family. In addition, they have to find time to help their foster kids connect…
A story from Southaven, Mississippi illustrates the importance of good training and policies in how to deal with a dilemma that youth organizations often face — when sexual activity between minors becomes a reportable event. The district attorney has charged a youth minister for failing to make a mandated report. According to the news story,…
A few weeks ago, a judge in Braxton, WV, sentenced Robin James for failing to act on a child’s disclosure. James received the maximum sentence of 4 to 40 years in prison for child neglect after admitting she made “no moves to protect” a minor in her care because she didn’t believe the child’s repeated…