How To Keep Children Safe In Five Simple Steps

STEP ONE: CONDUCT A POLICY AUDIT

The best way to keep your children safe from harm is to review all the procedures that you have in place that will keep them safe from physical and emotional harm. Let's take a look over four key areas for some quick wins to improve your children's safety.

• Do you have a policy in place that tells staff and volunteers what to do if an unauthorized person attempts to collect a child? The best time to plan and prepare for this situation is before it occurs. As a leader you may tell your staff to not let this happen, but if you don't have a policy how can you train the standard and empower people to make the best choices? It’s so important to have a plan that not only protects children but those supporting them.
• Does your current policy dictate that two adults (over 18) should always be present even if only one child is present? This is often difficult for groups that work with children, but it is key for two reasons. It safeguards those vulnerable from abuse and it protects your staff and volunteers against false allegations.
• Have you discussed your policies and procedures with your insurer? No matter the size of your organization your insurance provider has an interest in making sure you stay safe. Speak with them about the appropriate coverage needed for your activities and understand the coverage you currently have in place.

STEP TWO: REVIEW PROCEDURES 

• Do you have a procedure that discusses child affection? It’s important to create a positive, nurturing environment for the children in our care. In order to do this, boundaries around affection need to be in place. It’s important to establish what is appropriate and inappropriate. This allows staff and volunteers to comfortably show positive affection to young children and helps expose those not using safe affection.
• Do you have an evacuation plan that has been practiced by staff and volunteers? People are creatures of habit and tend to go to the same areas of a building time and time again, but do not always know the name of the room they are in or where the exits are. In times of crisis, events will become stressful even more so with young children. Having floor plans readily available as well as having and practicing an exit plan can improve the speed at which people can respond in an emergency.
• Do you have a process for identifying behaviors that might affect the safety of children, noncontact/restraining orders, medical conditions or child custody issues? This is a sensitive topic and can be difficult to regulate as it involves asking a lot of probing questions. We do not want to be seen gossiping or talking about other people in our community, but it is a risk if we don't ask these important questions so we can put processes in place to protect our children.

STEP THREE: CONDUCT BACKGROUND CHECKS 

• Do you screen all employees regardless of position that work with young children and youth? We want to make sure that we trust those who are looking after our children. Background checks are a key control to do this, but remember they are a snapshot in time and should be refreshed yearly.
• Does your background check include multi state, employment records? The purpose of the background check is to know if the volunteer or staff member is a safe person to be around children. People travel and cross state lines, so it’s more thorough to get a multistate background check. Understanding employment history is helpful for finding red flags or gaps in employment and could help guide you as to where you may need more investigation.
• Do you wait for the background check to be cleared before the person starts working with children? It’s incredibly important to wait until you have the results back before a person volunteers or is hired starts working with children. The reason you are doing the check is to identify risk and allowing the person to start without a cleared background doesn’t support this. I know it can be a struggle for smaller pre schools and churches but its best practice to wait!

STEP FOUR: TRAIN STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS 

• Have your volunteers been trained on the laws of your state as they relate to child custody and abuse? This is a complex area for everyone to navigate. Training on these areas empower both your staff and volunteers to make informed decisions if these situations ever arise.
• Do you provide medical training to staff and volunteers? Depending on the size of your staff team, there may be requirements to have AED’s and medical equipment on site, but does anyone know how to use it and are they trained to respond? Basic CPR and other First Aid courses are generally affordable and offered on a regular basis.
• Do you practice your lockdown drill on a regular schedule? Every member of your team should know their role during an emergency. Deadly force incidents are on the rise in open and public spaces so we all need to know what to do. They last a matter of minutes. In those critical minutes, it’s important that people know what their role is AND have practiced how to keep themselves and others safe.

STEP FIVE: REVIEW PHYSICAL SECURITY 

• Can you lock all the doors in your children's areas? Simple hardware from Home Depot or a similar store will do. In the event of an emergency, the government have coined the phrase ‘run, hide, fight’. If you have children behind a door which cannot be locked, it is not a suitable hiding place and is a liability issue if something goes wrong. Do what you can to slow down the offender and lock the door from the inside.
• Do you have windows that open in any of the rooms? If yes, how do you mitigate the risk of an unwanted person entering through the window or intentionally breaking it or worse still a child falling out of it?
• Do you conduct monthly reviews of the physical aspects of your building? One major aspect of looking after children is making sure the building is safe for them to be in. Things like covering electrical outlets, making sure cribs and play pens conform to code, having procedures in place to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), installing carbon monoxide detectors, securing shelving/bookcases to the wall. All these types of issues need to be reviewed monthly to ensure safety.

Simon Osamoh is a British American and founder of Kingswood Security Consulting and the Worship Security Academy. He spent 14 years as a Detective in England working serious and organized crime. He moved to the United States to Head Counter Terrorism at Mall of America, Minnesota. Simon is a Christian and has spent over a decade helping non-profits stay safe and secure. He is the author of three books, Securing Church Operations, Church Safety Responding to Suspicious Behavior and 10 Powerful Strategies for Conflict De-escalation. He is the host of the Church Security Made Simple Podcast and a member of the Worship Facility Editorial Advisory Board.

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