One of the most common mistakes I see my youth-serving clients make is having written child protection policies that they don’t adequately explain to on-the-ground staff. The case I highlighted last week may be an example of that problem. Having written policies that your staff…
I ran across another cautionary tale about mandated reporting this week. The Arizona Court of Appeals recently decided that clergy who failed to make a mandated report might not be protected by the state’s clergy privilege. Three minors brought suit against the Church of Latter-Day…
A magistrate judge found a former director of a childcare center in Lynchburg, Virginia guilty of failing to report a staff member’s abuse of children at the center. What makes this an unusual story is that the police also had charged three Board members as…
North Dakota has changed its requirements for mandated reporting for teachers. As of last Friday, teachers now must have training only before initial licensing rather than every year. The standard training in that state appears to be relatively short and not particularly onerous. But short trainings, while better than nothing, rarely can…
One of the difficulties in fashioning child protection policies is that there is little evidence about what actually works. We can reason backward from incidents, arguing that closing a loophole that a particular abuser exploited will prevent abuse in the future. That backward-looking reasoning, however, is simplistic and…
A story from New York City illustrates the sad fact that even good crisis response can have difficult consequences. The reporter starts with the bombshell fact that the health department “received a complaint” about staff abuse of children at a Bright Horizons childcare center. You…
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…
The first step in crafting solid child protection policies is knowing the standards in your field. We lawyers call it the “standard of care,” a term that means the policies and procedures that youth-serving organizations (YSOs) similar to yours follow in your area. Camping programs,…
I ran across an interesting review of mental health studies concluding that stories are an excellent way to build resilience in children. I’m a firm believer in the power of stories, and I love research that supports my ideas. This particular review reminds us that storytelling is…
One of the difficulties in fashioning strong child protection policies is that there is little evidence about what actually works. Often, all we can do is reason backward from incidents, hoping that closing a loophole that a particular abuser exploited will prevent abuse in the…
A recent lawsuit offers some important lessons in child protection policies for youth-serving organizations (YSOs). A school resource officer (SRO) has filed suit in Savannah, Georgia, alleging that his supervisors retaliated against him for reporting allegations by two high school students that another SRO had sexually abused…
Having a claim that a child has been injured in your program is every youth organization’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, you can start developing steps in your child protection policy that will help you be better prepared to deal with such a claim. By planning ahead,…