In recent years, development NGOs have reenergized their efforts to safeguard children and vulnerable adults they work with from abuse and sexual exploitation. Many NGOs have adopted zero-tolerance policies for harassment, abuse, and exploitation. But safeguarding scandals continue, and even strenuous…
I am thankful I failed. So often we hear of failure as if it is a bad thing! It’s not! Not giving life a “good fight” with the chance of failure, now that can lead to a purposeless life. Giving up won’t get you anywhere. But, stepping…
On Veterans Day, we pause to honor those who have served our nation in uniform. We recognize their courage, their sacrifice, and their commitment to protecting our freedoms. But behind every service member stands a family that also serves—spouses who manage households through deployments, children…
Foster care saved my life. I know "saved my life" is really a simple, laymen term that kind-of covers it; however, it also may be a little too simplistic for the real depth of what that means for me. Before foster care my perception of…
When thieves pulled off a brazen daylight robbery at the Louvre this October, this article says security experts weren't particularly surprised. The investigation revealed what security professionals already knew: even the most prestigious institutions struggle with fundamental questions about where to place cameras, how to…
An extended family member emailed me in mid-October, asking about our family plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was surprised, since I was still working on Halloween. I hadn’t even thought about later months, much less made plans. At first I…
In the world of youth serving organizations, whether in schools, camps, or community programs, we often witness tense moments between kids. Is it just a spat over a toy, or something more sinister like bullying? As we mark National Bullying Prevention Month in October, it’s…
Despite the lessons about child protection policies provided by multiple highly-publicized sex abuse and safeguarding scandals, why do so many organizations that serve children, youth, and vulnerable adults still fall prey to the fast-talking, dynamic predator? Even after task forces and special commissions push for…
Another problem that we can face with traumatized children is that they can become the bully in a given situation. Children who have suffered trauma, particularly violent trauma, can learn the message that they have to be the one in power to avoid abuse. Or they…
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a good time to think about one of the toughest challenges our kids may face. For parents of children who've endured trauma—whether from abuse, loss, or upheaval in their early lives—the conversation hits…
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require youth-serving organizations to provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, including developmental delays, behavioral disorders, and mental health problems. Putting that principle into practice can be very difficult, particularly…
One area that all youth-serving organizations and parents with children enrolled in YSOs need to understand is what the law requires as far as children with disabilities. It can be a complicated question, such as when a child’s disability harms other children or when a program…