I have defended many youth organizations in litigation involving harm to children. Let me tell you what the worst moment in a deposition sounds like. The attorney asks: “When did you last read your child safety policy?” Your client pauses. Looks at the ceiling. Says,…
I drove past a county courthouse last week and counted forty-seven blue pinwheels spinning in the wind. They looked cheerful. They always do. And every April, I feel the same complicated mix of gratitude and frustration when I see them—because child abuse prevention for foster…
I often hear the phrase “we’re a trauma-informed organization” in conversations with YSO leaders. It appears on websites, in grant applications, and in parent handbooks. And in most cases, it means that someone on staff attended a workshop, received a certificate, and came back with…
We have exciting news to share. YSO Academy is now an Accredited Provider with the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). IACET accreditation is a milestone we have been working toward for a long time, and we are thrilled to tell you what…
One of my friends had a foster son who once melted down when asked to do the dishes. Not acting out, but a freeze — eyes wide, breathing shallow, body rigid. They had no idea why until months later, when they learned he associated that…
April 23 is Take a Chance Day—a lighthearted observance that celebrates spontaneity, taking risks, and the willingness to try something new. The internet fills with posts about skydiving, asking out a crush, launching a business, or ordering something unfamiliar off a menu. The underlying message:…
National Take a Chance Day, observed every April 23, celebrates stepping outside your comfort zone. Try something new. Take a leap. Embrace the unfamiliar. For most people, the invitation feels exciting, even liberating—a nudge toward the adventures and opportunities that caution has kept at arm’s…
The child safety policies governing most youth-serving organizations today emerged from a physical world. They address one-on-one contact in rooms, buildings, and vehicles. They establish supervision ratios for in-person activities. They create protocols for transportation, overnight programming, and facility access. And they leave largely unaddressed…
Your biological child watched their foster brother throw a plate across the kitchen. Your daughter heard her adoptive sister screaming at two in the morning—again. Your son from your first marriage flinches when his stepsister slams a door. You understand that you’re often seeing trauma-driven…
Spring announces itself with urgency. Trees leaf out. Lawns turn green overnight. The natural world signals renewal so loudly that the culture adopts the season as a metaphor for resilience—spring cleaning, fresh starts, new beginnings. For Plan B parents—foster, adoptive, and stepparents—this seasonal optimism can…
Nothing tests an organization’s commitment to child protection like an allegation against its most trusted, most popular, most beloved staff member. The youth pastor who built the program from the ground up. The coach who took the team to state championships. The teacher every parent…
Every April 15, Major League Baseball pauses to honor Jackie Robinson. Every player, coach, and umpire wears number 42. The ceremony commemorates the day in 1947 when Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field and broke baseball’s color line—a moment of extraordinary courage that changed American sports…