The following is a list of general policies that should be enacted in all youth organizations. Parents should contact individual organizations to inquire about the specifics of their abuseprevention policy. If your child’s organization does not have a set policy, urge it to develop one immediately.
- Set written policy of acceptable and non-acceptable behavior to be signed by all staff and distributed to parents. Examples of unacceptable behavior are suggestive body language, over familiarity with youth, inappropriate language, and denigration of parental authority.
- Run in-service programs for staff to increase sensitivity and awareness about issues of abuse. A mental health professional should be present to discuss the long-term effects of abuse.
- Screen staff carefully before hiring. Conduct extensive interviews and call all available references, even for short-term or intermittent jobs.
- Run seminars for youth educating them to recognize various forms of abuse and informing them whom to contact if they become victims of abuse.
- Hire a full time psychologist to address emotional problems of youth and to serve as a confidential contact for complaints of abuse.
- Ensure that confidential psychological services or referrals are available to staff so that staff has somewhere to turn when experiencing difficulties.
- Keep parents involved in organizational policy making and staffing.
- Establish a mechanism to review staff regularly. The director or personnel department should regularly review staff to ensure that they are complying with the code of acceptable behavior.
- Recognize that abuse takes many forms — sexual, physical, emotional, and that all must be dealt with seriously.