Club Safety

At the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, our commitment to ensuring the safety for all young people is our uppermost priority. Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so our club members can have every opportunity to be successful in life. We make sure that our employees and volunteers are properly trained, comply with all Club policies and guidelines, and that our clubhouses are properly maintained.

If you have a concern about the safety or well-being of a child, or if you would like to report suspicious or inappropriate behavior by an adult, Club staff or volunteer, please take a moment to let us know by filling out the Report a concern form.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oxnard and Port Hueneme continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our youth safe including:

• Prior to working with children, all youth development professionals must pass a background and reference check

• As part of our “onboarding” process, all staff must successfully complete relevant safety training prior to working with children

• We have an established structured Board-Led Safety Committee that meets regularly to address and evolve safety policies, procedures, and strategies

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme has comprehensive safety policies in place that protect youth – including, but not limited to, supervision, transportation, communication, and prohibiting private one-on-one contact.

CLICK HERE to read the 2024 Safety Policies.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para leer el 2024 Pólizas de Seguridad en Español.

For every staff, board member and volunteer applicant, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme completes a comprehensive screening before their involvement in any club program. These background checks include local, state-wide and national background checks for criminal history and sex-offender registry through Live Scan or First Advantage. Background screenings are completed annually for every staff, volunteer, and board member.

Any employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from the previous Club, even if the Clubs are within the same community.

Club staff is the front line of defense for protecting our members and the safety of each member is our first priority. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme staff receive on-going training to meet BGCA standards and guidelines regarding staff-to-member ratios, monitoring club activities, evaluating settings, enforcing personal boundaries and more crucial policies.

Ongoing training and supervision by staff is critical. We participate in a wide variety of child safety training such as mandated reporting, CPR & First Aid certification, on-boarding, on-the-spot training, department training, seminars & conferences, and behavior guidance training. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme staff and volunteers are all mandated reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/safety concern to local authorities immediately. We are also required to report any critical incident to Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme has a dedicated Safety Committee to provide input and guidance on local policies and safety strategies.

Priorities and initiatives include:

• Emergency Policies, Procedures & Response

• Ongoing Updates to Staff Training

• Increasing the Safety of Our Facilities

• Educating our children on Club policies/rules of conduct that help ensure their personal safety and the safety of others

• Working with our community partners on joint clear communication and strategies that are adhered to regardless of location and activities with our children

We also complete a safety assessment annually, with BGCA, to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs.

We comply with federal, state, and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.

Safety Partnerships: Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America works with leading experts in the areas of safety, security, and technology to develop state-of-the-art solutions for Clubs. Partners include:

• National Child Safety Advisory Task Force, made up of leading experts and organizations

• Blue Ribbon Taskforce, comprised of local Club leaders charged with providing input on the safety direction and key safety initiatives

• Mental Health First Aid, a national program that teaches skills to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance abuse

• Crisis Text Line, a confidential text message service for youth in times of crisis

If you have a concern about the safety or well-being of a child, or if you would like to report suspicious or inappropriate behavior by an adult, Club staff or volunteer, please take a moment to let us know by filling out the Report a concern form.