Assessment Introduction
Questions?
The following questions will help to understand whether some common vulnerabilities are a feature of how your organization works. Depending on your answers in this section, you will be able to determine if a more in-depth self-audit tool risk assessment is needed. For more information about how we can assist you with additional tools and resources please visit Darkness to Light Consulting Services https://www.d2l.org/our-work/our-approach/consulting-services/ to learn how we can develop a customized risk reduction strategy for your organization.
To what extent do you have an effective policy for staff and volunteers that transport youth either in personal vehicles or through public transportation, specifically 1:1?
To what degree does your organization monitor staff or volunteers that use social media, email, or other digital platforms to communicate with youth?
How effective is your organization at monitoring staff or volunteers that use text messages or personal or work cell phones to communicate with youth?
How effective is your organization at requiring child sexual abuse prevention training be included in orientation or onboarding for all staff, contracted vendors, and volunteers?
To what degree does your recruitment process include background checks and references? How effective is your organization at conducting routine, annual background checks including criminal records or sex offender registry on a state and federal level for all staff and volunteers regardless of tenure?
How effective is your organization at distributing or posting relevant state laws and mandated reporter guidelines to all employees and volunteers?
To what extent has your organization distributed your child protection policy to all parents and caregivers with a definition of what constitutes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse?
How effective is your organization’s written Code of Conduct that is publicly displayed to alert staff and volunteers that there will be no inappropriate relations with clients, students, or campers?
How effective are your policies for your staff, volunteers, or contracted vendors that perform personal care for clients, students, or campers in the form of bathing, toileting, and changing clothes?
To what degree does your organization have a communications plan in place for communicating with staff, victims, parents, and the media should an incident of abuse surface?
How effective are your documented processes for recording concerns confidentially and securely?
To what extent does your organization have a sign-in process for all visitors?
How effective is your organization’s written supervision plan that monitors staff and volunteers' day-to-day interactions with clients, students, or campers?
To what degree does your organization have protocols for picking up clients, students, or campers?
If your organization use children’s photos/videos/stories or mentions children’s family stories in our communications (website, fundraising, leaflets, advertisements, news articles), how effective are your policies regarding sharing this information?
When running events where photography might take place, how effective is your organization at clarifying and promoting the photography rules for the event to all staff, volunteers, spectators, parents, caregivers, and child participants?
To what degree does your organization have an insurance policy including coverage for defense relating to child sexual abuse (excluding any coverage for people who abuse)?
How effective is your staff at knowing who the Designated Child Safety Officer is and how to access them?
To what extent has your administration team had preemptive conversations with community partners (law enforcement, child protective services, long term contractors etc.) to align on shared values for child protection?
To what degree has your facility undergone an environmental scan to assess potential vulnerable areas of abuse (i.e., windowed rooms, windowed doors, cameras, open viewing areas, etc.)?
