One of the greatest challenges I face in my role, is helping our clients view Plan to Protect® as an initiative to help accomplish the objectives or goals of their charity or corporation.  Every corporation and charity has identified object clauses that describe the kind of work the corporation or charity will do. A corporation can then carry out activities described in their object(s).

Sample objects include:

• To establish and maintain a religious school of instruction for children, youths and adults.
• To establish and maintain a religious day school.
• To relieve loneliness and isolation of the aged or to improve their mobility and fitness by establishing, operating and maintaining a senior citizens' centre to provide recreation, education, cultural activities and other programs for senior citizens.
• To provide respite to persons caring for aged persons by providing temporary care to aged persons and by providing such services as housekeeping, meal preparation, nursing and shopping assistance.
• To provide support services for aged persons including personal care, housekeeping, meals, nursing and shopping assistance.
• To assist those affected by child sexual abuse through counselling and treatment programs.
• To assist those affected by spousal abuse through counselling and treatment programs
• To provide affordable and secure housing for women who have been emotionally, physically or sexually abused or traumatized and for their children.
• To provide residential housing and a stable living environment to persons with disabilities.
• To provide support and encouragement to persons with disabilities by offering programs in individual development and integration into the community.
• To provide relief to persons with disabilities by developing and implementing recreation, education and social integration programs for the disabled. 

Plan to Protect® helps a charity or business accomplish it’s objects in relation to vulnerable persons.   Without a strategic plan in place, a corporation’s existence can be jeopardized, impacting their reputation and their financial ability to continue.  Under the Canada Corporations Act, by-laws must stipulate that a corporation hold annual member’s meetings. 

This is the time of the year when Annual General Meetings are scheduled.  An annual general meeting (commonly abbreviated as AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting that official bodies, charities, churches and associations involving the general public (including companies with shareholders), are often required by law (or the constitution, charter, by-laws etc. governing the body) to hold.

It is often at AGMs that organizations prepare for the members compiled reports highlighting the activities that were held during the past year.  It is at AGM’s members have the opportunity to hold the corporation (charity or business) accountable for their actions and plans for the previous year and the forthcoming year.  These reports provide an excellent opportunity to account for and celebrate progress made, and account for and face issues that have occurred. 

With this in mind, we recommend that organizations include in their summary of reports a report on the progress made in implementing Plan to Protect®.  Here is a sample Annual General Meeting Report.

Sample Annual General Meeting Report for Plan to Protect®

Thank you [name of organization] for protecting our children, youth and vulnerable adults. 

We currently have 125 fully screened volunteers on our list of screened workers and an addition 11 that have either lapsed in their screening or are in process of being screened. 

Screening includes:

1)      Application

2)      Interview

3)      Reference Checks

4)      Criminal Record Check

5)      Training

6)      Signed Covenant of Care

7)      Final Approval

The Protection Team of [name of organization] is made up of Joseph Brown, Kate Smith, William Wong, Abraham Isaacs, and Karen Jones.  The purpose of this committee is to oversee and maintain the Plan to Protect® policies and procedures, including the screening of volunteers and staff.  We are a committee that reports to the Board of Directors. 

This past year we were sad to say goodbye to Aaron Snow, a strong Administrator who served faithfully on our committee and was active in conducting interviews and reference checks and keeping our office up to date.

We want to say a big thank you to all of our volunteers at [name of organization].  We can’t thank you enough for your willingness to submit to the policies and attend required training and screening procedures. 

During 2014, we held five trainings for Plan to Protect®, one Orientation and three Refreshers and one Plan to Protect training during the Leadership in Training program for our summer camps.  As we have few newly screened workers, we are able to send most new volunteers to the Plan to Protect® on-line training that is available. 

We held a Policy Audit in the fourth quarter of the year and we discovered that we currently have a number of people that did not attend the Refresher Plan to Protect® training that was offered. This is mandatory training.  We would like to remind all volunteers that are in positions of leadership, or are working with children or youth, or visiting the elderly and sick to attend the annual refresher training.  If you have not attended refresher training within the last 12 months, please speak to Joseph Brown or Kate Smith regarding your training needs. 

We are pleased to report during 2014 we had no recorded or reported incidences of harm.   

If you ever have a question or concern about protection, please contact someone on our Protection Team.  Also, every classroom at [name of organization] has a red Plan to Protect® binder for easy access to forms and policies.