Newspaper headlines:

“Pedophile volunteered at local church.”
“Camp Counsellor engage in inappropriate communication with camper!”
“Family members charge Not-for-Profit organization leaders for undue influence with deceased mother’s Last Will.”

Unfortunately these news headlines in themselves don’t surprise us anymore.  However, when we take the time to read the details of the story, we may be surprised by the circumstances. 

Headline One:  A few years ago when I read the first headline, I recognized the name of the church and called to see if we could be of assistance.  The church is committed to ensuring a safe environment and has a strong Plan to Protect® in place. However, a sub-committee of the church decided to hold a Food Bank for the community.  During the planning committee, a new person in the church offered to help out.  The Food Bank was not a program that was regularly held and it fell through the cracks of screening staff and volunteers for children and youth programming.

Headline Two:  The camp had very strong policies and procedures in place during the camp session.  However, once the campers and counselors left camp, the counselor began emailing and texting the campers in his cabin.  The campers shared the emails with other camp staff, and the counselor was arrested for sexual crimes against minors.  The camp was also charged for vicarious liability for the actions of their volunteer.

Headline Three:  The family members knew their mother had bequeathed a percentage of her estate to the charity. However, when the Will was read, the family was surprised to learn that the Will had been recently changed to reflect the money was now to go directly to the Executive Director of the charity and his wife.  In discovery, it was found that the Executive Director and his wife would often visit their mother when there was no other person home. A relationship was formed, and they had shared with her the investments that the charity had, and the financial hardships they were experiencing as a family. 

Whenever I read these stories, I realize the importance of organizations having strong protection policies and procedures in place.  Each of these scenarios identifies areas of hidden risks.  We recommend that organizations brainstorm all activities and programs they have and assess the level of risk associated with the activity.  We also recommend that policies and procedures be written to set parameters for interaction and engagement, communication after programs, and to avoid isolation during programs and when visiting the vulnerable. 

The following Assessment Guide may be of assistance in identifying the level of risk.  For more information on accessing our help in writing policies, contact info@plantoprotect.com
  

Risk Assessment Guide

This guide will help determine if an individual should be screened and trained under Plan to Protect®.  If you respond by answering YES to any of these questions, we would recommend that you proceed with screening to ensure that you are providing a safe environment for all those involved.