An Effective
Safety System Requires All Five Parts
Awareness Training
Sexual Abuse Awareness Training forms the foundation of the Safety System, because we cannot address a risk we do not understand. At the core of an effective Safety System is this reality: what we believe shapes what we DO. Awareness Training changes what we believe: Prevention starts with awareness.
This Training equips staff members and volunteers with ‘eyes to see’ the abuser’s grooming process and common grooming behaviors. When staff members and volunteers are effectively trained, they are better equipped to prevent sexual abuse of Vulnerable Adults in your program.
Skillful Screening Process
Once staff members and volunteers have completed Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, it’s necessary to address your Organization’s screening process to ensure that the right team is onboard. The Skillful Screening Process, designed by sexual abuse experts, enables administrators, hiring managers and organizational leaders to better discern if an applicant or volunteer has the right motives for working with Vulnerable Adults.
Because sexual abusers have no visual profile, hiring and screening personnel must be trained to recognize high-risk responses, which indicate that an individual may be a danger to Vulnerable Adults served by an Organization.
Remember: the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Policies and Procedures
Policies are what you DO, not what you SAY you do.
Policies are truly effective only when they fit your particular program and population served. Written policies must present clear guidelines concerning appropriate boundaries, one-to-one interaction, reporting requirements and more.
Because there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ disability or program that serves Vulnerable Adults, there is no one-size-fits-all sample Policies form. Instead, we’ve created a Policies and Procedures checklist to help determine whether policy gaps exist.
Background Checks
Background Checks are an important element of the 5-Part Safety System, but cannot serve as a standalone safety protocol. Less than 10% of sexual abusers ever encounter the criminal justice system. Given this reality, even if an Organization’s Background Check system is working perfectly, more than 90% of sexual abusers have no past criminal record... and they know it.
Background Checks provide a helpful tool when used effectively, but there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ Background Check. For each staff applicant, the depth of Background Check should be determined by the degree of access to Vulnerable Adults. In addition, Background Checks must be periodically refreshed.
Monitoring and Oversight
For a Safety System to remain effective, every Organization must incorporate systems for Monitoring and Oversight to ensure that you DO what you SAY you do in an ongoing manner. Effective Monitoring and Oversight ensures the sustainability of your Organization’s Safety System.
Our 5-Part Safety System includes checks and balances to monitor supervision, Training compliance and system accountability through the use of our convenient online Control Panel.
Organizational leaders must evaluate new programs for risk, monitor changes in reporting requirements, address ongoing need for policy updates, and include risk management compliance in employee performance evaluations. Periodic review ensures that the safety of those served is not jeopardized by the departure of one or two key staff members.