Through prevention programs, education, and support services, the Y is committed to creating environments where children can learn, grow, and thrive free from harm. By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and generations, the Y works to foster strong connections and ignite youth empowerment, ensuring every child is safe, supported, and has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
How We Protect our Children
- Limitation of one-on-one interactions
- Policies about electronic communication and social media
- Professional ethics/boundaries/interactions with youth
- Policies around gift-giving and favoritism
At the Westfield Area YMCA, we take the safety of our children, staff, and community members very seriously. In addition to criminal background checks, we implement a thorough screening process for both new and regular staff and volunteers to assess potential abuse risks. This includes conducting detailed interviews, checking personal and professional references, and drug screenings. To ensure ongoing accountability, all staff and volunteers are annually required to complete comprehensive trainings. These measures are designed to ensure that every individual working with us is fully vetted and committed to maintaining a safe, supportive environment for all.
Staff and volunteers at the Westfield Area YMCA are required to complete comprehensive abuse prevention training, which includes crucial topics such as identifying and responding to red-flag behaviors and boundary violations, preventing youth-to-youth abuse, and recognizing and managing high-risk activities and areas. The training also covers the proper procedures for reporting suspected abuse and understanding mandatory reporting requirements, ensuring a safe environment for everyone in our care.
At the Westfield Area YMCA, youth program safety and supervision are our top priorities. We ensure that all participants are supervised at all times by maintaining the "rule of three" or more, meaning there is never just one staff member or volunteer alone with a participant. If this ever occurs, staff and volunteers are trained to report it immediately. Additionally, volunteers are closely supervised by lead staff members. Specific procedures are in place to monitor sensitive times and activities, including bathroom breaks, transitions, free time, transportation, and night activities, ensuring consistent and appropriate oversight at all times.
At the Westfield Area YMCA, we prioritize creating a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. If a situation occurs that makes someone uncomfortable, staff, volunteers, members, youth and parents are provided with multiple ways to report concerns, including anonymous methods. The organization is committed to following all state-mandated reporting laws in New Jersey, which require certain individuals to report any suspected child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities. These reports must be made promptly to ensure the safety and well-being of the child involved. The Westfield Area YMCA ensures that all reports are taken seriously and addressed immediately, maintaining a safe space for all involved.
Five Days of Action
At the Y, child protection is our number one priority year-round. During April–Child Abuse Prevention Month–we participate in a week-long campaign called Five Days of Action to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip our communities to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and through implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, we can all commit to the safety of all children in our care.
Share Your Feedback
If you have feedback, would like to report a concern, or suspect child sexual abuse, please submit it to the form below.
Facts About Child Sexual Abuse
When adults collectively understand the risks and red flags of child sexual abuse, we can do more to keep kids safe. When we all take action, abuse is preventable.
- 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys in the U.S. experience sexual abuse by the age of 18.
- 90 percent of children who are abused know the abuser.
- There are more than 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the U.S. Yet, many child victims may never disclose their abuse.
- 1 in 5 children is solicited sexually on the Internet before the age of 18.