I love going to the Club knowing I get to be myself while making new friends!! The staff and kids are very friendly. Thanks, Southwest Boys and Girls Club from!!
To inspire & enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring adults.
To be leaders in serving youth and changing lives.
Ensuring child safety is fundamental to the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls. Research is clear that when kids feel safe they have better outcomes in life, which is exactly why we do the work we do – building great futures by serving local youth who need us most to help them become productive, caring and responsible citizens in our community. Inherent in this is the safeguarding of those kids and teens who are entrusted to our care and engaged with our Clubs. We work every day to create a safe, fun environment so kids can have every opportunity to be successful in life.
We have ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior of any kind, including child sexual abuse or misconduct, and we put resources behind that stance.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls continually updates robust safety policies, programs and training for our staff and volunteers that are designed to promote child safety and protect young people from threats that are present in our society. We implement layers of safety policies and guidelines to keep our kids safe including:
24-hour Toll-free Child Safety Hotline: We encourage all staff, members, and families to report any incident or situation they feel is unsafe. Through our national partnership with Praesidium, one of the nation’s leading safety experts, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls members and staff have access to a confidential 24-hour toll-free Child Safety Hotline, 866-607-7233 or email SafeClub@Praesidiuminc.com.
Required Immediate Reporting: Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls staff and volunteers are all mandated, reporters. We are required to report any critical incident/safety concerns to local authorities immediately. We are also required to report any critical incident to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America within 24 hours.
Onboarding & Background Checks:
Together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls follows the nationally mandated six-step safety plan to provide a safe and secure experience for youth:
Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America works with leading experts in the areas of safety, security and technology to develop state-of-the-art solutions for Clubs. Partners include:
Ongoing training and supervision of staff is critical. We participate in a variety of child safety training measures. We also engage leading third-party safety experts to provide guidance for our policies and approaches, including Praesidium, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the National Children’s Advocacy Center. Locally, training includes:
We complete a safety assessment each year to ensure we continually make improvements to safety at our Clubs. In addition, we audit Club locations throughout the year to ensure adherence to policies and processes.
Any employee interested in moving to another Boys & Girls Club is required to have a reference from the previous Club, even if the Clubs are within the same community.
We comply with federal, state and local safety laws, including those impacting facilities and vehicles.
Nationally, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has advocated the passage of the U.S. PROTECT Act, which improved background screening systems and access. The national organization has also partnered with the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Centers for Disease Control to contribute to the development of safety practices that benefit ALL youth-serving organizations.
America’s young people deserve nothing less than our constant focus on their safety and our firm commitment to protect every child who is entrusted to our care at Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls. To learn more about our national safety policies and actions, please visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Child Safety page, here.
I love going to the Club knowing I get to be myself while making new friends!! The staff and kids are very friendly. Thanks, Southwest Boys and Girls Club from!!
I love the Boys and Girls Club because it has helped me be more confident and has motivated me to be more involved in programs. Another reason I love the Boys and Girls Club is because the staff and Mrs. Stacie always makes sure no one is hurt or bullied.
I love the Southwest Boys and Girls Club and Mrs. Stacie; she makes this program work so well! The kids and staff are exceptional!! I personally attended the Northwest Club with Mr. Cook and Mr. Ball, so my daughter, Kylah, is a second-generation attendee. When I have a job that holds me past 6:00 pm or so, I can rest assured the staff will make sure my daughter is taken care of along with her homework being done! They are family and we appreciate them!
I absolutely love the Southwest Branch of the BGCs! My daughter has attended the last 6 years. The staff have made her enjoy being a part of the club and have encouraged her to be a part of more activities. I am so grateful!