New Requirements for Organizations Serving Children What are ‘clearances’? Who needs to get them, and how often? Who is a ‘mandatory reporter’ in Pennsylvania, and what does that mean? What is an ‘employment history review’ and what process is required [for schools]? The Pennsylvania legislature was active during the 2014 legislative session. Governor Tom Corbett…

Counselors in university and camping contexts… Am I a mandatory reporter? If an adult describes having been abused as a child, am I required to report? When? How do expanding reporting requirements impact college and university counselors? How do reporting requirements impact individuals providing spiritual guidance? Around the country, state legislatures are pursuing aggressive strategies to reduce the…

No flawless criminal records search exists.  Why? To reduce the risk of sexual abuse, organizations rely on criminal background checks to assess the risk of a staff member or volunteer – and they should.  BUT, a criminal background check is not the stand-alone answer.  Below is some information about criminal background checks that organizations must have to understand the weaknesses of…

In the last five years, several nationally reported sexual abuse allegations at camp received significant press and attention. Concerned parents are asking camps: “What are you doing to protect MY child at THIS camp?” “What should camps be doing to address this risk?”   Why are children at risk at camp? Summer camp fills an important role in American culture, but camps…

Observations for Camps, Conference Centers, Colleges and Churches Any activity or locale where children are gathered engenders the risk of sexual abuse. Many of these gatherings take place in camps, conference centers, colleges and churches. All child-serving organizations should make reasonable effort to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. What constitutes ‘reasonable’ effort is…