Description

A one-of-a-kind guide for youth-serving organizations to help build out their own child protection policies in just 120 days.

Expert guidance, worksheets, and checklists take the guesswork out of confusing industry standards—so you can focus on helping kids learn, grow, and flourish.

Written by two experts with more than 60 years of experience helping youth-serving organizations (YSOs), the book's goal is to provide a blueprint for other organizations to develop their own policies thereby helping the organizations to fulfill their missions while protecting the children in their care.

From private schools to church youth groups to mentoring organizations to summer camps, YSOs provide unparalleled opportunities for children to learn, grow, and flourish.  Unfortunately, because they serve a vulnerable population, those groups also face unparalleled risks.

Within the book, organizations will be able to:

• Recognize and avoid common pitfalls and mistakes
• Set up a workable timeline for implementation
• Create and confirm their own commitments and principles
• Access several supportive worksheets, checklists, and activity guides
• Learn how to pick the right people (leaders, team, volunteers, etc.)
• Understand and adhere important protocols and guidelines
• Appropriately respond to serious incidents

About the Author

Debbie Ausburn is a social worker, foster parent, criminal prosecutor, and civil trial attorney. That background has given her unique insights into defending child care centers, camps, schools, and mentoring organizations. She has volunteered with and defended youth-serving organizations throughout the United States in matters as diverse as personal injury cases, intrusive government regulations, libel and slander issues, and claims of sexual abuse. She blogs about legal topics at youthserviceslaw.com, and parenting issues at otherpeopleschildren.org. She is based in Atlanta, GA.

Natalie Ford, PhD is Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Degree Coordinator for the Masters in Counseling at Truett McConnell University (TMU). She earned a Ph.D. in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. Dr. Ford is a Licensed Professional Counselor and practices at a community counseling center. She authored the book, Tears to Joy: Finding Hope in the Presence of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide and her research emphasis includes suicide prevention and postvention. She facilitates a Survivors of Suicide (SOS) support group and is an advocate for eradicating the stigma associated with mental illness and reducing the prevalence of suicide. Dr. Ford lives in the North Georgia Mountains with her husband and her daughter.