Child Abuse Prevention Month | Our YMCA Employee Code of Conduct

The development of children is the core of which the Y’s values were built. This is why the safety of all children in our care is our number one priority. Staff and volunteers at the Northern Middlesex YMCA follow our Code of Conduct to ensure the safety of all children who come through our doors, whether they’re regular program participants or only visit once a year.

During Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Y wants to make sure that all members understand this Code of Conduct. A key tool in abuse prevention is knowledge, so it’s important that parents and caregivers are informed of the Y’s policies around children. Together we can work to ensure all children in Middlesex County reach their full potential.

Click HERE to visit our Abuse Prevention at the Y page on our website to view our Code of Conduct.

In addition to our Code of Conduct, the Y also has a number of safety measures intended to keep kids safe.

A principal endeavor of the Middlesex Y is to provide an atmosphere for the growth and development of youth and children.Thus, the mistreatment or neglect of youth or children and the resulting severe effects are of primary concern to the Y. Child abuse is mistreatment or neglect of a child by parent(s) or others resulting in injury or harm. Abuse can lead to severe emotional, physical and behavioral problems. Because of its concern for the welfare of children and youth, the Y has developed policies, standards, guidelines and training to aid in the detection and prevention of child abuse.

1. All employees are screened and background checks are conducted upon hiring or rehiring. Additionally, employees who have contact with children and youth receive training in recognizing, reporting and preventing child abuse, which includes training in recognizing signs that a child is being groomed for abuse.

2. Before employment, all staff must complete Praesidium's Armatus Child Abuse Prevention Training. These online modules of training include "Duty to Report, Mandated Reporter", "Keeping Your Y Safe", "Preventing Sexual Activity Between Young Children", "Meet Sam", and "It Happened to Me".

3. All employees are required to sign and abide by our Codes of Conduct, Work Rules, Childcare Code of Conduct, and our YMCA Policy Preventing the Abuse and Mistreatment of Youth.

If you have questions about the Y’s Code of Conduct or our child safety measures policy, please contact

Candace Crane, VP of Youth Development & Community Relations 860.343.6204 or ccrane@midymca.org

Rich McCarty, VP for Healthy Living & Social Responsibility 860.343.6207 or rmccarty@midymca.org

Join Five Days of Action to Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, April 24-28

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of our commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re participating in the Five Days of Action - a week-long campaign to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and through implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, The Middlesex Y is committing to the safety of all children in our community.

The Know. See. Respond. campaign is back this year, tying in three impact areas – preventing child sexual abuse at both summer camp and in youth sports, and internet safety. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, U.S. Center for SafeSport and Praesidium have shared resources to support this campaign.

Summer Camp KNOWing about child sexual abuse can help adults better understand what to look for and how to prevent it. As parents, caregivers, and trusted adults to the young people in our lives, we play an important role in protecting them from abuse. This requires our commitment to continually learn and then ask questions about the safety of our loved ones.

The Y – and other youth serving organizations – implement a series of measures to keep the kids in their care safe. Next time you enroll your loved one in a new program, ask them about their child protection practices. For this summer, you can use this list.

See: Youth Sports When we SEE boundaries being crossed or suspect a child is being abused, we can and should act quickly. Sports should be safe places for children to grow, both as people and athletes. As a parent, caregiver, coach, or volunteer, it is up to you to make sure any environment in which children in your care interact is free from abuse. Learn more about the signs and how you can help prevent child sexual abuse in youth sports at https://uscenterforsafesport.org/parents/.

Respond: Internet Safety Did you know that you don’t need evidence to report abuse—only reasonable suspicion? But even for adults, reporting abuse is hard. We don’t want to falsely accuse someone or get someone in trouble. On the other hand, reporting might be the one thing that saves a child – or children – from abuse. It is our responsibility to RESPOND to any and all disclosure, discovery or suspicion of child sexual abuse. As adults and children alike have turned to digital tools for school, work and socialization, online safety matters now more than ever. Many online dangers put children at risk, such as cyber bullying, online enticement and more. As an adult, keeping an open line of communication with any children in your care who may access online content can be key to helping prevent sexual abuse. Learn the facts, how you can keep kids safe, and how to respond to online victimization at https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz.

We take our commitment to child protection seriously and we hope you do too. Check out our protection policy here https://www.midymca.org/abuse-prevention-at-the-middlesex-y to learn more about how we keep kids safe in Middlesex County.