OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

The safety and well-being of young people is our top priority at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBSC). We believe that mentorship changes lives and ensuring a safe space is fundamental to our programming.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BBBSC AND THE AGENCIES

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) agencies are independent charities operating within a Federation structure. Agencies provide programming directly to children and families in their local communities. All agencies are Members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

BBBSC is a federally registered charity that provides services to agencies, which includes assessing each agency for compliance with BBBSC National Standards.

NATIONAL STANDARDS

The National Standards are formal guidelines designed to ensure agencies provide quality programming, while protecting young people from harm. The Standards are informed by peer-reviewed research, legislation and decades of practical experience. Standards describe the requirements for programming and child safety practices, which include:

  • Comprehensive Screening: Every agency volunteer, staff member, and board member must undergo an extensive screening process, including interviews, references, and police record checks with vulnerable sector screening.
  • Training: All program participants must receive mandatory child safety and youth development training prior to being matched with a young person.
  • Monitoring/Support: Each match must be closely monitored/supported by professional caseworkers. Regularly scheduled check-ins ensure the matches remain safe, healthy, and beneficial.
  • Qualifications: All staff responsible for monitoring/supporting matches must have related education and experience to fulfill those responsibilities.
  • Clear Policies and Reporting Procedures: All agencies must maintain clear policies for reporting any concerns, ensuring that children, families, volunteers, and staff understand how to recognize, prevent, and respond to unsafe situations.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

The BBBSC Quality Assurance department oversees the Standards and how they are applied locally. Each agency follows a full, four-year Quality Assurance review cycle, which measures compliance with the Standards. Additionally, critical elements related to child safety are monitored annually and continuously throughout the 4-year cycle. Any compliance issues identified in the review cycle are reported to the senior leadership of both the agency and BBBSC, along with requirements for improvement. Our goal is to work together when resolving issues. If any issues have the potential to affect child safety, BBBSC will take swift action to suspend agency programming while the issues are corrected.

REPORTING

Reported abuse in our programming will result in the suspension of the match. It also initiates immediate notification to the relevant authorities, which may include the local child protection agency and/or police department.

If you suspect abuse is occurring to a child in BBBS agency programming, please contact us.

If you have questions about our child safety measures or our quality assurance processes, please contact us.

If you would like to learn more about the child safety practices at your local agency, please refer to our agency directory.