Optimist Club of Herndon

Statement of Policy

  1. Policy Name: Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect
  1. Policy Effective Date:December 26, 2012
  1. Policy Review Date (or “None”): Annually
  1. Policy Expiration Date (or “None”): None
  1. Policy Purpose/Objectives:

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that each of the Optimist Club of Herndonyouth programs implements child abuse and neglect reportingprocedures, as required by the Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporting Law, Code of Virginia 63.2-1509.

  1. Persons/Programs to Which the Policy Applies:
  1. This policy applies to all Optimist Club of Herndonyouth programs.
  2. This policy applies to all Optimist Club of Herndonprogram managers and volunteers.
  1. Requirements to Satisfy the Policy:

This policy is satisfied by implementation of (a) and (b) below:

  1. The program implements the Optimist Club of Herndon-provided child abuse and neglect reporting agreement as part of their volunteer registration program(s).
  2. The program maintains a record of violations of the child abuse and neglect reporting policy, including the identification of the persons involved in the incident, the dates and locations of the incidents, the specific action(s) that violated the child abuse and neglect reporting policy, and what action(s) the board/management committee took to address the violation(s).
  1. Assistance/Resources Provided to Execute the Policy:
  1. The Optimist Club of Herndon will provide standard language for a child abuse and neglect reporting agreementto be integrated into volunteer program registration forms implemented in the Optimist Club of Herndon’s program registration/management system.
  2. A member of theOptimist Club of HerndonBoard of Directors, or another youth program’s representative, will be made available to provide training and assistance on how to implement the child abuse and neglect reporting agreement in the Optimist Club of Herndon’s program registration/management system.
  1. Policy Implementation:
  1. By July 1, 2013, all Optimist Club of Herndon programs must have a child abuse and neglect reporting agreement included in their volunteer registration forms.
  2. If there are any violations of the child abuse and neglect reporting policy,a memo/email must be sent to theOptimist Club of Herndon Board of Directors identifying the persons involved, the dates and locations of the incidents, the specific action(s) that violated the child abuse and neglect reporting policy, and what action(s) the board/management committee took to address the violation(s).
  1. Consequences of Failure to Follow the Policy:
  1. If an Optimist Club of Herndon youth program is found to not be in compliance with this policy, the Optimist Club of Herndon Board of Directors will send a memo to the Commissioner, President, and/or youth program board/management committee identifying the problem, the corrective action(s) to be taken, and the timeframe for executing the corrective action.
  2. If the youth program Commissioner, President, and/or youth program board/management committee does not execute the corrective action within the specified timeframe, the Optimist Club of Herndon Board of Directors will suspend access of all of the program’s registration/management system managers until a meeting with the Optimist Club of Herndon Board of Directors takes place and corrective actions are taken.

Optimist Club of Herndon Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Agreement

If, in the course of my volunteer activities with the Optimist Club of Herndon, I suspect or have reason to believe that a child has been abused or neglected, or have knowledge of, or observe a child being subjected to conditions that would reasonably result in harm to the child, I will report to the Virginia Department of Social Services toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline (1-800-552-7096) as soon as possible, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours after having a suspicion of a reportable offense, unless I have actual knowledge that the same matter has already been reported to Child Protective Services (CPS).I understand that failure to report can result in fines and/or misdemeanor charges as specified in the Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporting Law, Code of Virginia 63.2-1509.

HOC Policy - Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect v1Page 1 of 3