Youth Program Risk Management
Build the policies and habits that keep your youth program safe and defensible.
For: Volunteers and staff who work with minors
What you’ll learn
- Identify common risks in youth programs across people, participants, program, and premises
- Build screening, training, supervision, and reporting policies that layer on each other
- Apply the CDC six-component framework and two-adult / no one-on-one rules
- Run an incident response that protects the child first and the organization second
- Document safeguards that protect kids and stand up to an insurer or a court
Screen your volunteers for $5
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Create a free account →Course outline
- 1
Why youth programs carry unique risk
5 min
- 2
The layered-defense model
6 min
- 3
Identify & screen: the front layers
6 min
- 4
Train everyone: the layer that activates the rest
5 min
- 5
Supervise: ratios, two-adult & no one-on-one
6 min
- 6
Safe environments & monitoring
4 min
- 7
Respond: when something goes wrong
6 min
- 8
Document, review & build the culture
4 min
Sources & further reading
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-Serving Organizations: Getting Started on Policies and Procedures
- Nonprofit Risk Management Center — Key Principles in Youth Protection: Considerations and Action Steps
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About Child Sexual Abuse (prevalence and offender data)
- Praesidium — Helping Organizations Prevent Abuse — the Praesidium Safety Equation
- Scouting America — Youth Protection: two-deep leadership and no one-on-one contact
This course is educational and provides general information about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and volunteer-screening best practices. It is not legal advice. Laws vary by state and change over time — consult a qualified attorney about your organization’s specific obligations.