OUR COMMITMENT TO CHILD PROTECTION
As a youth-serving organization that reaches thousands of children and teens every year, the Y’s most important work is creating safe environments for young people. That any child or teen would experience harm in our care is unacceptable. Ensuring the safety and well-being of young people is foundational to everything we do at the Y to help them learn, grow and thrive.
CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AT THE Y
The Y does not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of children in its program by an adult or the mistreatment or abuse of one child by another child, including any behavior that is classified under the definition of bullying. Staff, volunteers, and the children in our programs are expected to act in a caring, honest, respectful and responsible manner.
SEE OUR CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION POLICIES HERE
Screening & Hiring – All new hires go through an interview process, three reference checks, a criminal background check and sex offender check.
Training – All staff members complete child abuse prevention training and receive education on creating a child-safe environment. Staff members renew training every year.
Volunteers – Volunteers who will have ongoing interactions with children or young adults also complete thorough background checks and receive abuse prevention training annually.
Policies & Procedures – We maintain rigorous policies and procedures which are enforced at all locations to ensure that children are supervised at all times and no single staff person is ever alone with a child.
Prevention – The Gaston County Family YMCA partners with Praesidium, a team of experts in child abuse prevention, to assess all aspects of our programs and implement best practices. Additionally, the Gaston County Family YMCA operates under the YUSA Child Protection and Aquatics Safety Membership Qualification Standards.
Reporting – If any staff member or volunteer suspects or becomes aware of any inappropriate behavior toward a minor, they are to report the incident immediately.
MAKE AN ANONYMOUS REPORT
If you suspect abuse or have seen something suspicious at our YMCAs, it is critical to take action. Make an report through the form below. You can remain anonymous.
GASTON COUNTY FAMILY YMCA
CODE OF CONDUCT
The YMCA is dedicated to maintaining a safe, respectful, and nurturing environment for all. This Code of Conduct applies to staff, volunteers, members and guests and outlines the expectations for behavior, interactions, and accountability to ensure the protection and well-being of everyone.
Commitment to Child Safety
The YMCA upholds a zero-tolerance policy for any form of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. All staff, volunteers, members and guests share responsibility for ensuring that children are treated with dignity and respect at all times. Any behavior that jeopardizes a child’s safety or well-being is strictly prohibited.
Appropriate Interactions and Boundaries Everyone associated with the YMCA is expected to maintain appropriate boundaries and conduct themselves in a professional, respectful, and caring manner.
- Physical Boundaries: Physical contact with children should be appropriate, public, and limited to positive forms such as high-fives or handshakes.
- Verbal Boundaries: Language used with children must be encouraging, respectful, and free from sarcasm, ridicule, or suggestive content.
- Social Boundaries: Personal relationships with minors outside of YMCA programs are strongly discouraged unless the relationship is pre-existing and has been disclosed to YMCA leadership.
Monitoring and Accountability
To protect children and adults alike, all interactions between staff, volunteers, members, guests and children must be observable and interruptible at all times.
- The “Rule of Three” applies: there should always be at least three people present during any interaction involving a child.
- Staff, members, guests and volunteers should avoid being alone with a child in private settings.
- Everyone is encouraged to report any situation that appears unsafe or violates this policy.
Mandated Reporting
All YMCA staff, members, guests and volunteers are mandated reporters and are legally required to report any suspicion, disclosure, or evidence of child abuse or neglect.
Members, volunteers and guests are asked to report promptly to YMCA leadership and, when required, to the appropriate authorities. For anonymous reporting, please complete our Y’s See Something Say Something Report. You may also email Risk@gastonymca.org
Reports will be followed up within 24 hours by the Executive Leadership team, CEO, and/ Risk Manager.
Prohibited Behaviors
The following behaviors are strictly forbidden for all staff, volunteers, members and guests:
- Giving personal gifts to children without prior approval.
- Using profanity, inappropriate, offensive, discriminatory speech, or sexually suggestive language.
- Engaging in physical contact that could be misinterpreted or cause discomfort.
- Allowing, encouraging, or ignoring unsafe behavior by children or adults.
- Participating in or allowing any form of bullying, teasing, or intimidation.
- Use, possess, or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while on YMCA property.
- Taking, attempting to take, or sharing photographs or videos of minors without parental/guardian consent, or of adult members or staff without their explicit permission.
- Possessing or bringing firearms or weapons onto YMCA property or to YMCA programs.
- Theft or destruction of YMCA property or the property of others.
- Wearing clothing with profanity, offensive or hateful language, suggestive or violent imagery, pornographic graphics, excessive skin exposure, or see-through materials.
Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action, which may include suspension, termination, or revocation of membership.
Enforcement and Training
The YMCA provides ongoing education and training to ensure that staff, volunteers, and members understand this Code of Conduct. Supervisors and program directors are responsible for monitoring compliance, addressing concerns promptly, and modeling appropriate behavior.
MAKE AN ANONYMOUS REPORT
If you suspect abuse or have seen something suspicious at our YMCAs, it is critical to take action. Make an report through the form below. You can remain anonymous.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR REPORT AN INCIDENT
If you suspect abuse or neglect, it is critical to take action. Below are 24-hour hotlines where you can report concerns and seek help.
Child Neglect or Abuse
MAKE AN ANONYMOUS REPORT
If you suspect abuse or have seen something suspicious at our YMCAs, it is critical to take action. Make an report through the form below. You can remain anonymous.
Child Neglect or Abuse
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, please call the 24-hour Child Protective Services Hotline: 704-862-7555.
Anyone who suspects a Gaston County child is being abused or neglected or who thinks a Gaston County child may have died from being mistreated is required by North Carolina law to report this to our Social Services division. By law, the identity of the person making the report is kept private. The person who makes the report cannot be criminally or legally liable if the report was made in good faith.
Read more about signs of child abuse and neglect and reporting suspected abuse or neglect at the NC Division of Social Services website.
If you think the situation you are concerned about is an emergency, immediately call 911.
Adult / Elder Neglect or Abuse
If you suspect an adult is being abused, exploited, or is no longer able to take care of himself or herself, please call the 24-hour Adult Protective Services Hotline: 704-862-7575.
Anyone who suspects a Gaston County adult is being abused or neglected or who thinks a Gaston County adult may have died from being mistreated is required by North Carolina law to report this to our Social Services division. You may remain anonymous if you choose.
If you think the situation you are concerned about is an emergency, immediately call 911.
Information on the Shelter of Gaston County
The Shelter of Gaston County provides victims of domestic violence with emergency shelter, advocacy and support. Shelter of Gaston County 24-hour Crisis Line: 704-852-6000.
For more information about the Shelter, visit their Cathy Mabry Cloninger Center website.
We Screen Every Employee—No Exceptions
Did You Know...
Before any staff member or volunteer joins our YMCA team or works with our programs, they undergo a comprehensive background screening? This includes checking the national sex offender registry to ensure that every individual who represents our YMCA meets our safety standards. We take these steps because your trust matters—and creating a secure environment for families, members, and participants is our top priority.
Background Screening and Sex Offender Registry Policy
The Gaston County Family YMCA is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all members, participants, volunteers, and staff. As part of this commitment, the YMCA conducts comprehensive background screenings on all employees, volunteers, and individuals engaged in YMCA programs.
Employee and Volunteer Background Screening
-
All prospective employees and volunteers must successfully complete a national criminal background check prior to beginning work or volunteer service.
-
Background checks include, but are not limited to, searches of national, state, and county criminal records, and may include fingerprinting when required by law or program standards.
-
Background checks are repeated at regular intervals as determined by YMCA policy or legal requirements.
-
Any individual found to have been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or no contest to crimes involving violence, sexual misconduct, child abuse, or other offenses inconsistent with YMCA values will not be eligible for employment or volunteer service.
Sex Offender Registry Screening
-
The YMCA conducts regular screenings of all employees, volunteers, and members against the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) and applicable state databases.
-
Individuals identified on any sex offender registry are prohibited from obtaining or maintaining YMCA membership, participating in YMCA programs, or entering YMCA facilities.
-
Members’ information is routinely checked to ensure ongoing compliance with this policy.