BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS

OF CENTRE COUNTY
Paulina Jones
Anna Sofio
Justin Jacobs
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About BBBS
! BBBS of Centre County is an affiliate of BBBS of America
! Provides one-on-one services to at-risk youth in the community
! A program in the Centre County Youth Services Bureau (YSB)
! Funded by in-kind donations, individual donations, and corporate
donations
! 380 children participate in BBBS from the following school districts:
State College, Bellefonte, Bald Eagle Area, Penns Valley, and
Philipsburg-Osceola
! 300 adults volunteer from the Centre County area
! Provides 3 programs: School Based, JUMP, Community Based
! All background screening procedures and program services conform
to the requirements of BBBS of America
School Based Program
! Offers mentoring services for elementary and middle-school aged children
who are referred by school personnel
! Voluntary program
! Match lasts for at least one school year
! Volunteers in this program do not have contact with their Littles outside of
the school setting
! Program seeks to place children in a one-on-one mentoring relationship that
centers on fun and positive activities in the school setting
JUMP
! Provides mentoring and group activities for youth ages 12-17 who are
referred by the Centre County Juvenile Probation Office
! Provides these youth with a positive alternative to their current lifestyle, and
seeks to place them in a one-on-one mentoring relationship with a caring
adult
! Organizes three monthly activities that provide young people a chance to
participate in new experiences
Community Based
! Offers mentoring services for children ages 5-17 who would benefit from
an additional positive adult (16 years-old +) relationship in their lives
! Children involved in this program come from a variety of referral sources,
including parents, teachers, counselors, friends, or even themselves
! The program match lasts for at least 9 months, and
! The volunteers in this program meet with their Littles once a week for at
least an hour
! Spend time doing fun activities such as playing at the park, going to the library,
or just hanging out and talking.
! Volunteers must have reliable transportation
Mission Statements
! MISSION STATEMENT
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre County operates under the
premise that one caring adult can make a significant difference
in the life of a child. To that end, the program is committed to
providing quality services to at-risk children and youth in
Centre County who can benefit from a one-to-one relationship.
! CHILD SAFETY STATEMENT
Children have the right to be safe at all times. The safety of the
children in our program is our #1 priority. We expect everyone
associated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre County to
support childrens safety and well-being.
Why Do We Need A Crisis Plan?
! Primary tool of preparedness
! BBBS volunteers have one-on-one interaction with children
! No home assessment is performed on a volunteers place of
residence
! BBBS does not verify meeting Big and Little meeting places
in the Community-Based program
! Funded by in-kind donations, individual donation, and
corporate donations
! Reputation management
Crisis Scenario
! On April 23
th
, 2010 a 30-year-old male volunteer of Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Centre County was taken into custody on charges of physical
abuse and on the allegations of sexual assault of a 7-year-old boy
enrolled in the Community-Based program
! According to police records, on Thursday April 22
nd
, the Little was
invited to play videogames at the Bigs place of residence
! The parents of the Little reported the incident to the State College
Police and contacted BBBS at 6 p.m. on the night of the incident
! With severe physical bruising the Little was taken to Mount Nittany
Medical Center for an examination
! Medical officials have found the Big to be the cause of the bruising,
however the sexual assault allegations are still being investigated
! BBBS officials have been notified by the police and the family
! The names of the child and volunteer have not been released for security
purposes
Potential Risks
! Loss of funding from donors
! Decreased number of children enrolled in BBBS programs
! Decreased number of quality volunteers participating in
program
! Corrosion of reputation
! Concerns regarding the process of screening volunteers
! Possible lawsuits
! Copycat cases
Background Check Procedure
! Nationwide, the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is the vanguard
for proper screening methods to prevent entry of individuals that
may harm children
! The in-depth screening process for potential volunteers, prior to
matching, includes:
! Orientation session
! Application
! Three non-family character references
! A criminal background check
! Child abuse history clearance forms
! A thorough one-on-one interview with a staff member
! Pre-placement training
! Volunteer Agreement
Purpose and Objectives
! Prepare BBBS of Centre County staff to effectively
manage crises situations
! Help staff respond in a unified, professional manner that
reinforces sector leadership and creates loyalty to the
children, parents, volunteers, board members and donors
! Manage the distribution of critical information to staff,
volunteers, media, and other publics
! To limit miscommunication and rumors

Key Themes & Messages
! Child and family personal safety is our top priority
! Information will be released when found
! BBBS does not tolerate any act that may endanger the safety
of children in the program
! BBBS is proactive about making sure that children are safe at
all times
! BBBS is concerned with the safety and well being of all
volunteers
! BBBS has a thorough screening process for all potential
volunteers
! BBBS fully cooperates with law enforcement investigations

Key Publics
! Internal
! Volunteers
! Children enrolled in program
! Board of Director
! BBBS staff
! YSB Staff
! External
! Schools in the program
! Other YSB programs
! Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
! Donors
Key Personnel
! Andrea Boyles
! Chief executive officer of the Youth Service Bureau (YSB)
! Denise McCann
! Division director of community based services of YSB
! Jodi Morelli
! Program coordinator for BBBS of Centre County
! Michael Hackman
! Director of affiliate relations for the Northeast region
! Julie Novak
! National director for child safety and quality assurance
Personnel Responsibilities
! Andrea Boyles Primary Spokesperson
! Answers media inquiries, corresponds with police officials, alerts all staff in YSB except BBBS
staff, and acts as the liaison between the organization and the family affected
! Denise McCann Press Manager
! Prepares press materials, drafts speaking points for spokesperson, activates the phone hotline,
creates and maintains Dark Site
! Julie Novak Secondary Spokesperson
! Aids primary spokesperson with media inquiries, assists with the phone hotline
! Jodi Morelli Internal Relations Coordinator
! Communicates with internal BBBS of Centre County publics; sends newsletters to families,
volunteers, donors, and board members
! Michael Hackman Affiliate Relations Liaison
! Liaison between local and national BBBS and sustains this contact throughout the case
Communication Chain
Andrea Boyles
(Primary Spokesperson)
Denise McCann
(Press Manager)
Jodi Morelli
(Internal Relations
Coordinator)
Michael Hackman
(Affiliate Relations
Liaison)
Julie Novak
(Secondary
Spokesperson)
Operational Steps
Steps to be taken in the event of alleged sexual molestation by the volunteer:
! The CEO collects all facts available on the situation from the individual (e.g.
child, guardian) or agency (e.g. police department)
! The CEO may/may not notify the Big Brother/Big Sister involved by
telephone. Situational factors need to be considered
! The CEO notifies the agency spokesperson (if not, the spokesperson) and
the board members
! The CEO notifies the crisis management team
! The CEO notifies the agencys attorney
! The CEO and the internal relations coordinator personally visit the parent/
guardian of the child to inquire about the childs condition, express concern,
verify facts, and provide support
! Notify the parent/guardian that the match has been suspended
Operational Steps
! If not already reported, the internal relations coordinator reports the
incident to the authorities (e.g. police department)
! The internal relations coordinator cancels all Community Based meetings
and events for 24 hours
! The CEO notifies all other YSB programs
! The spokesperson notifies neighboring youth programs
! The press manager prepares all press material, activates the phone hotline
and the Dark Site
! All media or police inquiries must be referred to the agency spokesperson
(or the secondary spokesperson) or Dark Site. Only the agency
spokesperson(s) is allowed to make public statements
! The internal relations coordinator disseminates letters to all BBBS of Centre
County families, volunteers, donors, and board members

Operational Steps
! If an attorney representing the child or the volunteer contacts the agency,
the call must immediately be referred to the agencys attorney
! The affiliate relations liaison reports the incident to Big Brothers Big Sisters
of America
! The CEO contacts the insurance agent regarding the allegations and follows
up with a written notice
! The crisis management team thoroughly documents their involvement in
handling the incident
! The internal relations coordinator gives the board and crisis team a
complete oral/written report of the case, including analysis and
recommendations for future policies in response to the incident
! The agency assists the parent/guardian and child with referrals to
professional counselors
! If the agency deems it necessary, it will cover costs of the counseling. The agency will
not give information concerning insurance coverage.
Media Tools
! Press Release
! Media Statement
! Letters
! Families
! Volunteers
! Donors
! Board Members
! Phone Hotline 1(800) ASK-BBBS
! Dark Site

THANK YOU! HAVE A CRISIS FREE DAY!

Questions? Comments?