Ensuring Child Safety

The safety and well-being of the children we serve is Big Brothers Big Sisters' highest priority. As the nation's oldest, largest and best-known youth-mentoring organization, we take this obligation very seriously.

We place great importance on carefully screening the men and women who volunteer to serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters. In addition, we provide ongoing professional support services to our children, parents and volunteers.

To help ensure child safety, Big Brothers Big Sisters National Standards of Excellence require that each volunteer must complete a thorough screening process that includes:

• Completion of a formal written application
• A criminal-history record check
• At least three references for Community Based Mentors and one reference for School Based Mentors
• An in-person interview
• An assessment of the volunteer's home environment (for community-based mentoring)
• A professional assessment of the volunteer's suitability to work with a child
• An orientation and training process that outlines the individualized needs of the child and provides information and resources on how to encourage the child's healthy development

Big Brothers Big Sisters also provides child-safety tips to parents, children, and volunteers. We require that our volunteers involve children in activities that are safe, legal, and healthy.