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Your program has a responsibility to assess and control risks related to its activities. A risk is basically any future event that potentially jeopardizes your organization’s ability to achieve its mission.
A Big Brothers Big Sisters program or a Boys and Girls Club is undertaking substantial risks simply due to the nature of its service. The program has a duty to ensure the safety of its clients, and could be held liable if harm comes to a client as a result of accident, injury or abuse. Liabilities and losses could also arise from many other situations, such as crime, wrongful dismissal, property damage, tenants liability and so on. Just one such unfortunate incident could bring the entire program, or possibly the whole organization, down.
Given the risks involved in the programs, it is important to address risk management as a priority. Risk management involves strategically dealing with the possibility that some future event could result in harm. While your organization may not be able to eliminate the risks inherent in running a program for children and youth, it can likely minimize its liabilities by taking some practical steps.
 Consider the following suggestions as part of your risk management plan:
- Obtain legal counsel for your program.
- Form an audit sub-committee to regularly conduct risk assessments on your program. This group should routinely review the program or club and its operations, to ask several questions:
- What could go wrong? What are the risks?
- What can we do to prevent this risk from happening?
- What will we do if this risk occurs? How will we deal with the aftermath?
- If a risk actually occurs, how will we pay for it? Are we insured?
- Meet or exceed all national standards and/or membership requirements. The standards and requirements are designed to address all types of risks, and so simply abiding by them will go a long way to minimizing your program’s risks. Make certain that your program has adequate resources and staffing to ensure compliance with standards and requirements.
- Carry a comprehensive insurance policy that covers the program as a whole, committee members, staff, volunteers and clients. As a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada you are required to subscribe to the national insurance policy, which offers the most complete coverage available in the industry. Similarly, members of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada must ensure they have insurance coverage consistent with their needs and legal requirements.
- Document, document, document. Detailed documentation must be maintained on all program participants. These confidential files must be stored in secure, locked facilities, and kept for a reasonable period of time (likely 7 years). Your program should also maintain appropriate administrative records such as incorporation and charitable registration documents, financial transactions and reports, charitable receipts, annual tax returns, board minutes, policies and procedures, insurance policies, funding contracts, partnership agreements, leases, personnel files, and any other important administrative records.
- Establish policies regarding sharing and disclosing confidential information. Inform all program participants of these policies. Ensure that you comply with Federal and Provincial freedom of information and protection of privacy legislation.
- Establish written policies and procedures that are clear, realistic and practical. Assign responsibility for implementing the policies. Do regular audits of policies and procedures to ensure they are being followed.
- Create an environment in which all clients, volunteers and staff are treated with fairness, respect and care.
- Screen, train and supervise not only volunteers, but also staff and practicum students.
- Ensure all young people in your program receive child safety training. Re-administer the training as they progress developmentally. Always report suspected or substantiated cases of child abuse to the appropriate authority.
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