Here is the statement from Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee:
Big Brothers Big Sisters is
aware of the criminal proceedings involving William Arnold. We are alarmed,
outraged and saddened by accounts of a child being abused or harmed and deeply
disturbed by reports that our program may have been exploited as part of any
wrongdoing.
Arnold volunteered with our organization for three years
until we closed his match in November 2010. We have been proactively
cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation and it would be
inappropriate and irresponsible for us go beyond this statement to discuss or
speculate about any specifics.
Big Brothers Big Sisters makes child safety our priority. We have zero
tolerance for abuse or exploitation of any kind. Big Brothers Big Sisters has
designed our child protection systems in collaboration with experts including
the Centers for Disease Control, the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children and the Nonprofit Risk-Management Center.
Our volunteers and staff undergo thorough screening and
background checks. Big Brothers Big Sisters' professional mentoring support
staff have ongoing and regular communication with volunteers, mentees and their
families and are trained to immediately make law enforcement and child
protective services authorities aware of any reports of abuse or exploitation.
We remain committed to improving children's odds for
overcoming adversity, succeeding in school, breaking negative cycles and having
higher self-esteem and aspirations. Safety and security are the foundation of
the service we provide.
The integrity of our program is extremely important and to
achieve the highest quality standards possible, we work to constantly review
and strengthen our screening and background check systems as new best practices
in the industry emerge.
Here is the statement from the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization:
Our nearly 370 local affiliates develop proprietary
operational guidelines for service and safety standards that include regular
professional staff contact with mentor, mentee and parent(s)/guardian(s).
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's community-based
one-to-one mentoring model requires minimum match supervision contact two
weeks after the match is made with each mentor, mentee and
parent(s)/guardian(s). Subsequently, contact throughout the
first year with parent(s)/guardian(s), mentor and mentee is required to take
place a minimum of once a month. In addition, match support staff is
available daily for mentor/mentee and parent/guardian-initiated contact.
After the first year, contact initiated by the match support
professional with mentor, mentee and parent(s)/guardian(s) must take place at a
minimum, quarterly.
In addition, match support staff is available daily for mentor/mentee and
parent(s)/guardian(s)-initiated contact.
Contacts initiated by match support professionals (in person
or via telephone – with the opportunity to pick up tone and ask follow-up
questions) should be rapport-building and substantive in nature with all match
parties (mentors, parents/guardians and mentees). These contacts should
assess areas of concern that may require follow-up, providing professional
support that helps build healthy friendships that will lead to the best
possible outcomes for children. (Communication/responses by email should
be limited.) Match support, while being a safety measure, contributes to
enduring and enriching mentoring relationships that yield the outcomes unique
to Big Brothers Big Sisters. (*Note: Longstanding independent research
finds children enrolled in Big Brothers Big Sisters long-term mentoring
programs are more likely than their peers to improve in school; avoid
risky/delinquent behaviors; and have higher self-esteem and aspirations.)
Big Brothers Big Sisters' child protection system was
developed in consultation with top nationwide child protection experts,
including the Centers for Disease Control, the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children and the Nonprofit Risk-Management Center. To
achieve the highest quality standards possible, we work to constantly review
and strengthen our screening and background check systems as new best practices
in the industry emerge. Our model requires the following minimum steps
are taken in enrolling a volunteer:
- Completion
of a formal written application
- A
criminal history record check
- References
Checks
- In-person
interviews
- Assessment
of the volunteer's home environment
- Professional
assessment of appropriateness to volunteer with a child
- Orientation
and training process
- Volunteers,
parents and children receive education and training on child sexual abuse
prevention at the time of enrollment. This is important so that they
understand the need for sharing information with match support.
Each local agency (each is a separate 501c3 with a local
board of directors serving as its governing body) has agency operational
standards and guidelines based on the minimums outlined above.
