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2025 Praesidium Report: Executive Summary | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:00:18 GMT

Highlights from the 2025 Praesidium Report

Beyond the Front Lines: Leadership’s Role in Cultivating a Culture of Safety

When abuse occurs within an organization all eyes are on leadership as the public face of the organization, but when it comes to prevention, we often jump straight to the front lines, focusing on day-to-day interactions with consumers and the community. In doing so, we miss a crucial step: leadership’s role in building a culture where safety thrives.

How do we evaluate a culture of safety?

Leadership must be committed and vocal, publicly sharing your consumer safety policies and expectations and ensuring that everyone in leadership understands the risk of sexual abuse.
Standards must be clear and enforced. Accountability matters. We’ve seen far too many public cases where leaders have been implicated in fostering a culture of silence, failing to report incidents, or neglecting to conduct thorough investigations.
Employee engagement is high, and everyone knows safety is a part of their job. Everyone takes warning signs seriously, and employees report their concerns. Culture of safety survey data demonstrates clear links between employee morale and their understanding of abuse prevention policies as well as their confidence that the organization will take their concerns related to consumer safety seriously.
Quality is institutionalized – it’s the way things are done, not a policy gathering dust on the shelf.

For more, see pp. 8-17 of the 2025 Praesidium Report.

Praesidium Investigates: Incident Analysis

Some key findings here. For more in-depth analysis, be sure to dig into the report in full:

Involved organizations
- While cases filed against faith-based organizations continue to be among the costliest on average, they make up a much smaller proportion of the cases post-2015 than pre-2015.
- Conversely, cases filed against K-12 organizations continue to have among the lowest average payouts among heavily youth-serving industries but make up an expanding proportion of the filed cases since 2015. In fact, K-12 cases make up the highest proportion of cases, pre- and post-2015.
- We also observe that the proportion of higher education cases has doubled pre- v. post-2015.
Adjusting our perception of risk
- Comparing the number of sexual abuse and misconduct cases that occurred prior to 2015 to cases that occurred since 2015, the proportion of youth-to-youth cases have doubled from 7% to 14% and the proportion of adult-to-adult cases has doubled from 19% to 38%.
- Average payouts for youth-to-youth cases are also on the rise, increasing by over 200% from $1.6M for cases that occurred prior to 2015 to $4.9M for cases that occurred after 2015.
- High-profile cases have heightened our awareness about prolific serial offenders, but nearly three quarters (74%) of filed cases involve a single victim.
Responding as soon as possible
- Whether or not an incident or allegation turns into legal action is not at the discretion of your consumer-serving organization. However, by creating a culture in which reporting is easy, expected, and common and where responses are swift, compassionate, and comprehensive, you promote two valuable outcomes: reducing the potential for additional trauma for a survivor and an opportunity for quicker resolution for your organization.
- Our analysis of cases filed 10+ years after an incident occurs compared to those filed within 9 years of the incident date demonstrates the value of early interventions. Older cases average nearly 4x the payout dollars as cases filed more quickly. When we remove outliers, older cases are still nearly 2x as costly on average.
Moving out into the open
- Bathrooms, locker rooms, and other out-of-the-way spaces have long been considered potential “hot spots” – places where privacy is baked in, providing easy access and opportunity for abuse or other rule-breaking. But, by creating robust systems to supervise those areas, we have decreased the prevalence of incidents in those locations.
- Comparing incident reports prior to 2018 and 2018–present, we observe a 51% decrease in reported incidents in bathrooms and locker rooms and 300%+ increase in incidents in classrooms and other programming areas.
- We can’t let our guard down in private spaces, and the data indicates we also need to monitor and supervise less obvious locations with the same focus – maintaining ongoing supervision and sight lines in all spaces, not just known hot spots

For more, see pp. 18-29 of the 2025 Praesidium Report.

What else is in the 2025 Praesidium Report?

A dedicated K-12 education discussion focused on Raising the Bar: Insights into Navigating Abuse Prevention Challenges in K-12 Schools. See pp. 30-33 of the 2025 Praesidium Report.
An exploration of Emerging Issues in Abuse Prevention, emphasizing the importance of understanding new facets of the access, privacy, and control required for abuse to happen, including real-world examples of these new challenges and prevention practice tips your organization can implement. See pp. 34-39 of the 2025 Praesidium Report.
Praesidium Incident Analysis Highlights, with key numbers and trend information from Praesidium’s Helpline data and publicly available case data, providing a detailed breakdown of what we’re seeing in adult-to-adult, youth-to-youth, an adult-to-youth sexual abuse and misconduct. See Appendix B, pp. 46-50 of the 2025 Praesidium Report.
And more… download your copy of the report today!

Interested in Continuing the Conversation?

We hope you’ll join us in September for Praesidium’s Impact Summit 2025 – Elevating Abuse Prevention: Standards, Best Practices, and Prevention Against Drift. This two-day event goes beyond presentations to empower organizations in elevating their abuse prevention strategies. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, build your network, and learn how to establish robust standards and prevent “drift”—the gradual weakening of commitment to these essential protections. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot.

Abuse Prevention in the Age of AI | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 13:34:01 GMT

Addressing Deepfakes and CSAM in Youth-Serving Organizations

In recent years, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence has opened new frontiers of innovation and opportunity. But alongside these advancements are a darker and insidious risk: the use of AI-generated content, particularly deepfakes and other types of synthetic images, to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). For youth-serving organizations committed to protecting the children in their care, this represents a new and urgent frontier of abuse prevention.

Through the lens of the Praesidium Safety Equation, the challenge of AI-enhanced exploitation is not just about keeping up with technology; it is about proactively applying prevention strategies across all operations to mitigate risk.

Here’s how organizations can respond through a comprehensive lens:

Expand Your Policies: Define Clear Rules About AI Use and Digital Content

Technology policies can no longer be limited to texting and social media. Youth-serving organizations must articulate clear stances on the use of AI-generated content and the capture, storage, use, and manipulation of images.

Does your organization prohibit AI-generated exploitative content?

Are consent and media use policies up to date?

Is there a photo/video opt-out option for families?

Screening and Selection: Prioritize Digital Awareness in Background Checks

A core component of abuse prevention is understanding and limiting who has access to your consumers – and that may include access to their images or communication via electronic means. AI-generated CSAM can be created and distributed by adults or by peers. Offenders may never physically abuse a child, but may instead request, share, or exploit images online or use AI tools to victimize youth via manipulated images.

Are behaviorally based questions asked about digital interactions with youth?

Do you conduct social media screening when appropriate?

Monitoring and Supervision: Extend Oversight into Digital Spaces

While physical supervision remains critical, virtual environments now require equal attention. Left unmonitored, these spaces can become invisible venues for abuse.

Are devices and platforms monitored for inappropriate content?

Do IT protocols cover shared technology oversight?

Consumer Participation: Equip & Empower Youth to Recognize and Resist Digital Exploitation

One of the most alarming trends in this space is the use of AI tools by youth themselves to harass, embarrass, or exploit peers. A 2023 study by the Crimes Against Children Resource Center reported that among their respondents who had experienced online CSA, 88% of the abusive sexual imagery produced was made by other youth. Prevention must involve educating youth directly to understand, resist, and report digital risks.

Are youth taught about digital boundaries and image misuse?

Do you address online and digital abuse within your peer-to-peer prevention curriculum?

Reporting and Responding: Be Ready to Act Quickly and Legally

AI-generated CSAM is illegal, even if no real child was directly harmed in its creation. Organizations must be prepared to report swiftly and respond appropriately. It is also important to understand that the obligation to act applies even when incidents originate outside the organization’s physical premises.

Do staff know how and when to report suspected AI-related abuse?

Is your response plan updated for off-site and digital incidents?

A New Era of Risk Demands a New Level of Readiness

The misuse of AI to exploit or harm children is not theoretical—it is already happening. The 2024 AI CSAM Report Update from the Internet Watch Foundation reported as key findings that there is an increase in the incidence of AI-generated CSAM, the images are becoming “more severe”, and the technology is capable of generating not just images, but CSAM videos as well.

Just as the tools used to harm evolve, so too must our tools for prevention. By applying the Praesidium Safety Equation to this emerging risk, youth-serving organizations can continue to protect children across both physical and digital frontiers.

Because safety is not just about what happens in your buildings; it is about the systems you create to safeguard every space youth in your care may enter, online or off.

Are you a current Praesidium Client? Get exclusive access to our AI & Digital Exploitation Risk Prevention Checklist by contacting us at: info@praesidiuminc.com

Why Child Sexual Abuse in Sport Isn’t Just a “Bad Actor” Problem. It’s Also a Systems Failure. | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:16:00 GMT

For years, research on child sexual abuse (CSA) in youth sports has focused on individuals, primarily the behaviors of perpetrators and the vulnerability of victims. But new findings from the June 2025 study, “Applying a systems thinking lens to child sexual abuse in sport: an analysis of investigative report findings and recommendations,” suggest that many organizations are missing an opportunity to also use a wider lens when engaging in prevention-focused thinking.

Researchers Karl Dodd, Paul M. Salmon, Colin Solomon, and Scott McLean used AcciMap, a systems-based tool often used to investigate complex safety incidents, to examine CSA investigations in five major Australian sporting settings. Their research (full study available here) found that the enabling factors of CSA in sport are more commonly rooted in high-level systemic issues such as governance, leadership, policy, and organizational culture. This contrasts sharply with most peer-reviewed literature, which tends to concentrate on individual-level causes, actors, and decisions.

This gap between research methods and what’s happening in real-time investigations reveals something important: practitioners and investigators may be ahead of academics when it comes to applying systems thinking to CSA prevention. Why is this the case? Investigators and those on the front lines of youth-serving work often have direct and immediate access to stakeholders and organizational structures, plus a more detailed understanding of the in-the-moment nuances of relationships and organizational culture, while researchers may be more limited in their access as third-party observers, and cannot react to events and changes in real time.

The results also show that common enabling factors of CSA span across sports, levels of play, and gender. This suggests that many of the same systemic breakdowns are repeating everywhere. Factors like weak governance, poor reporting mechanisms, limited oversight, and toxic organizational culture continue to surface across environments, regardless of the sport or competition level.

Even more concerning is the lack of vertical integration in sport systems. This means that what’s known at the frontline — by athletes, parents, or coaches — often doesn’t make its way to decision-makers at higher levels. In some cases, athletes don’t even recognize abuse as abuse when it happens, and those in power never hear about it. This critical feedback loop is broken, which allows abuse to continue unseen and unaddressed.

Another issue the researchers describe is “migration”– the way standards and safety practices degrade over time due to stressors like funding cuts or performance pressure. We often refer to this phenomenon as a form of drift. Even well-meaning organizations with appropriate policies in place can slide into unsafe territory without realizing it.

Approaching this Challenge Using Praesidium’s Safety Equation

Praesidium’s Safety Equation outlines eight key operational elements that must be addressed and working in concert to reduce the risk of abuse. This new study confirms the underlying assumption of the Safety Equation — that CSA prevention is not a matter of one or two interventions. It requires reinforcing safety across the entire system and organizational culture.

Policies
Weak or inconsistent policy frameworks at the governance level allow for confusion, loopholes, and a lack of accountability. When there is no standard for responding to incidents or implementing safeguards, frontline efforts often collapse under the weight of unclear expectations.
Screening & Selection
Systemic failures in how individuals are vetted, such as inconsistent background checks or lack of role-specific screening, can leave organizations vulnerable. Prevention begins with ensuring the right people are brought into youth-serving environments.
Training
The study highlights gaps in stakeholder knowledge and awareness, especially among athletes and parents. Consistent and comprehensive training is essential to recognizing, preventing, and responding to CSA. This training must extend across staff and volunteers across all levels of the organization, as well as your broader community.
Monitoring & Supervision
Without active oversight, abusive behavior can go undetected. Weak monitoring practices and limited supervision create opportunities for harm, particularly in high-trust, low-visibility environments like locker rooms or travel settings. Remember: when we consider the importance of supervision in abuse prevention, we are talking about supervision at all levels – supervision practices for those in your program or care, as well as appropriate supervision of staff and volunteers.
Internal Feedback Systems
A key insight from the study was the failure of vertical integration. Internal feedback systems are crucial for identifying patterns, escalating concerns, and correcting course. All staff, volunteers, participants, and their families/guardians should be aware of what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior, and where and how to report a concern.
Consumer Participation
When athletes and families don’t know what constitutes abuse or how to report it, unsafe conditions persist. Empowering youth and parents/guardians to recognize any inappropriate behavior or red flags and speak up is a foundational part of any effective prevention strategy.
Responding
The analysis revealed failures in how organizations respond to reports, including delays, discrediting, or dismissiveness. An effective response protocol ensures that concerns are taken seriously and acted on swiftly, restoring safety and trust.
Administrative Practices
This element connects back to leadership and organizational culture. Administrative decisions, from how resources are allocated to how volunteers are supported, create the conditions that either strengthen or erode safeguarding efforts – allowing for or preventing operational drift.

The Bottom Line

This powerful and informative new study reinforces Praesidium’s long-held Safety Equation model: CSA prevention requires coordinated effort across an entire system, not piecemeal tactics focused only on individuals or on siloed operational elements.

By applying the Safety Equation and targeting high-leverage points like governance, culture, and communication, sport organizations can create the systems and culture needed to prevent abuse.

Tell Your Safety Story (Part 2): Sharing Your Commitment with Your Community | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:00:33 GMT

In our first Tell Your Safety Story blog post, we discussed the power of your story – specifically, how sharing your organization’s commitment to safety can be an impactful and persuasive message as you work with your broker to navigate the insurance purchasing process. Now, moving beyond insurance, how do you effectively communicate this commitment to everyone who has a stake in your organization?

Think about your work: your dedication to sexual abuse prevention isn’t just an internal policy; it’s a fundamental value that impacts everyone you serve, their families, guardians, and caregivers, your board, and even your fundraising efforts. When communicated clearly and authentically, your commitment to abuse prevention builds trust, fosters a stronger community, and ultimately contributes to a safer environment for all.

Let’s explore some practical ways to share this crucial message with key stakeholders:

Speaking Directly to the Consumers You Serve:

Keep it Age-Appropriate and Accessible: For younger audiences, this might involve simple, positive messaging about safety and respect incorporated into program materials or discussions. For adults, be transparent about the measures you’re taking to ensure their well-being, and how they should expect to be interacted with. Be clear about what is and isn’t acceptable with your program or facility. Avoid jargon and focus on clear, concise language.

Highlight Reporting Mechanisms: Ensure everyone knows how to report concerns safely and confidentially. Make this information readily available through multiple channels, like your website, program handbooks, posters, and even social media.

Empowerment Through Education: Incorporate age-appropriate safety education into your programs, not just internal staff training. Make these efforts part of your ongoing communication with participants, normalizing and elevating the safety conversation as an important part of how you do business. This shows a proactive commitment to prevention and empowers individuals to report concerns.

Engaging Parents, Guardians, and Families:

Dedicated Communication Channels: Utilize newsletters, emails, or dedicated sections on your website to share information about your safety protocols, the training you require for staff and volunteers, and your ongoing commitment to creating a safe environment.

Open Dialogue: Create opportunities for parents and guardians to ask questions and provide feedback. Town hall meetings or Q&A sessions can foster trust and transparency while also providing opportunities to build relationships among your community members.

Highlighting Screening and Training: Clearly communicate the background checks and safety training that your staff and volunteers undergo. This provides reassurance and demonstrates your investment in safety.

Informing Your Board of Directors:

Regular Updates and Reporting: Make sexual abuse prevention a standing agenda item. Provide regular updates on training, policy implementation, and any incidents (while maintaining appropriate confidentiality).

Demonstrate Due Diligence: Clearly outline the policies and procedures you have in place and how they align with best practices. This demonstrates responsible governance and risk management.

Highlight the Positive Impact: Frame your commitment to safety not just as a risk mitigation strategy, but as a core value that enhances your organization’s reputation and mission.

Leveraging Your Commitment for Community Engagement and Development:

Connect Safety to Your Mission: Articulate how your commitment to safety directly supports your organization’s core mission and the well-being of those you serve. Prospective consumers and donors are drawn to organizations that prioritize the safety and welfare of their beneficiaries, and your commitment to abuse prevention directly impacts your consumers’ experiences. In a post-engagement survey, 100% of surveyed organizations agreed that working with Praesidium Accreditation supports their mission and impact within the community.

Highlight Specific Initiatives: When fundraising for specific programs or initiatives, be transparent in highlighting how safety protocols are integrated into that work. For example, “Funds raised will support our youth mentorship program, which includes comprehensive safety training for all mentors and participants.” This demonstrates not only your own organizational commitment to safety but also highlights an important program element that benefits participants.

Transparency in Resource Allocation: If you allocate funds specifically to safety training, background checks, or policy development, be transparent about this in your fundraising appeals. This demonstrates a tangible commitment to prevention. We often hear “you vote with your dollars”, and by understanding how you spend your dollars, your broader community also gains a deeper understanding of your organization’s values.

Share the Impact: When reporting back to donors, highlight how your safety measures contribute to a positive and secure environment for the individuals you serve, and when relevant, also how those factors contribute to efficiencies, employee engagement, or program growth.

Consistency is Key:

No matter the audience, the key to effective communication is consistency. Regularly reinforce your commitment to safety through various channels. Let it be a thread that runs through all your communications, demonstrating that it’s not just a one-time initiative, but an ongoing priority.

By thoughtfully and proactively communicating your dedication to sexual abuse prevention, you not only build trust and transparency but also cultivate a culture of safety that benefits everyone who interacts with your organization.

Summer Camp Safety: Essential Abuse Prevention Strategies for Youth Programs | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:00:33 GMT

Summer is a season of exploration and growth for youth. Whether they’re attending day camps, overnight retreats, or enrichment programs, these experiences help youth build friendships, discover new interests, and gain independence. But with the opportunity comes responsibility—and risk.

For summer camps and youth-serving organizations, the sharp increase in participation between May and August, combined with seasonal staffing and high-risk activities, means child abuse prevention strategies must be front and center. Incidents such as boundary violations, inappropriate one-on-one interactions, and youth-to-youth problematic behaviors are more likely to occur during this time. Fortunately, organizations can mitigate these risks with strong preparation and a sustained commitment to safety.

Why Summer Camps Face Higher Risk

The rush to hire staff for summer camp programming often leads to onboarding individuals who may lack experience or familiarity with your organization’s safety culture. Some camps also employ staff who are minors themselves, which presents additional supervision and training needs.

Moreover, summer camp activities—such as field trips, swimming, overnight stays, and shared changing spaces—introduce unique safety risks not as common during the school year. Without clear policies and oversight, these environments can create conditions for misconduct or abuse to occur.

With intentional planning, however, camp directors and youth program leaders can maintain high standards and foster safe, engaging environments all season long.

6 Key Abuse Prevention Strategies for Safe Summer Programming

1. Establish and Enforce Clear Safety Policies

Your policies should serve as the foundation of your camp’s abuse prevention efforts. They define acceptable staff and volunteer behavior and guide how to respond to concerns. This is especially critical for seasonal staff and camp counselors who are new to your organization.

Effective camp safety policies should:

Prohibit one-on-one interactions unless visible and interruptible
Address physical contact, electronic communication, and off-site contact
Establish zero tolerance for abuse
Be introduced at onboarding and revisited frequently

2. Implement Robust Screening and Hiring Practices

With time constraints and high staffing demands, it can be tempting to cut corners in the hiring process. But comprehensive background checks, behaviorally based interviews, and thorough reference checks are essential.

Use a structured approach to ensure you’re hiring staff who are not only qualified—but safe to work with youth. Offenders often target camps due to perceived access and trust; your screening process is your first line of defense.

3. Prioritize Practical, Job-Ready Staff Training

Even experienced staff need training that goes beyond the basics. Effective camp counselor training should focus not just on responding to allegations, but on preventing abuse from happening in the first place.

Summer 2024 data from Praesidium’s Helpline revealed that 50% of adult-to-youth incidents involved a policy violation.

Ensure your training helps staff:

Identify red flag behaviors and grooming tactics
Understand how to intervene and report
Recognize their role in building a safe camp culture

Tailor examples to real scenarios common in summer settings—pool supervision, cabin dynamics, field trips, and unstructured time.

4. Supervise with Intention and Clarity

More campers + fewer routines = more risk. Whether you run a day camp, overnight program, or sports-based summer initiative, strong supervision plans are essential.

Address high-risk situations such as:

Shared bathrooms or locker rooms
Mixed-age groupings
Campfire or bedtime routines
Unstructured time between activities

Supervision isn’t just about headcounts—it’s about being present, engaged, and prepared.

5. Use Feedback and Incident Data to Adjust Programming

Your organization’s incident reports, licensing issues, and parent complaints can reveal patterns and inform improvements. Because many summer programs are unique or seasonal, historical data may be limited.

Establish systems to:

Centralize data collection
Track and analyze patterns
Act quickly when red flags emerge

This kind of real-time feedback loop helps administrators adapt and improve safety protocols mid-season—not just at the end.

6. Educate Families and Youth

Parents and guardians play a critical role in preventing misconduct in youth camps. Especially for families new to your summer programming, communication is key.

Provide:

Clear explanations of your safety policies
Guidance on how to report concerns
Education for youth about boundaries and appropriate interactions

Empowered parents and informed campers help create a shared culture of accountability and trust.

Safe Summers Start with Smart Preparation

Running a summer program is an incredible opportunity—but it comes with serious responsibilities. The seasonal increase in participation, high-risk activities, and staffing challenges all demand a focused, consistent approach to child abuse prevention in camps.

By emphasizing clear policies, thoughtful hiring, meaningful training, and open communication, your organization can create a safe space where children not only grow—but thrive.

Let’s make this summer a season of safety, connection, and lasting impact.

Download this infographic to help your team keep these steps top of mind!

Navigating the Benefits and Challenges of Working with Minor Employees | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 13:37:57 GMT

In recent years, the number of minors employed by youth serving organizations (YSOs) is on the rise. These minors (typically ages 15-17) are most often serving in junior staff roles such as junior lifeguards or counselors-in-training (CITs), or they may serve in teen leadership positions offered for the specific purpose of fostering leadership skills, teaching responsibility, and providing work and personal growth experience. These positions not only provide valuable learning opportunities but also benefit the hiring YSO by boosting staff numbers, providing scheduling flexibility, and nurturing skill development within potential future leaders.

While this shift towards hiring minors comes with benefits, it also comes with risks, particularly around appropriate boundaries and screening. YSOs must carefully consider ensuring the safety of everyone involved—including their minor staff members. Praesidium’s analysis of 2024 Helpline cases reveals that over 10% of incidents between adults and youth involved a minor employee as the victim. And as we reported in our 2024 Praesidium Report, the risks associated with utilizing a higher percentage of minor employees are not limited to youth-serving industries. Minors are increasingly filling positions in the restaurant, retail, and other service sectors.

The Risks and Challenges of Employing Minors

Blurred Boundaries Between Adult and Minor Employees; Minor Employees and Youth:

One of the key challenges when employing minors is the potential for blurred boundaries between adult employees and minor employees. In many organizations, there can be confusion about how adult employees should interact with minor employees. This dynamic can be particularly high risk if the adult employee is close in age to the minor employee.

For example, a summer camp may employ an 18-year-old counselor and a 16-year-old CIT. Without clear policies and consistent accountability, adult employees may treat minor employees more like peers, which can create situations where verbal and physical behaviors may cross the YSOs policies for appropriate boundaries.

Similarly, organizations must recognize that minor employees may be close in age to the youth they are supervising and could even be friends with them before they arrive to the program.

Limitations on Screening Minor Employees:

Minors cannot be screened in the same way as adult employees, presenting another significant challenge for YSOs employing teens. Juvenile criminal records are often unavailable, so background checks may not provide as much information as they would for an adult. Minors are also less likely to have proven job skills and experience, so organizations may need to rely more heavily on sources such as personal references to determine whether the applicant has the requisite job skills and ability to maintain boundaries with the youth they supervise.

Impact on Staff-to-Youth Ratios:

Due to staffing shortages, many YSOs have had to adjust their staff-to-youth ratios, sometimes including minor employees in these ratios. While state labor laws may permit minors as young as 14 to be included in staffing ratios, this does not align with best practices. Organizations need to be aware of the risks that come with this practice and ensure that additional training and clear guidelines are put in place to adequately protect both the minor employee and the youth they supervise.

Sexual Abuse Prevention and Managing Risks

Prevention Through Policies and Training:

One of the most effective ways to mitigate the risks associated with hiring minors is by establishing clear policies and consistent training. These policies should define appropriate physical, verbal, and electronic interactions, and set boundaries for interactions both during and outside of work hours. It is important to treat minor staff as youth participants when considering how they will interact with adults on staff and the organization’s responsibility for their safety,

YSOs must also clearly define boundaries for minor employees and the youth they work with, with particular consideration for situations in which the minor employee has pre-existing or outside relationships with program participants.

YSOs should establish an age-gap requirement, requiring that consumers are at least two years younger than the youngest minor employee supervising them. For example, 16-year-old CITs can only assist with campers aged 14 and younger. Be sure that training for minor employees promotes professionalism, ensures awareness of the employee code of conduct, and documents preexisting relationships to manage boundaries between minor employees and program participants

Consistent training and frequent reminders are essential to ensure all employees—both minor and adult—understand the importance of boundaries and maintaining a safe environment. Training for minor employees must reiterate that within their roles, appropriate physical and verbal boundaries must be maintained, even if their relationships and interactions outside of the YSO may look different.

Hiring Process and Screening Minors:

Because background checks for minors may provide limited information, organizations should implement other measures to gain insight into a minor applicant’s appropriateness for the role. Third-party social media screenings can help identify any unprofessional or inappropriate conduct and spot potential red flags. Additionally, if the applicant has been a youth participant in the YSO’s program previously, the organization can take the participant’s past behavior and conduct into account when considering them as an applicant.

Although minors may not have the same scope of professional references as adult candidates, requiring personal references from non-family members, such as a school counselor, teacher, or coach, can provide valuable insight into the minor’s work ethic, reliability, and ability to complete tasks.

Implementing these additional measures beyond standard background and reference checks can help YSOs identify potential concerns and assist the organization in hiring the most suitable candidates.

Best Practices for Supervision:

Due to staffing shortages, many organizations have had to adjust their staff-to-youth ratios to include minor employees. While minors can assist in supervising youth, counting them in the official staff-to-youth ratio is against best practices. If a minor employee is included in the staff-to-youth ratio, it is crucial that adult employees are always present and actively supervising both the participants and the minor employee.

Fostering a Culture of Safety and Support:

Given the complexities of working with minor employees, organizations must prioritize a culture of safety and transparency. This includes creating clear reporting procedures to ensure minors feel comfortable speaking up if they witness or experience inappropriate behavior. Appointing a dedicated supervisor for minor employees to check in regularly can strengthen this support system. Promoting open communication among all staff members helps create a supportive environment where everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.

The growing trend of employing minors offers valuable opportunities for both minors and organizations, but as the number of minor employees rises, organizations must stay vigilant about the associated risks, especially the potential for sexual abuse. By implementing clear policies, comprehensive training, effective supervision, and an overall culture of safety, organizations can mitigate this risk and create a safe, supportive environment for adult employees, minor employees, and the youth the organization serves.

2024 Insurance Carrier Benchmarking: Sexual Abuse & Molestation Liability | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:27:30 GMT

In recent years, consumer serving organizations and insurance companies have been experiencing the impacts of a hardening insurance market, resulting in more limited availability and options for Sexual Abuse or Molestation Liability (SML) coverage for industries serving vulnerable populations. In September 2022, Praesidium distributed our inaugural insurance carrier benchmarking survey to understand the carrier perspective on the coverage options they were offering as well as what they were projecting into the future, both for their own products and services as well as the market at large. To continue this important conversation, we released our second carrier survey in October 2024. We also expanded our data collection this year by introducing surveys for consumer serving organizations. This initiative gathered comprehensive data and provided valuable insights into trends that affect organizations serving vulnerable populations.

Below are some key highlights from our 2024 Insurance Carrier Benchmarking report, and you can download the full report here. For additional discussion, watch our webinar where Meredith Bunnel goes in-depth on the report findings.

2024 Report Highlights

Carrier & Coverage Characteristics

Increased response rates in 2024 further diversified the pool of respondents and the sectors in which they offer SML coverage. For example, 38% of 2024 respondents offer SML coverage in Healthcare, compared to only 14% in 2022. Similarly, 63% provide SML coverage in schools, compared to only 50% in 2022.

Approximately three-quarters of respondents are writing SML coverage in the US, with the remaining 25% offering SML products in Canada and Australia.

Regarding their current SML offerings:

88% of carriers offer SML coverage within their Primary policy limits, and only 13% offer SML coverage up into their Excess policy limits.
41% of carriers are offering a standalone SML product (up from 33% in 2022), while 35% offer SML coverage as part of their Commercial General Liability (CGL) packages.
71% offer $5M or less in limits and only 12% offer $10M or more. 18% offer only up to $1M. 50% of carriers include defense costs within their policy limits for all policies, and 31% include defense costs for some policies.

Expectations for Insureds

94% of responding carriers in 2024 (compared to 82% in 2022) report they have defined underwriting requirements addressing the abuse prevention risk control practices that insureds must have in place in order to obtain SML coverage.

The biggest shift in underwriting expectations between 2022 and 2024 was in the area of Monitoring & Supervision, which carriers ranked 1st as the most important risk control policy and practice area related to abuse prevention. In 2024, 88% of respondents reported their underwriters have defined requirements addressing how an organization monitors and supervises high-risk situations in order to be eligible to obtain SML coverage, up from 67% in 2022. The report includes more details on specific underwriting requirements.

Anticipated Trends

In the 2024 survey, we asked responding carriers to look ahead to the next 3 years and share what they anticipate for their own offerings and underwriting requirements, as well as what they project for the broader insurance market.

We asked carriers whether they expect their company to decline to write SML coverage, at any level, for any industries in the next three years. 38% of respondents forecasted no change in the industries for which they would be willing to provide SML coverage. Among the remaining respondents:

38% expect to decline to write SML coverage in Childcare
25% expect to decline to write in each of the following: Day Camps, Foster Care, Overnight Camps, and Youth Sports
13% expect to decline to write in each of the following: Faith-Based Organizations, Healthcare, Hospitality/Leisure, Nonprofits, Schools, Senior Living/Long-Term Care, and Youth Development

Regarding expected trends in the market more broadly, not just within their own offerings:

59% expect the market will harden, 6% expect it will remain the same, and 24% expect the market may open up (compared to 0% in 2022!).
65% expect that offered SML limits will decrease, while 18% expect limits will increase, and the remaining 18% of respondents expect no change.

We asked carriers what they anticipate in relation to specific underwriting requirements, and 71% project that underwriting requirements will continue to increase, which may result in things like: (examples taken directly from carrier response commentary)

Greater scrutiny on larger, more complex risks
Higher standards, higher frequency of checks and training
Planning to require more proof of policies and procedures in advance of offering excess limits on some risks, and prior to offering any limits on higher hazard exposures
We will likely begin attaching exclusions to healthcare accounts

Finally, we asked carriers if an outside expert publicly accredited an organization as meeting or exceeding best practices in abuse prevention, would that status positively impact their ability to access SML coverage?

94% said yes.

We asked those carriers how so, and 53% shared they would be more likely to offer a lower premium, 60% would be more likely to offer higher limits, and 93% shared that accreditation would make them more likely to consider offering any SML coverage.

Looking Ahead

By expanding our survey efforts this year to also include responses from consumer-serving organizations about how the insurance purchasing process and hardening market has impacted their ability to serve, we were able to identify additional key learnings and opportunities for partnership among insurance professionals and the organizations they represent or insure. Check out the full 2024 Benchmarking Report for more in-depth discussion regarding:

The consumer-serving perspective of the current SML market and associated service impacts;
Opportunities to partner in goal- and resource-sharing for enhanced abuse-prevention practices;
Third-party accreditation and its impact on carrier decision-making and the accredited organization’s insurance purchasing power.

As industry best practice standards for abuse prevention policies and practices continue to evolve, so do the related insurance underwriting requirements and product offerings. Carriers & agencies will need to continue to deepen their understanding of organizational abuse-prevention efforts, while consumer-serving organizations need to consider how they can best share their safety story to powerfully communicate the value and efficacy of their abuse prevention culture.

We look forward to continuing our benchmarking efforts and thank all participating respondents for contributing to this most recent survey round. Prevention is possible, and these insights are invaluable as we continue to unpack and understand how best to serve consumers, safely.

Safeguarding Youth in Sports: Strategies for Building a Safe and Supportive Environment | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:50:47 GMT

Introduction

Youth sports provide invaluable opportunities for young athletes to develop skills, build friendships, and learn important life lessons about teamwork, dedication, and healthy competition. With over 45 million children participating in organized sports in the United States alone, the popularity and reach of youth athletics is undeniable. However, ensuring player safety is paramount.

Youth sports safety means more than just preventing injuries. It also means creating an environment where youth can enjoy the benefits of sports participation while being safe from abuse.

According to a 2024 SafeSport Culture & Climate Survey Report, nearly 11% of athletes indicated that they had experienced unwanted sexual contact or sexually explicit behaviors during their sports involvement. Coaches or assistant coaches were the most common perpetrators (44%) of non-consensual sexual touching, followed by other athlete peers (40%), highlighting the critical need for robust safeguarding measures in youth sports programs.

Significant Risk Factors for Abuse in Youth Sports

Power Dynamics and Inherent Trust in Coaches

A natural power dynamic exists in the relationship between a coach and the athletes they coach. Athletes often place an enormous amount of trust in their coaches, relying on their guidance, expertise, and experience to make them better and help them succeed. This natural but risky dynamic can open the door for grooming in youth sports, allowing coaches to exploit the trust of athletes they coach.

Lack of Monitoring and Oversight

Coaches often develop trust with not just the athletes, but also with the athletes’ families and parents. In many sports programs, parents or guardians regularly drop their child(ren) off at practice and pick them up when it is over without staying to watch or supervise. Many organizations allow volunteer coaches to supervise practices themselves, with no other staff or management on site. This creates an environment where abuse is more likely to occur by providing easy opportunities for access to youth , along with privacy and control.

Environments around sporting events also provide those opportunities for privacy. Many incidents of youth-to-youth problematic sexual behavior occur in restrooms and locker rooms, which are frequently unmonitored and/or are open to the public.

High-Pressure, “Win-at-all-Costs” Culture

Youth sports programs can create high-pressure environments, where young athletes feel the weight of expectations to please their coaches, parents/guardians, or the program by performing well and succeeding. Over time, coaches can take advantage of the level of pressure that athletes experience, exploiting their drive to improve and win. For example, a coach can convince an athlete who wants to improve to practice one-on-one with him or her outside of normal practice hours, spend time together on additional travel, or communicate frequently through unsupervised means like texting under the auspices of providing encouragement and guidance.

Inadequate Reporting Mechanisms

Many youth sports programs have ineffective systems for reporting abuse, or no reporting mechanisms at all. If reporting methods do not exist or are not widely publicized to everyone involved (parents, athletes, coaches, etc.), it can lead to underreporting and a lack of accountability for those who are allowed to push boundaries over time.

Athlete Protection Strategies & Creating Safe Sporting Environments –

Denying Offenders Access, Privacy & Control

Youth sports programs present tricky challenges. An adult offender needs three things to carry out an incident of abuse – access, privacy, and control – and youth sports can provide all three.

But there’s good news! Your program can enhance its culture of safety and protect young athletes by implementing robust safeguarding policies, providing comprehensive training, and fostering a supportive and transparent environment.

1. Comprehensive Screening Practices for Coaches

All coaches—whether staff or volunteer—should go through a rigorous screening process before you permit them to work with youth athletes. A background check alone is not enough to screen out offenders – many offenders discovered in youth serving spaces have had a clean record up to that point. Ensure coaches complete an application, interview, and reference checks to help fill in the gaps that would exist if you only required a background check.

Be comprehensive in the checks as well. There are multiple levels of background checks that should be completed for individuals with frequent or ongoing access to youth, including the National Sex Offender Registry and county-level checks that go back at least seven years.

If all of these screening methods sound normal or familiar, that’s because they are already considered standard practice – for staff. Since coaching is largely a volunteer role, we often find that organizations do not have as rigorous a screening process for these roles.

For even more information on the risks associated with failing to adequately screen and select the individuals that you trust with the youth in your programs, you can find Praesidium’s most recent white paper here.

2. Education and Training

Coaches, parents/guardians, and athletes should all be provided with tools to identify, respond to, and prevent abuse.

Parents/guardians and youth should be provided with clear information about your organization’s abuse prevention policies, age-appropriate information for youth on how to protect themselves and identify inappropriate behavior and clear guidance about everyone’s options to make a report if they have any concerns. This information will help the youth feel empowered to say something if they or a fellow athlete is being abused, and guide parents/guardians if they notice or hear about something unsafe or outside of the program’s boundaries for acceptable behavior.
Coaches should receive the same onboarding and ongoing training that your other youth-serving individuals are required to complete, including education about the types of abuse and identifying warning signs, mandated reporting procedures, and best practices for interacting with youth athletes. It is critical to define what is and is not acceptable within the sports program so that it is easy for someone to identify when a person is breaking the rules.
Coaches should also be required to sign and comply with safety policies captured in an organizational Code of Conduct and/or handbook, acknowledging your program’s expectations related, but not limited, to the following:
- One-on-One Interactions
- Outside Contact and Private Lessons
- Acceptable and Unacceptable Physical and Verbal Interactions
- Gift Giving
- Electronic Communication
- Regular Monitoring and Evaluation
- Travel and Overnight Guidelines

3. Creating a Healthy Reporting Environment

The first step in creating a healthy reporting environment is to ensure that your organization has adequate reporting procedures in place. Research shows that approximately 80% of abuse goes unreported, and encouraging open communication emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where athletes, their families, your staff and volunteers feel comfortable speaking up about concerns.

It’s important to put in writing who the point person(s) is that receives reports as well as what the reporting procedure is and what information is important to report right away.
Establish clear and confidential reporting mechanisms for athletes and parents to report any concerns and ensure that all reports are taken seriously and investigated promptly.
Finally, the reporting methods must be publicized. This can be done in a variety of ways – posting signs throughout the space being used, informing youth at the beginning of practices, sending emails to parents, etc.

Conclusion

Developing a culture of safety within your sports programs will only happen with strong leadership. Creating a safe environment requires a proactive approach and a commitment to transparency, education, and vigilance. However, putting the work in to foster safe youth-serving spaces ensures that athletes, coaches, and parents will have the best experience possible in your program.

Praesidium can help you take action. Contact us for support on policy creation, risk assessment, guidance for implementation, or additional resources.

Download our Code of Conduct Resource: Establishing Safe Boundaries in Youth Sports

Why Cameras Alone Aren’t Enough: The Reality of Effective Risk Management | Praesidium

Jackie Burnes — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 10:27:35 GMT

Myth:

“We’re not worried about that space because we have a camera there.”

Busted:

Cameras are a valuable risk management tool when used effectively, but a camera on its own should never substitute for supervision. While cameras can deter offenses like theft, property damage, or trespassing, we unfortunately know that abuse can happen in recorded spaces – we’ve seen it. Law enforcement, internal, and insurance investigations teach us that for opportunistic offenders, a camera is not enough.

Plus, consider red flags and warning signs that you want your staff to report related to grooming or inappropriate behavior, many of which are verbal interactions. A camera may be helpful for reviewing an interaction after the fact, but not in the moment to interrupt behavior.

So why invest in cameras?

Investigations. When an incident or allegation occurs, recorded video can provide information to confirm, corroborate, or correct reporting from witnesses and involved parties. By knowing what really happened, your organization is now more powerfully equipped to resolve the gaps that lead to an incident – or to defend yourselves in the case of a false or misleading report.
Performance Management & Quality Assurance. Use periodic camera review to monitor your programs, spaces, and staff. Think of your recordings like a coach might watch game tape. This is a great way to celebrate wins collectively and to correct concerns privately. Watch a video together at your next staff meeting to say “See how this looks? We should do it this way every time. This was excellent work.” For items that need correction, watch video back together in a 1:1 employee check-in to discuss opportunities for improvement.
Deterrence – just maybe not for abuse-related offenses. A long-term study conducted by researchers from Cambridge University, Northeastern University, and City University of New York found that cameras can be a deterrent for property-related crimes like theft and burglary. The same study found that cameras had no significant deterrent effect for violent crimes.

Cameras are a valuable resource when used proactively, but according to industry experts, only approximately 1% of all surveillance video is watched live. If the camera isn’t being monitored closely, in real time, by someone who knows what to look for, then the camera serves as a useful tool in your safety toolbox but cannot replace staff supervision.

California Assembly Bill 506 | Praesidium

Brooke Pratt — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 09:02:34 GMT

What is included in Assembly Bill 506?

California’s Assembly Bill 506 (AB506) became law on September 16, 2021 and went into effect on January 1, 2022.  This new law sets new requirements for youth serving organizations in three areas: screening, training, and policies. In addition, the law allows insurance carriers to seek verification of compliance with these requirements. The law requires the following:

All administrators, employees, and volunteers must complete a fingerprint based state and federal-level background check; anyone with a history of child abuse is excluded from working or volunteering in a youth serving organization.
All administrators, employees, and “regular” volunteers (see 2b. below) must complete child abuse and neglect reporting training.
Youth serving organizations must develop and implement child abuse prevention policies and procedures which include (but are not limited to):
- policies to ensure incidents of suspected child abuse are reported to the appropriate entities. Section 11165.9 of the California Penal Code
- policies requiring the presence of at least two mandated reporters when employees and volunteers are in contact with or supervising children.
Insurers may request information of youth serving organizations to show compliance with these requirements as part of their loss control and underwriting program

How do I know if my organization and employees or volunteers are required to comply with this law?

According to the law: “Youth service organization means an organization that employs or utilizes the services of persons who, due to their relationship with the organization, are mandated reporters pursuant to (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 111.65.7 of the Penal Code.” The definition written in the law is broad and therefore, Praesidium recommends that all organizations providing services and/or programing to youth and children comply with the law’s requirements.
Additionally, the law states “Regular volunteer means a volunteer with the youth service organization who is 18 years of age or older and who has direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year.”

How does my organization meet the screening requirements?

The minimum requirement for organizations is to conduct the fingerprinted background check for all administrators, employees, and regular volunteers through the California Department of Justice as well as a federal-level check pursuant to Cal. Penal Code Section 11105.3(a). In addition to the state-level checks, the California Department of Justice will work with the FBI to process the federal-level checks. The law also requires organizations to disclose to parents if they employ or allow someone to volunteer with the following offenses in their background: sexual assault, public indecency, abandonment and neglect of a child, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, child endangerment, or inflicting punishment on a child. Parents must receive the notification at least 10 days before the individual begins their duties.

How does my organization meet the training requirements?

The law requires broadly that all administrators, employees, and regular volunteers complete “child abuse and neglect identification and training in child abuse and neglect reporting.” This can be met by completing any abuse prevention course that meets the State’s broad requirements, namely that it includes California’s reporting requirements and process. Youth serving organizations may use California’s free course Mandated Reporter Training course to meet this requirement. However, this course is 4 hours in length and omits important information for preventing abuse.   See below for additional training recommendations and resources from Praesidium that exceeds the requirements of AB506.

How does my organization meet the policy requirements?

As stated above, youth serving organizations must develop and implement child abuse prevention policies and procedures which include (but are not limited to):

Policies to ensure incidents of suspected child abuse are reported to the appropriate entities. Section 11165.9 of the California Penal Code
Policies requiring the presence of at least two mandated reporters when employees and volunteers are in contact with or supervising children.

If my organization adheres to the requirements of this law, are we doing enough to protect youth in our care?

No, just adhering to AB506 is not enough to protect youth or meet basic industry standards. Background checks:  As mentioned above, AB506 requires organizations to run fingerprint based criminal history search in the State of California as well as a federal criminal history check through California’s Department of Justice, which will work with the FBI to process federal level checks.  The required search does not include a direct search of the national sex offender registry or county-level court record searches. Praesidium recommends that organizations supplement the required check with the following:
Screening:
- Multi-state criminal records search;
- National sex offender registry check;
- Social-security-number trace and alias search; and
- Individual County level search in every county the applicant has lived, worked, or attended school over the last seven years.
Training: In addition to mandatory reporting training Praesidium recommends the following training topics for employees and volunteers:
- The organization’s policies related to preventing and responding to abuse.
- How to maintain appropriate boundaries with youth;
- Effective monitoring and supervision practices for high-risk activities and for managing youth;
- How to prevent, recognize and respond to youth-to-youth sexual activity and abuse; and
- How to respond to boundary violations and allegations or incidents of abuse
Policies: In addition to policies requiring two adults being present at youth activities and reporting Praesidium recommends organizations implement policies that clearly define what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior between adults and youth and youth-to-youth and clear procedures for how to manage high-risk activities for abuse.

Please be advised that the content contained here is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Please consult with your own legal counsel as appropriate to comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Last updated 11/08/2024.