The meeting was held on Zoom. Twenty-one members participated. Claire O’Brien was our guest and the guest speaker was Ken Miriams, who is the District 9810 Youth Protection Officer.
President Helen introduced Claire O’Brien, who is being sponsored by RCBMC for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program in early 2022. Claire is originally from Queensland and was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in France some years ago. She completed a BA in International Public Health and currently works as an Immigration Officer. Members will have an opportunity to hear from Claire sometime in the future.
Neville introduced Ken, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Beaumaris and is the District 9810 youth Protection Officer and is very well-versed and knowledgeable in this area. Ken has a background in HR. Ken commenced his talk by stating that “Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it . Right is right even if no one is doing it.” And reminded members to apply the principle to every project.
Youth applies to every individual under the age of 18. The current requirements in Rotary for working with youth are:
Members must hold a Working with Children Card (WWCC).
Sign a volunteer declaration.
A three referees check is required if working on a one-to-one with youth.
Receive club approval which means minuted Board approval.
Receive appropriate training.
It is very important to keep a record of all attendees.
Ken then explained how to conduct a risk assessment on projects, and the action/attention required to address the level of risk determined. He also gave examples of how this can be done.
Ken then went into the action required if a child reports molestation.
The principles are:
. Protect the child from further abuse.
. Report incident to the Police and Rotary.
. Remove the accused adult.
. The report must be made within 72 hours.
. Protect the privacy of all involved.
. Ensure that the Rotary insurance people are informed.
All these actions must be taken to protect the child and protect the Rotary brand but above all, IT IS the LAW.
Ken indicated that if in doubt, he is available to provide advice. He then referred members to the Learning and Reference section of ‘My Rotary’ online for further information.
The meeting closed with a Sargent’s session.
Neville introduced Ken, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Beaumaris and is the District 9810 youth Protection Officer and is very well-versed and knowledgeable in this area. Ken has a background in HR. Ken commenced his talk by stating that “Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it . Right is right even if no one is doing it.” And reminded members to apply the principle to every project.
Youth applies to every individual under the age of 18. The current requirements in Rotary for working with youth are:
Members must hold a Working with Children Card (WWCC).
Sign a volunteer declaration.
A three referees check is required if working on a one-to-one with youth.
Receive club approval which means minuted Board approval.
Receive appropriate training.
It is very important to keep a record of all attendees.
Ken then explained how to conduct a risk assessment on projects, and the action/attention required to address the level of risk determined. He also gave examples of how this can be done.
Ken then went into the action required if a child reports molestation.
The principles are:
. Protect the child from further abuse.
. Report incident to the Police and Rotary.
. Remove the accused adult.
. The report must be made within 72 hours.
. Protect the privacy of all involved.
. Ensure that the Rotary insurance people are informed.
All these actions must be taken to protect the child and protect the Rotary brand but above all, IT IS the LAW.
Ken indicated that if in doubt, he is available to provide advice. He then referred members to the Learning and Reference section of ‘My Rotary’ online for further information.
The meeting closed with a Sargent’s session.
