Site Recruitment Site Maintenance

Lois Loeffler, ACH Services, Ft. Worth, TX and

Vince Renzi, Family Resources, Inc., Pinellas Park, FL

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Site Recruitment

Site Recruitment (What you should be looking for)

Determine whether a location should be a site, consider if it is: •Easily accessible to youth • Locations within 1 -5 miles of schools in your service area •High traffic area •Highly Visible •Ideally open 24 hours a day •At least two employees on duty •Youth friendly •Site has a reputable business •Site is located within geographic area that agency serves •Locations where youth tend to congregate (Skating rinks, arcades) •Does the business have Community Goals? •Does the business have a Mission Statement you agree with? ________________________________________________________ * Under No circumstances should a private residence be designated as a Safe Place.

Site Recruitment Types of sites: oFast food chains

oConvenient stores

oGrocery store chains

oFire Stations

oLibraries

oCommunity Centers

oYMCA

oBoys & Girls Clubs

oTransit systems

Site recruitment

•When selecting sites make sure they are geographically distributed with in your service area.

•Have a map of your SP sites as a visual. Fill in any empty areas.

•Look at areas where the majority of SP calls come from; ensure those areas are adequately covered

•Again, strive to have locations within 1-5 miles of the schools in your service area

•Balance of profit and not-profit businesses.

•Balance of 24 hour open sites National doesn’t recommend charging site fees for non-profits. But certainly charge site fees for profit business (helps covers the cost of materials).

“Okay, who should be a Safe Place site?”

Youth have different, and often better, ideas than adults of where they feel safe. When doing a presentation with young people, ask them who they would recommend as a Safe Place.

Hello, Safe Place calling

• Contact business that kids have referred you to first. Ask for a 15 minute meeting with the Manager/Owner.

• Take copies of SP mission statement, yearly report, SP stories, NSP newsletter, an agreement form and information about the agency that locally administrates the SP program.

• Set your phone to vibrate after the 15 minutes and be prepared to leave.

Remember…….

• You’re interviewing these people for the program.

• How do they work with kids now

• What is their community goals

• What is their reputation?

• Are they youth-friendly

• Do they support other community agencies or non-profits?

Other talking points: •What Safe Place is and how YOU can help

Joining Safe Place is a big deal You are contributing to the community by….. Here are other ways you can contribute………

•What we can do for you Increase publicity through media outlets (then state what you did/how many people did you reach, etc.)

Volunteer opportunities for employees such as: mentoring youth, shelter fix-up needs, event coordinator, teaching life skills, etc. Enhance brand by partnering as a Safe Place site. This offers an opportunity to promote your business locally, regionally and nationally. By hanging the SP sign it sends a message to the community about caring about their communities youth. Satisfaction of helping a youth , improving their community, providing a Safe Place for youth.

Safe Place Site Agreement

Application Date _________________Site fee paid __________ Company ___________________________________________ Training completed ___________________________________ Address ____________________________________________ Hours of operation ___________________________________ City, State, Zip Code___________________________________ Contact ____________________________________________ Position ____________________________________________ Phone _____________________________________________ FAX _______________________________________________ Email ______________________________________________

Safe Place Site Agreement Responsibilities of Sponsoring Agency to Safe Place Locations

1. To hold an orientation for employees at each location prior to its opening as

a Safe Place site.

2. To provide a procedure sheet that includes step-by-step instructions for Safe Place.

3. To dispatch Safe Place volunteers to assist youth at the request of the Safe Place location.

4. To make available a Safe Place sign and other materials.

(Safe Place agency) accepts the responsibilities to the Safe Place Locations.

____________________________________ __________________

Safe Place Coordinator Date

Safe Place Site Agreement Responsibilities of Safe Place Locations

1. To designate responsibility for Safe Place program to a management level employee (who is at least 21 years of age at each site.) 2. To provide a safe environment (such as an employee's lounge or a manager's office) where the youth in crisis can wait until a Safe Place volunteer can respond, and to check on him/her as needed. 3. To be supportive of the youth, to relay information about him/her to (your agency) shelter staff and to keep such information confidential. 4. To display the Safe Place sign in a highly visible area on the outside of the building, to display the Safe Place decal on the entrance that the youth would use when requesting help, and to keep the Safe Place Site Manual in a location where all employees can have easy access to it. 5. To inform all new employees about Project Safe Place, including the procedures to follow if a youth requests help. 6. To install the Safe Place sign on the building or provide funds to offset the cost if this is not possible. 7. To remove the Safe Place sign from the building if site is no longer participating with Safe Place program. I understand and accept the responsibility of being a Safe Place location. _______________________________ of _________________________ Date ______________________ (Contact name) (Company name)

Welcome to Safe Place

• Welcome basket or box with your agency’s goodies. (pens, pencils, cups ect.)

• “Official folder” Letter welcoming them to SP, permission to use the logo on their newsletters, websites, advertisings, and letterheads. Also include other contact people in the organization, sites, and a list of upcoming community events SP will be attending

• Latest Newsletter

• Draft of article introducing the business as the new addition to Safe Place

Maintaining Sites

Site Maintenance

• Site checks required-minimum one time a year

• Use Site Check Form found on page 88 in the manual; check for

sign(s), decals, procedure sheet, and if employees are knowledgeable.

•Update contact info: e-mail addresses/phone #. etc.

•Ask site if retraining is needed. Retrain when needed or requested by

the site. Provide online training video option to sites for refresher

training.

•Increase interactions with SP sites by inviting site staff for a shelter visit or host an agency Open House or Learning Luncheon, etc.

“Attention Managers” Site Check

It is difficult to visit each of our ______ Safe Place sites as often as I would like, so I want to remind you of a few very important responsibilities. Please answer the six questions on this sheet and if

anything needs attention, call me at the Safe Place office at ________. A Safe Place volunteer or staff person will be following up with a visit to your site in the coming weeks.

1) Is the Safe Place sign securely attached and visible? Yes / No

2) Is the Safe Place manual where all employees have easy access? Yes / No

3) Are all employees familiar with the Safe Place program? Yes / No

4) Does your location need a training session? Yes / No

5) Is there an "If Closed Call" decal on your front door or window? Yes / No

6) Do you have the yellow Safe Place procedure sheet posted? Yes / No

Site Name: ____________________________________________________________

Contact: ______________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

Phone Number: ___________________ Fax Number: _________________________

Procedure sheet (Each site should have procedure sheet posted)

When to do Site Reviews? When it works for you!

• Summer months - you’re not focusing on school presentations and things may be slower •Winter months - when people are back from vacation and settling back into school. People start looking for new activities to get involved in.

•Spring months - just because it’s beautiful to be out running around.

Recruit: groups such as Kiwanis clubs, Rotary Clubs, Church, student councils, school clubs, fraternities, Sororities, business that are not sites but want to volunteer (UPS)

Sites need to hear from you!

• All sites play a valuable role in this program Make sure they feel special because they are special!

Maintain good communication (Newsletters, e-mails, website appreciation, certificates, quarterly or yearly reports, Letters to management on positive interaction with their staff.)

Take pictures of volunteers and send letters to businesses when their staff work on events.

Follow up each time a site is utilized by youth; call and thank the site, share results (while maintaining confidentiality) and ask for feedback on the process.

Send Thank you notes-----IF YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING ELSE—DO THIS!!!!

Sites can and will do more

when asked.

Use 4 letter words to Get It Done Picture a normal day for a SP coordinator:

You’re hosting a Training workshop, putting on a fundraiser and a family or youth is in crisis. To have a successful outcome you:

NEED: Gift cards, coupons, bus passes, clothing, food, hygiene items, items to auction, school items, paper goods, or money HELP: Participation on advisor or fundraising committees (volunteer opportunities) WORK: Organize and man booths at community/school events, preparing school material, doing school presentations (volunteer opportunities) TIME: To manage your program

Did you know…..

• Businesses will donate goods

• Businesses will provide free tours & services

• Businesses will volunteer for events

• Businesses will donate money for activities

…..even when they are not a site!

Record Keeping

This lady is smiling because

she went on the National

Safe Place Data Base and

recorded her new sites and

sites maintained. She is up to

date and can relax. Notice

how calm she looks!!!

Contact Information

• Lois Loeffler - lloeffler@achservices.org

• Vince Renzi - vrenzi@Family-Resources.org

• Sherry Casey – scasey@nationalsafeplace.org

• Robin Donaldson – rdonaldson@nationalsafeplace.org