At Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools (FOCUS), the safety and well-being of every child and student entrusted to our care is one of our highest priorities. We recognize that parents place tremendous trust in us, and we are committed to creating an environment where students are safe, respected, and able to grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially.

Safeguarding children is not simply a policy. It is an ongoing commitment that shapes every aspect of our ministry. We strive to foster a culture of vigilance, accountability, and care by implementing comprehensive child protection practices that meet or exceed applicable federal, state, and local requirements and reflect established best practices for youth-serving organizations.

Our safeguarding efforts include:

• Comprehensive screening and background checks for employees and volunteers serving with minors.
• Reference checks and a thoughtful selection process for staff and volunteers.
• Required child safety training before serving with students and ongoing education for staff.
• Clear standards of conduct and appropriate boundaries for all adults working with minors.
• Appropriate supervision ratios and accountability measures throughout our programs.
• Policies designed to reduce opportunities for one-on-one, unsupervised interactions between adults and students whenever possible.
• Procedures for reporting, documenting, and responding promptly to concerns or allegations of misconduct.
• Compliance with mandatory reporting laws and full cooperation with appropriate authorities when concerns arise.
• Regular review and refinement of our policies and procedures to reflect current best practices and lessons learned.

Every employee and volunteer shares responsibility for protecting the students we serve. We believe that creating a safe ministry environment requires intentional preparation, clear expectations, and a willingness to act whenever concerns are identified.

We encourage parents and guardians to ask questions about our safeguarding practices. Transparency is an important part of earning and maintaining your trust.

You can review our complete Child Safety Policy here.

For additional information, please contact us at [email protected].

If you have concerns about conduct that violates FOCUS’s Safeguarding Policies, report them through our independent third-party reporting partner Guidepost Solutions. They can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (212) 817-6717.