1. Site Recruitment
Site Maintenance
Lois Loeffler, ACH Services, Ft. Worth, TX and
Vince Renzi, Family Resources, Inc., Pinellas Park, FL
If you are using the Conferencing Center for audio,
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3. 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.
4. Site Recruitment
Types of sites:
oFast food chains
oConvenient stores
oGrocery store chains
oFire Stations
oLibraries
oCommunity Centers
oYMCA
oBoys & Girls Clubs
oTransit systems
5. 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).
6. “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.
7. 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.
8. 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?
9. 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.
10. 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 ______________________________________________
11. 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
12. 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)
13. 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
15. 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.
16. “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: _________________________
18. 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)
19. 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!!!!
21. 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
22. 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!
23. 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!!!