Big Brothers Big Sisters
Standards Of Practice For Independent Agencies

Program Standards 7-23

Preamble

For the purposes of these Program Standards (S.7-S.23), a match is defined as a one-to-one mentoring relationship between a youth and an older mentor, through which the matched parties spend consistent, significant time together, and which is monitored and supported by professional program agency staff (as defined in S.6.2.3).

A match may be carried out in different settings, which include:

1. Community-Based (“CB”) – Matches meet in the community and/or interact within any video conferencing platform that is not observable by BBBS.

2. Site-Based (“SB”) – Matches only meet at a designated site (e.g., school, workplace, agency-approved video conference platform, or other site) that is observable (in real time or in review) by BBBS.

3. Site-Based Facilitated (“SBF”) – Matches only meet at a designated site (e.g., school, workplace ,or other site) or within an agency-approved video conferencing platform AND a BBBS staff member is present AND the match interaction is observable and interruptible by BBBS.

4. Site-Based Plus (“SB+”) – A hybrid program where matches meet in both CB and SB settings. Any match that will be permitted to meet outside of a designated site must follow all CB enrollment and match support guidelines, even if the primary meeting location will be the designated site.

• Skip Ahead
• Standard 7 | Federation-Wide Information Management System
• Standard 8 | Program Manual
• Standard 9 | Child Safety and Youth Protection Policies
• Standard 10 | Non-Discrimination
• Standard 11 | Inquiry and Orientation
• Standard 12 | Child Enrollment
• Standard 13 | Volunteer Enrollment
• Standard 14 | Pre-Match Training
• Standard 15 | Pre-Matching and Matching Process
• Standard 16 | Outcomes System
• Standard 17 | The Youth Outcomes Development Plan
• Standard 18 | Match Support and Match Supervisory Schedule
• Standard 19 | Quality Assurance
• Standard 20 | Match Closure
• Standard 21 | Volunteer and Youth Reenrollment
• Standard 22 | Innovation
• Training Quick Reference Guide

1. Agencies must use the BBBS federation-wide information management system for all program and quality assurance functions.

1. Each agency must have a written program manual (that is available to all agency staff and annually reviewed by agency staff) that contains the policies and procedures to be used for implementing all one-to-one services. At a minimum, the program manual must contain written procedures that address Program Standards 7-22, document retention and confidentiality, as it pertains to program related records.
1. Federation-wide Information Management System (Standard 7);
2. Child Safety and Youth Protection Policies (Standard 9);
3. Non-Discrimination (Standard 10);
4. Inquiry and Orientation (Standard 11);
5. Child Enrollment (Standard 12)
6. Volunteer Enrollment (Standard 13);
7. Pre-match Training (Standard 14);
8. Pre-matching and Matching Process (Standard 15);
9. Big Brothers Big Sisters Outcomes System (Standard 16);
10. The Youth Outcomes Development Plan (Standard 17);
11. Match Support and Match Supervisory Schedule (Standard 18);
12. Quality assurance (Standard 19);
13. Match Closure (Standard 20);
14. Volunteer and Youth Reenrollment (Standard 21);
15. Innovation (Standard 22); and
16. Document Retention and Confidentiality
2. When applicable, each agency shall have written policies and procedures that address non-one- to-one programmatic services. Policies and procedures on child safety and youth protection for non-one-to one services are required.

The agency’s program manual and risk management plan contain written, board-approved policies and procedures that address, at a minimum, the following:

1. Policy on obtaining a criminal history record check. A criminal history record check is required of all volunteer Bigs, board members, agency staff, and non-mentoring volunteers who come into meaningful contact with children

1. Volunteer Bigs. Record checks are required:

   • At time of initial enrollment (S.16);

   • While an active Big: updated, layered criminal history check at least every three years; and

   • At time of reenrollment (S.22)

2. Adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding the use of criminal history records; and that

3. Potential volunteer Bigs and volunteers who have been accepted as volunteer Bigs will be disqualified for:

   • Failure to complete the application and screening process;

   • Past history of sexual abuse of children;

   • Conviction for any crime in which children were involved;

   • History of any sexually exploitative behavior, and

   • Termination from a paid or volunteer position caused by misconduct with a child

2. Policy on transporting children. The policy must include, at a minimum:

1. Agency staff document in the volunteer’s file verification of appropriate licensure and insurance held by the volunteer, if they will be transporting the child;

2. Documentation of verification of appropriate licensure and insurance held by agency staff if they will be transporting children; and

3. Safety requirements in accordance with state laws (e.g., seatbelt use, car seat use, prohibitions on the use of cell phones, use of alcohol or other drugs prior to driving a child)

3. Policy outlining mandatory requirements surrounding child safety and youth protection training and documentation for volunteers, parents/guardians, and all BBBS staff and board members.

The policy must include, at a minimum:

1. All training completions must be documented in the appropriate constituent file either electronically or with hard copies.

2. All agency staff, both paid and unpaid, including interns, must successfully complete BBBSA’s Fundamentals of Youth Protection online training within 30 days of hire.

   • Program staff and program supervisors must complete Fundamentals of Youth Protection within 30 days of hire and prior to carrying out work that requires independent, professional decision-making in service delivery, such as interviewing or conducting match support, whichever comes first.

3. Program staff, including program supervisors, and CEO’s/ED’s that perform program supervisory functions must complete BBBSA’s online parent education, Your Child’s Personal Safety, within 30 days of hire.

4. Program staff, including program supervisors, and CEO’s/ ED’s that perform program supervisory functions must complete BBBSA’s Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care for Program Staff within 30 days of hire.

5. All program staff must continually build their knowledge and understanding of youth protection and must at a minimum complete at least one new youth protection training annually. Recommended youth protection trainings will be available on BBBSA’s learning management system, and agencies can refer to the BBBS intranet for resources outside of BBBSA.

6. All parents/guardians must be provided youth protection educational materials and be provided log in access to the BBBS learning management system to access youth protection training. Parents/guardians with youth enrolling in Community-Based or Site-Based Plus programs must complete BBBSA’s child sexual abuse prevention training for parents, Your Child’s Personal Safety, or equivalent prior to their child being matched with a volunteer.

7. Volunteers, Parent/Guardians, youth, and children must be informed about the organization’s Ground Rules/Program Rules and Volunteer Code of Conduct as outlined in Standard 17.

8. Volunteer Bigs must receive child safety and youth protection training as outlined in Standard 17 prior to matching.

9. All children and youth enrolling in a Big Brothers Big Sisters program must receive personal safety materials, You Have a Right to Feel Safe and/or Healthy Relationships for Teens, or equivalent prior to matching.

10. Board members must complete BBBSA’s Fundamentals of Youth Protection online training, or equivalent within 60 days of initial date of service or prior to having interaction with children, whichever comes first.

*Parents oriented prior to implementation date must be offered trainings

*The following will be used to determine if a course is equivalent:

Topics Covered in Fundamentals of Youth Protection

1. Defining Types of Child Abuse
2. The Dynamics of Child Sexual Abuse
3. Disclosures of Child Abuse and Why Children and Youth May Not Disclose
4. Historical Declines in the US.
5. Roles and Responsibilities
6. Reporting Suspected Abuse
7. The Critical Roles of Caring Adults in Preventing Violence and Healing Trauma

Topics Covered in Your Child’s Personal Safety

1. Definition of child sexual abuse
2. The Importance of Personal Boundaries
3. The Grooming Process
4. Responding to Disclosures of Child Sexual Abuse (including reporting abuse)
5. How to Reduce the Risk of Abuse Occurring
6. Big Brothers Big Sisters Child Protection System

Topics Covered in Youth Protection Booklets for Youth

For Kids ages 5-10

1. The Role of Adults in Keeping Children Safe

   • Defining and Identifying Trusted Adults
2. The Difference Between Surprises and Secrets
3. Rules for Online Safety
4. Rules for Real-World Safety
5. Sample Situations to Discuss with an Adult
6. Who to Contact at BBBS

For Youth Ages 11+

1. Big Brothers Big Sisters Role in Healthy Relationships

2. Qualities of Healthy Relationships

   • Respect
   • Boundaries (defining and how to set them)
   • Letting Youth Be Themselves and Act Their Age
   • Listening without Judgement
   • Understanding Consent
   • Handling Disagreements without Hurting Anyone
   • Feeling Safe from Harm
3. Relationships Online and In Real Life
4. Responding to Unhealthy Relationships
5. Sample Situations to Discuss with an Adult
6. Internet Tips for Teens
7. Who to Contact at BBBS
4. Policy on children visiting volunteer applicant's home

If deemed mission-critical programmatically, the affiliate policy must include the following written requirements at a minimum:

1. A waiting period of a minimum of 3 months before a child is allowed to visit a volunteer’s home;

2. Documented pre-approval by parents/guardians and professional staff prior to allowing the child/youth visiting a volunteer’s home to begin occurring;

3. A documented professional assessment of healthy relationship development between a match before a child is allowed to visit a volunteer’s home;

4. Procedures for regular professional staff monitoring of safety levels and frequency concerning children visiting volunteers’ homes throughout the life of the match.

5. Overnights

BBBSA agencies must have a policy that prohibits overnight visits generally. Exceptions to this policy are permitted in cases where one of the following specific criteria have been met AND the required authorizations have been documented:

• There is genuine concern for the safety of a child returning to their own home (emergency circumstances)

  OR

• An event is formally designated by the agency as one that (1) is of a nature to provide an exceptionally significant developmental or educational benefit to a child or youth, and (2) that the event would not be possible without the Big accompanying the Little (a college visit for example)

Authorization of an exception to the policy prohibiting overnight visits may be made by the agency’s CEO/Executive Director or designee after the following steps have been taken:

• Documented confirmation that the Big/Little relationship has been in place for at least one year
• Documented professional assessment of healthy relationship development between match parties with no violations of agency policy including code of conduct
• Documented pre-approval by parents/guardian, youth, and professional staff with the exception of an emergent circumstance (see above)
• Documented plans for privacy in: sleeping, changing clothes, bathing/showering
• Documented consideration of reasonable alternatives
• Documented professional staff monitoring for any safety concerns following the even
6. Policy on firearms and weapons. The policy must include, at a minimum:

1. Guidelines which will be reviewed with and agreed upon by the volunteer Big and the parent(s)/guardian(s), and documented in the match file covering, at a minimum:

   • Weapons, firearms, and ammunition will be made inaccessible at all times to a child while in the volunteer Big’s care, unless participating in specific, approved activity(ies) which the parent/guardian and volunteer Big have approved in advance, and such approval is documented in the match file (e.g., hunter safety courses)

   • In the case where a law enforcement official is required to carry a weapon at all times as a condition of their employment, agency professionals must document the weapon related job requirements as well as parent notification of the requirements and their approval of the condition prior to match.

2. Requirements that any firearms and/or weapons ownership by the volunteer Big applicant be:

   • Disclosed to BBBS agency staff at enrollment and throughout the life of the match;

   • Disclosed to the child’s parent/guardian by agency staff; and

     • The volunteer Big must attest to the fact that any weapons, firearms or ammunition ownership are licensed, permitted, registered, and handled in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws
7. Policy on digital technology and social networking. The policy must address, at a minimum:

1. Confidentiality regarding personal and identifying information about the Little and their family.

2. Privacy controls and settings to restrict accessibility of the Little to only age-appropriate content when using volunteer’s device and recommended privacy settings for volunteers.

3. Child safety including processes for reporting social media misuse or content that may endanger the Little’s health, safety or well-being.

4. Approved communication methods (MatchConnect, email, text, phone, mail, video conferencing, social media) between matches within varying program types.

8. Policy on mandatory child abuse and exploitation reporting. The policy must include, at a minimum:

1. All employees, volunteers, and board members of a BBBSA agency are required to report any suspected or reported incident of child abuse, neglect or exploitation. Agencies must have a policy regarding the reporting protocols for volunteer Bigs, board members, staff, and non-mentoring volunteers for mandatory reporting of all suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

2. Within 24 hours of initial notification, BBBS agencies are required to report to BBBSA and to law enforcement or child protection authorities any reported (including reports received by anonymous or third-party sources) or suspected incident, allegation, investigation, or civil proceeding that may constitute abuse or exploitation committed against a child under 18, or a vulnerable adult as defined by state or federal laws, where the misconduct of any of the following individuals is involved:

   • Current or former volunteer Big;

   • Current or former board member;

   • Current or former staff person; or

   • Current or former other adult associated with Big Brothers Big Sisters (other than the parent/guardian)

3. Mandatory critical incident reporting to BBBSA includes information obtained from third parties or anonymous sources. Required reports include the following, at a minimum:

   • Sexual misconduct against a child or in the presence of a child that may include contact or non-contact behaviors of a criminal nature;

   • Physical violence against a child, or in the presence of a child;

   • Behavior that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child;

   • Neglect of a child; or

   • Any other incident the agency deems critical

4. Agency policies address protocols for mandatory reporting to law enforcement or child protective services in instances where the alleged perpetrator of abuse is not associated with Big Brothers Big Sisters (i.e. suspected abuse of a Little or other child where the alleged abuser may be a family member, friend, stranger). Reports of this nature are not required to be reported to BBBSA.

9. Policy on board members and staff serving as volunteer Bigs. The policy must include, at a minimum:
1. Whether current board members and agency staff are allowed to serve as volunteer Bigs, and if allowed, establishes procedures to provide for agency staff to remain objective in decision-making, in the best interests of the child served
10. Policy on the use of alcohol, tobacco products, and illicit and legal drugs or substances. The policy must include, at a minimum:
1. A prohibition on volunteer Bigs being under the influence of, or using, any substance (including alcohol, illicit drugs, and legal drugs, including medical marijuana, “legalized” marijuana, and prescription medications) that could potentially affect their judgment, driving, reaction time, or otherwise jeopardize a child’s safety and wellbeing while the Little is in the volunteer Big’s care or company

1. All BBBS participants, including youth, families, volunteers, board and staff serving as volunteer Bigs are not excluded on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, color, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, veteran status, or disability.

Effective inquiry process and orientation for volunteer Bigs, children, and parents or guardians are critical steps in building and sustaining enduring match relationships. Orientation provides an opportunity to share basic program information, determine levels of interest, and assess the appropriateness of involvement of all potential participants. This information can be provided in- person, electronically, virtually and/or via mail.

1. For volunteers, orientation includes:
   • Description of BBBS/agency’s mission, programs, benefits, and purpose of the program
   • Description of the organization’s dedication to child well-being and safety as its paramount goal and prevailing culture
   • Demographics of the children served by the agency.
   • Volunteer eligibility criteria and commitment expectations
   • Review of the enrollment process steps, including the agency’s right to accept or deny participants, or close a match at any time
2. For parents/guardians, orientation includes:
   • Description of BBBS/agency’s mission, programs, benefits, and purpose of the program
   • Description of the organization’s dedication to child well-being and safety as its paramount goal and prevailing culture
   • Child eligibility criteria and commitment expectations, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement
   • Review of the enrollment process steps, including the agency’s right to accept or deny participants, or close a match at any time

The child enrollment process helps to determine the eligibility and suitability of the child for the agency’s programs. The process gathers the necessary information to enable professional agency staff to prepare recommendations based upon the child’s strengths, interests, and needs; the ability of the child to form a committed relationship with a volunteer Big; and the parent/guardian’s ability to partner with a volunteer Big and the agency.

Parent and child interviews can be conducted in-person or virtually. Criteria for virtual interviews include the ability for agency staff to both see and hear applicants during the interview process. Agencies should use their professional judgement to determine if they were adequately able to observe verbal and nonverbal cues during the video conferencing interview, and assess if an in-person meeting to gather more information is needed. Agencies must allow for reasonable accommodations for applicants and staff in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The volunteer Big enrollment process is a comprehensive process to determine the eligibility and suitability of the volunteer Big applicant. Through the process, professional agency staff gather the information needed to prepare recommendations for matching based on the volunteer Big applicant’s ability to help meet the needs of a child, form a committed relationship with a child, and to work with both the parent/guardian (except in School/Site-Based matches) and the agency.

Volunteer interviews can be conducted in-person or virtually. Criteria for virtual interviews include the ability for agency staff to both see and hear applicants during the interview process. Agencies should use their professional judgement to determine if they were adequately able to observe verbal and nonverbal cues during the video conferencing interview and assess if an in-person meeting to gather more information is needed prior to the match introduction meeting. Agencies must allow for reasonable accommodations for applicants and staff in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

³ Sources may include an internet search and review of the applicant’s social media
⁴ Sources may include an internet search and review of the applicant’s social media

Training must be conducted prior to match activation and provide participants (volunteer Big, child, and parent/guardian) the information needed to begin a match, develop, and sustain effective and enduring match relationships.

1. Pre-match training must be interactive and documented. It can be provided in-person or online with interaction, individually or in group sessions. or a combination thereof. School/Site-Based parent(s)/guardian(s) may receive the training in writing or electronically.
2. Pre-match training for the volunteer must cover, at a minimum:
   • Ground rules/program rules and Volunteer Code of Conduct
   • Volunteer Big’s obligations and appropriate roles
   • Expectations for the match relationship and relationship development styles
   • What match support is and why we do it
   • Child safety/youth protection
   • Expectations of survey participation/completion
   • Ages and stages of child development
   • The match closure process
3. Pre-match training for the parent/guardian must cover, at a minimum:
   • Ground rules/program rules and Volunteer Code of Conduct
   • Expectations for the match relationship and relationship development cycles
   • What a Big is and is not
   • Expectations for parent partnership (why the parent/guardian is important to this experience)
   • What match support is and why we do it
   • Child safety/youth protection
   • Expectations of survey participation/completion
   • The match closure process
   • For School/Site-Based parents this information may be sent electronically or through the mail
4. Pre-match training for the child must include, at a minimum:
   • What a Big is
   • Ground rules/program rules and Volunteer Code of Conduct
   • Expectations for the match relationship
   • What match support is and why we do it
   • Expectations of survey participation/completion
   • Personal safety
   • The match closure process

1. Agency staff will assess all information gathered through inquiry and enrollment, applications, references, and interviews of all parties (including taking into consideration the preferences of the parent(s)/guardian(s), volunteer Big, and child) in order to make a thoughtful match selection, with a documented match selection rationale.
2. The pre-match presentation must be interactive, done in-person, virtually, by email or by phone, and must ensure that each party has the chance to ask questions, voice concerns and obtains a clean understanding of agency’s matching rationale (including the needs of the child and what the volunteer Big brings to the match). Agency staff will act in accordance with the agency’s policy on confidentiality. Agency staff will document match selection rationale, reactions from parties (denials and acceptances) and all approval dates.
3. The volunteer Big must approve the match before the match introduction meeting for all programs.
4. The parent/guardian must approve the match before the match introduction meeting for Community-Based and Site-Based Plus matches.
5. The match introduction meeting can be conducted in-person or virtually and must be facilitated by agency staff in order to properly introduce all match parties and review critical information that will build the longest, strongest, safest match possible. Criteria for virtual match introductions must include the ability for agency staff to both see and hear applicants during the meeting. Agencies must allow for reasonable accommodations for applicants and staff in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For TEM programs, the match introduction may occur through a structured email prompt delivered by staff that guides the volunteer Big and Little to introduce themselves to each other. Staff must also review the first email exchange between the volunteer Big and Little to ensure that appropriate introductions took place. Involvement of the parent/guardian is mandatory for Community-Based and Site-Based Plus matches.
6. Written documentation in the Federation Wide Information Management System of completed match introductions for all programs must include, at minimum:
   1. How the match introductions were conducted (virtually or in-person)
   2. An electronic or hard copy signed match agreement form that contains knowledge and receipt of ground rules/program rules and outlines roles, responsibilities, and expectations for each match participant
   3. A post-match meeting assessment by agency staff that reviews the overall reaction from participants to the match meeting or email introduction prompts and identifies areas for future match support. Agencies should have written procedures for when and how matches that are conducted virtually begin meeting in-person.

1. Agencies must use the Big Brothers Big Sisters Outcomes System, which currently includes collection, reporting, and analysis of data on the length, strength, and quality of matches; individual child outcomes; and the Strength of Relationship (SOR) survey, the Youth Outcomes Survey (YOS), and the Child Outcomes Survey (COS).

1. Agency staff will partner with the youth, parent/guardian and volunteer to create a Youth Outcomes Development Plan (YODP) to be used in match support to encourage and coach the match toward desired outcomes. Staff must review the plan annually with match participants to assess progress made and make any necessary adjustments. Agencies must have a written YODP development and coaching procedure.

Agency staff ensure regular and ongoing contact with each match by conducting private, one-to one, and interactive match support contacts. The purpose of match support is to monitor, coach, and guide the match in order to promote the development of the match relationship, match longevity, child safety/youth protection, and positive youth development.

1. All match support contacts must be documented by agency staff
2. Match support contacts must regularly assess:
   1. Child safety/youth protection;
   2. Relationship development, including activities and communications between the match participants;
   3. Youth development;
   4. Agency engagement and training opportunities; and
   5. Additional needs or concerns
3. Match support contacts may be conducted in-person, over the phone, or via written or electronic means (email, text, social media), provided the contact involves substantive, two-way communication directly with the match parties and an opportunity for the staff and match parties to engage in follow-up questions or discussions. As an added safeguard, agency staff will also monitor, review and document a selection of electronic messaging, if available, on any agency provided platform to assess the match relationship and identify potentially inappropriate discussions.
   1. An attempted contact (leaving a message or voicemail) or sending a contact request electronically does not count as a match support contact
   2. In-person or virtual match support contacts can satisfy two months of contacts within the first year of the match for both Community-Based, Site-Based and Site-Based Plus matches after the first two week contact is completed.
   3. Programs that feature monthly direct interactions with BBBS staff in a classroom or digital platform with matches who exclusively communicate via an agency monitored messaging platform can waive two-way communication once a quarter within the first year of the match if:
      1. Agency staff review a collection of electronic messaging exchanges between a match within each month to gain an understanding of match dynamics, youth protection and progress toward goals.
      2. Staff documentation must demonstrate an understanding of the strengths and challenges of each match, as informed by a combination of match support contacts and reviews of electronic exchanges.
      3. If a full understanding of the match dynamics cannot be understood by reviewing electronic exchanges within any month, staff must complete substantive two-way communication directly with the match parties to engage in follow-up.
4. Required contact schedule:
   1. Community-Based/Site-Based Plus
      

      	Parent/Guardian	Child	Volunteer Big
      Within first two weeks	Required	Required	Required
      During first year	Monthly, may alternate with child contact	Monthly, may alternate with parent/guardian contact	Monthly
      Greater than one year	Every three months	Every three months	Every three months

   2. Site-Based
      

      	Parent/Guardian	Child	Volunteer Big
      Within first two weeks	Required communication notifying parent/guardian of the match relationship and the agency’s ground rules (written, phone, or in-person)	Required	Required
      During first year	Communication twice a year (written, phone, or in-person)	Every month during the school year and at least one summer communication	Every month during the school year and at least one summer communication
      Greater than one year	Communication twice a year (written, phone, or in-person)	Every three months during the school year and at least one summer communication	Every three months during the school year and at least one summer communication

   3. Site-Based Facilitated
      

      	Parent/Guardian	Child	Volunteer Big
      Within first two weeks	Required communication notifying parent/guardian of the match relationship and the agency’s ground rules (written, phone, or in-person)	Required	Required
      During first year	Communication twice a year (written, phone, or in-person)	Every two months during the school year and at least one summer communication	Every two months during the school year and at least one summer communication
      Greater than one year	Communication twice a year (written, phone, or in-person)	Every three months during the school year and at least one summer communication	Every three months during the school year and at least one summer communication

1. Quality assurance reviews will be a thorough review of all program functions, including, but not limited to, enrollment and match support. Each individual staff member performing programmatic functions must receive feedback on the quality of their work at a minimum on a quarterly basis. The reviewer is required to document the quality assurance review in the Federation Wide Information Management System. The agency must have policies and procedures outlining their Quality Assurance process including the frequency and percentage of files reviewed and a process for addressing agency staff work that does not meet quality standards.

The match closure process must include, at a minimum:

1. The match support record must show that agency staff made reasonable attempts to contact the parent/guardian, child, and the volunteer Big (individually) to thoroughly explore the reasons for closure, safety levels, satisfaction levels, and youth outcomes associated with the match
2. When no child safety issues are present and the parties are available and agree, every effort will be made and documented to have a facilitated final communication or visit with the volunteer Big and the child (preferably in-person or via video conferencing) that provides for:
   1. An explanation for the reason(s) for match closure (as appropriate);
   2. An opportunity to reduce any adverse effects from the match closure for the child; and
   3. An assessment of the accomplishments of the match in delivering positive outcomes
3. The agency staff who had oversight of the match must provide a written assessment and recommendation of the appropriateness for rematch and re-engagement of the parent/guardian, child, and/or volunteer Big, either as a volunteer Big, Little, donor, board member or other volunteer, based on their successful past service; any need for additional support or training in future match consideration; and to determine further involvement and ongoing communication with the agency, regardless of participant interest of reengagement or rematch.
4. Written notification of match closure to all parties, including, when necessary, clarification of the risks assumed by match parties in continuing a relationship outside of the agency’s supervision.

1. When program participants are re-enrolling, agency staff must take a purposeful, fresh look at the individual requesting to be matched to determine the eligibility and suitability of the participant’s ability to make a safe, effective match. This process must include a comprehensive review and assessment of the agency’s prior experience with the participant, including, at a minimum, the following components:

   1. Initial enrollment information (assessment, background check);

   2. Experience, motivation, training, and support needs;

   3. Adherence to the BBBS safety guidelines;

   4. Previous match relationship;

   5. Reasons for previous match/file closures; and

   6. Meaningful life changes that have occurred since the participant’s initial enrollment (e.g., divorce, significant loss, unemployment, change in home environment, personality/interests, family information, physical and mental health, family life, school or work, and match preferences).

2. Based on the review and assessment, staff must determine whether additional collateral information is required. Additionally, based on the timeline below, staff must comply with the following steps from the volunteer enrollment process:

   	Less Than One Year from Closure*	More Than One Year from Closure
   Updated volunteer interview	Reenrollment Volunteer Interview Via phone, in person or virtual	Volunteer Interview Via in person or virtual
   Updated background check	If the background check was run within the last three years, then only one layer of the background check is required If a layered background check was run more than three years ago, a full background check is required	A layered background check is required
   References	Obtain updated, in-depth references from: Any new spouse/spousal equivalent or family (biological or chosen) All youth-serving organization(s) through which the volunteer did any new, relevant, volunteer or paid experience with youth within the last five years. If a youth-serving organization(s) is not responsive, all attempts to obtain each reference must be made and documented Additional references may be warranted based on agency assessment	Obtain updated, in-depth references from: Any new spouse/spousal equivalent or family (biological or chosen) All youth-serving organization(s) through which the volunteer did any new, relevant, volunteer or paid experience with youth within the last five years. If a youth-serving organization(s) is not responsive, all attempts to obtain each reference must be made and documented Additional references may be warranted based on agency assessment
   Completion of updated/current agency forms and orientation to any new agency policies or procedures, including ground rules.	Required	Required
   Training, per the recommendations made in the match closure meeting (or for new assessments, from the assessment interview), and any new required trainings since previous enrollment.	Required	Required

   *Closure refers to both file closure and match closure.

3. Based on the review and assessment, staff must determine whether additional collateral information is required. Additionally, based on the timeline below, staff must comply with the following steps from the parent/guardian and child enrollment process:

   	Less Than One Year from Closure*	More Than One Year from Closure
   Conduct Child Re-Enrollment Interview	Required Via phone, in person or virtual	Required Via in person or virtual
   Conduct Parent/Guardian Re-Enrollment Interview for Community - Based	Required Via phone, in person or virtual	Required Via in person or virtual
   Parent/Guardian Re-Enrollment Interview for School/Site-Based	The parent(s)/guardians and school must be given the opportunity to provide updated information about the social, educational, behavioral, and developmental strengths and needs of the child.	The parent(s)/guardians and school must be given the opportunity to provide updated information about the social, educational, behavioral, and developmental strengths and needs of the child.
   Parent/Guardian training that includes any new required trainings since previous enrollment.	Required	Required

   *Closure refers to both file closure and match closure.

1. BBBSA values learning and innovation. Innovation, with careful consideration of associated risks, is critical to deepening the outcomes we seek for children. To allow our work to evolve, and to ensure we are striving to improve, it is important to provide a balance of structure and freedom for agency innovation.

   
   

   Agencies that apply to innovate outside of the Program Standards may be permitted to enter into a pilot program with BBBSA. Pilot programs must be developed so that specific data can be collected to evaluate innovative approaches and to ensure positive outcomes for children as well as child safety. A Standards Committee of the Nationwide Leadership Council will review each pilot program request for possible approval and will evaluate the data from approved pilot programs.

   
   

   In a pilot program, temporary variance from one or more standards may be given to an agency pursuant to the following approval process:

   • Phase 1 – Research and design
   • Phase 2 – Application and approval process
   • Phase 3 – Conduct pilot
   • Phase 4 – Report outcomes