The Lighthouse, Risk and Readiness
Services

Everything a strong safeguarding program needs.

Every engagement is scaled to fit where your organization is today, from a single policy review to a full, multi-site safeguarding program.

What We Offer

Core advisory services

01

Policy & procedure development

Child safety policies and procedures built to fit your sites and to hold up under funder, licensor, and court review.

  • Codes of conduct and boundary standards
  • Supervision, ratio, and one-on-one guidelines
  • Confidentiality and incident documentation
02

Risk assessments & screening support

A structured review that finds vulnerabilities before a licensor, court, or incident does.

  • Operations and physical space review
  • Staff and volunteer screening procedures
  • Scored results through Risk Aware
03

Training & education

Practical, trauma-informed training built for organizations that onboard new staff and volunteers often.

  • Abuse prevention and warning-sign recognition
  • Trauma-informed practice and de-escalation
  • Mandated reporting and internal escalation
04

Crisis management planning

Clear incident-response and communication protocols in place before they are needed.

  • Allegation response protocols
  • Internal and external communication plans
  • Access to a responsive advisory board
05

Consultation, advisory & interim leadership

Expert guidance when you need it, and steady interim leadership during a transition.

  • On-call expert guidance for specific concerns
  • Interim leadership during vacancies or restructuring
  • Screening support for the permanent hire
06

Custom tools & technology

Purpose-built assessment and compliance tools designed around your organization’s workflow.

  • Assessment and scoring tools
  • Compliance review aids
  • Dashboards and reporting
For small and volunteer-run programs

Safe Start: the essentials, in one simple package

No HR department? No safeguarding staff? Safe Start gives small programs, family child care homes, and volunteer-run groups a clear first step, without a long engagement or a big budget.

1

Sample policy kit

A ready-to-adapt code of conduct, two-adult supervision plan, and reporting guide, written for programs without a legal team.

2

60-minute policy review call

We look at what you have today, even if that's nothing yet, and give you a short, prioritized list of what to put in place first.

3

Staff and volunteer videos

The three Lighthouse Learning videos, each under four minutes, ready for a staff meeting or volunteer orientation.

Small-program rates are available. We'll talk through options during your free first consultation.

Book a free first consultation Get the free starter kit
How to pay for this

Cost shouldn't stand between a child and a safer program.

We work with your budget. Here are four ways small programs make safeguarding support affordable.

Sliding scale

Rates based on your organization's size and budget, so small and volunteer-run programs pay less.

Payment plans

Spread the cost over several months instead of paying all at once.

Grant-ready language

Many funders cover safeguarding as program quality or risk management. Copy the paragraph below into your request.

Your insurer

Some insurers reward abuse-prevention steps. Ask your broker, or have them contact us about our referral partnership.

For your grant or funder request

[Organization name] will partner with The Lighthouse Risk and Readiness Consulting Group, LLC to strengthen our child safeguarding practices. The work includes a review of our policies and procedures, an updated code of conduct and supervision plan, and abuse-prevention training for staff and volunteers. It reduces the risk of harm to the children we serve, supports licensing and funder requirements, and protects our ability to keep serving our community. Sample budget line: Child safeguarding consultation and staff training, The Lighthouse Risk and Readiness Consulting Group: $______

The Journey

How every engagement works

A simple, phased model. Start at the phase that fits, and move forward at a pace your team can sustain.

  1. Phase 1EngagePolicy and procedure groundworkWe learn your organization, review existing policies, and set clear safeguarding goals.
  2. Phase 2EnactAssessment and action planWe assess risk and readiness, then build a prioritized plan your leadership can act on.
  3. Phase 3EmbedOrganization-wide implementationWe train staff, roll out policies, and make safeguarding part of daily practice.
  4. Phase 4EquipOngoing verificationWe verify progress, refresh training, and support certification so gains last.
Who We Serve

Areas of expertise

We work with organizations of every size that are entrusted with children and vulnerable adults.

Youth-serving organizations
Schools, preschool & K-12
Child care & daycare
Camps & sports programs
Residential facilities
Foster care programs
Child advocacy centers
Domestic violence shelters
Mental health facilities
Vulnerable adult programs
Military programming
Community-wide programs
Not sure where to start?

Begin with a Web of Protection Risk Assessment.

A consultant-led review of your policies, screening, supervision, physical spaces, training, and response readiness. You receive a clear picture of where you stand and a prioritized plan for what to strengthen first.

Request a Web of Protection Assessment Prefer a quick self-check? Try our free tools
Policy & procedure development

Clear rules every adult follows the same way

How it looks

A multi-site after-school program had different rules at each location. One site let staff drive children home alone; another had no guidance on texting youth. We drafted one code of conduct, a two-adult standard for transport, and an electronic-communication policy. Every site now trains to the same standard, and parents receive a plain-language summary.

Illustrative example based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

90%of children who experience sexual abuse know the person who harmed them. Clear boundaries for trusted adults are where prevention starts.

The CDC names written policies on screening, adult-child interactions, monitoring, safe environments, responding to concerns, and training as the six core components of prevention in youth-serving organizations.

Sources: Darkness to Light, Recommendations for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse (2025); CDC, Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations (Saul & Audage, 2007).

Talk with us about your policies
Risk assessments & screening support

Finding the gaps a background check can't

How it looks

A youth sports league relied on criminal background checks alone. During an on-site walkthrough we found an unmonitored equipment room, a locker area with no sightlines, and no reference checks for volunteer coaches. The league added structured interview questions, reference calls, and simple layout changes, all tracked in a Risk Aware scorecard.

Illustrative example based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

~1 in 5convicted child sexual abusers in one study had a prior conviction for a sexual offense. Most would have passed a criminal background check.

Background checks are necessary but not sufficient. Screening, supervision, and the physical environment have to work together.

Source: Wortley & Smallbone, "A Criminal Careers Typology of Child Sexual Abusers," Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment (2014).

Request a risk assessment
Training & education

Adults who know what to look for, and what to do

How it looks

A summer camp onboards dozens of seasonal counselors in a single week. A short, scenario-based session teaches them to recognize grooming behaviors, respond calmly if a child discloses, and know exactly whom to tell and how to document it, before the first camper arrives.

Illustrative example based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

38%of child victims tell someone about the abuse. Most never do, so the adults around them have to notice.

In a randomized controlled trial with childcare professionals, a brief prevention training improved knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors, whether delivered in person or online.

Sources: Darkness to Light; Rheingold et al., "Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training for Childcare Professionals," Prevention Science (2015).

Schedule training for your team
Crisis management planning

Knowing your next move before you need it

How it looks

A parent calls the program director on a Friday evening with a concern about a volunteer. Because a protocol is already in place, the director knows who to call first, how to remove the volunteer from contact with children, what to document, when to involve authorities, and what to say to staff and families, without guessing.

Illustrative example based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

58%of survivors in a national study waited more than a year to disclose; only 27% told someone right away. When a concern finally surfaces, the response has to be right the first time.

Source: Kogan (2004), as summarized in Townsend, Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure: What Practitioners Need to Know, Darkness to Light (2016).

Build your response plan
Consultation, advisory & interim leadership

Expert guidance when you need it, and steady leadership in transition

How it looks

A director is unsure whether a new mentoring program's one-on-one meetings fit best practice. A short advisory call reviews the plan, recommends observable meeting spaces and a check-in rhythm, and points to the policy language to update, so the program launches with confidence.

Interim management. A youth-serving agency's program director leaves with two weeks' notice, just before summer enrollment. An interim leader steps in to keep supervision schedules, screening, and incident reporting on track, briefs the board weekly, and helps design the interview and screening process for the permanent hire.

Illustrative examples based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

1 in 3nonprofit leaders say they are likely to leave their current organization within the next two years. Transitions are common, and safeguarding practices are easiest to lose when no one is clearly in charge.

Safeguarding standards and research keep evolving. A trusted advisor helps your team apply what is current without starting from scratch.

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy, nonprofit leadership survey (May 2024).

Talk with an advisor
Custom tools & technology

Turning safeguarding data into early warnings

How it looks

An agency tracked background checks, training completion, and boundary concerns in separate spreadsheets. We built a simple tool that flags expiring screenings and overdue trainings, logs minor policy breaches, and shows leadership patterns across sites in one view.

Illustrative example based on common engagement patterns. Details are composite and not drawn from any single client.

Why it's important

Only ~1 in 3child sexual abuse incidents is ever identified. Tracking small boundary concerns and compliance gaps helps organizations act before harm occurs.

Source: Darkness to Light, Child Sexual Abuse Statistics: Reporting Abuse (2015).

Explore a custom tool