The Northeast Regional Law Enforcement Educational Association’s Youth Protection Mission Statement is a commitment dedicated to safeguarding the youth members of their organization through the implementation of mandatory policies, procedures, and training for all adult leaders and volunteers. As a law enforcement training program comprised of mostly all highly experienced police officials, NERLEEA acknowledges the prevalence of child abuse and strives to prevent such incidents from occurring within their organization. To achieve this, NERLEEA collaborates with experts from various fields to ensure their youth protection policies align with the latest best practices for the prevention and recognition of child abuse.

To ensure the continuous improvement of their youth protection policies, NERLEEA requires all adult leaders and volunteers seeking to participate in any NERLEEA sponsored programs to complete mandatory training, and they encourage all leaders and volunteers to become subject matter experts and advocates for youth protection training. NERLEEA’s leadership selection process includes background checks and other screening efforts to reduce the risk of accepting potential child abusers as leaders.

NERLEEA’s policy regarding two advisor leadership is that: Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all NERLEEA activities, including all meetings/events at your respective agency. In addition, there must be a registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over at all overnight events hosted by NERLEEA (if there is not a female advisor from your agency you can make an agreement with a female advisor from a different agency that is attending the event to coordinate with your female cadets). All adults staying overnight connected to a NERLEEA activity must be registered with our organization. Overnight events should have a one to five (1-5) ratio of advisors to cadets when possible.

NERLEEA also provides ongoing support to victims of child abuse and their families, including counseling services, guidance, and grief counseling for serious events and critical incidents. Reporting of youth protection violations and abuse is essential, and NERLEEA has strict policies in place to ensure that such incidents are reported immediately to the NERLEEA Executive Board. Additionally, all persons participating in NERLEEA programs are mandated reporters of child abuse, and reports must be made to local law enforcement and child protective services. NERLEEA’s reporting duty cannot be delegated to any other person, and the reporting of incidents ensures that follow-up can occur for the safety of youth members. In cases of immediate harm, it is important to call 911.

NERLEEA’s Youth Protection Mission Statement is a commitment to maintaining a culture of youth protection awareness and safety at all levels of our organization. They strive to create a secure environment for our youth members through mandatory policies, procedures, and training for all adult leaders and volunteers, and collaboration with experts to ensure our policies align with the latest best practices.

NERLEEA provides ongoing support to victims of child abuse and our families, including counseling services. We also provide guidance and grief counseling for serious events and critical incidents.

Respectfully,
NERLEEA Executive Board

Reporting Requirements

Adult leaders and youth members have a responsibility to recognize, respond to, and report Youth Protection violations and abuse.

Reporting

Youth Protection Policy Violations
Serious Youth Protection policy violations or behaviors that put a youth’s safety at risk must be reported to the NERLEEA Executive Board immediately.

Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse

All persons participating in NERLEEA programs are mandated reporters of child abuse.
Reports must be made to local law enforcement and child protective services. State law may require additional reporting.
This reporting duty cannot be delegated to any other person.
Reporting to the NERLEEA Executive Board ensures that follow-up can occur for the safety of our youth. The NERLEEA Executive Board coordinates follow-up actions.

If someone is at immediate risk of harm, always call 911.