We rarely catch abusers abusing. We catch them breaking rules. That's why community organizations need a zero tolerance policy for red flag behaviors.
One of those red flag behaviors is staff or volunteers spending time alone with children in your programs—which can provide an opportunity for grooming and/or abuse to occur undetected. As a rule, staff, counselors or volunteers should always be in view of another team member when they are in the company of children—unless they're taking part in a structured mentoring program with additional layers of protection built in. If a need arises to have a private conversation, then it's still important to follow the rule of "private conversation, public view"—meaning you move out of earshot of others, but remain within line of sight. All private conversations should be observable and interruptible.
Take a moment to ask yourself: