Protecting Other People's Children

“In several decades of working with youth organizations, I’ve seen far too many become overwhelmed at the idea of putting together a child protection policy and simply never get around to it, leaving the children in their care vulnerable. Protecting Other People’s Children solves that problem, offering practical suggestions, worksheets, and timelines that help organizations build a strong safety culture one step at a time. This book is an outstanding resource for organizations that want to create a culture of safety and fulfill their mission of serving our most vulnerable children.” —Juanita Stedman, former juvenile court judge & CEO of Together Georgia “In their book Protecting Other People’s Children, Debbie Ausburn and Tom Rawlings provide an important contribution to the field of family and children services. What elevates their work to the ‘must-read’ pinnacle, though, is that in offering this work, they do so reflecting a clear understanding of the inseparable and critical relationship between an organization’s policies, procedures, and processes and an organization’s culture.” —Hal Jones, Healthcare Quality Improvement Expert & former CEO of Wellroot Family Services “A practical guide to safeguarding youth, Protecting Other People’s Children provides clear, step-by-step instructions for creating effective child protection policies.” —Tim Keller, Center for the Rights of Abused Children “This book is engaging, informative and a must-read for leaders who manage organizations that work with youth. Having a comprehensive child protection policy is vital to the safeguarding of youth and managing risk for the organization. My compliments to the authors and I highly recommend this book for those who lead in this area serving youth, our future leaders of tomorrow.” —Henry Jackson, President of Buckner Children and Family Services, Inc. “Protecting Other People’s Children is a comprehensive handbook that should be required reading for anyone who comes in contact with a child, either directly or indirectly. Whether you’re a parent, educator, CEO, concerned citizen, youth leader, coach, social worker, or work at a technology or social media company that promotes content to children, child safety and wellbeing and the entity’s child protection policy should be at the forefront of daily conversations you have with colleagues.” —Isabelle Finney, Finding Kids “Rawlings is one of the first sources I turn to for insight on complicated cases involving issues around child welfare. His work as a juvenile court judge, attorney, and head of Georgia’s child welfare agency have given him more exposure and a deeper understanding than most to the challenges of identifying abuse and keeping children safe. Rawlings’ focus though isn’t pointing out problems, it’s fixing them. So, his efforts to share his knowledge to further protect children in the community is of no surprise.” —Rebecca Lindstrom, award-winning investigative reporter “As one who has worked in child welfare for over 28 years, I found your book less taxing to read due to the presentation style and practical approach. You maintain the seriousness of the work and need for child protection policies, but with a kinder and more human approach, which isn’t often communicated in our community of work.” —Riley P. Green III, Ed.D., Senior Director, Homes “Protecting Other People’s Children is a must-read for anyone working with children and youth. By shedding light on the critical issue of child protection in youth-serving organizations, this book inspires action and accountability. It's an invaluable resource for creating safer spaces for our children.” —Tom Rosenberg, President & CEO, American Camp Association