Monroe Family YMCA's Penny Marino earns guardian certification
Penny Marino, Monroe Family YMCA's chief financial officer and human resources director, earned the Certified Praesidium Guardian (CPG) by Praesidium, a national leader in risk management of sexual abuse of vulnerable populations.
"She joins a community of professionals who have demonstrated commitment to creating a culture of safety through risk management and best practices in sexual abuse prevention," the Monroe Family YMCA said in a news release. "The CPG certification was created to recognize individuals who are dedicated to the prevention of sexual abuse of vulnerable populations."
To attain certification, Marino completed a certification process and became proficient in best practices in organizational abuse prevention that includes specific steps to prevent incidents of abuse by employees, volunteers or program participants.
"Marino also demonstrated her knowledge on how to respond effectively if an allegation or incident occurs and how to ensure that Monroe Family YMCA stays current and consistent in the implementation of abuse prevention best practices," the release said.
“On behalf of our board of directors and staff, I am proud of Penny’s efforts to enhance the culture of safety at the Monroe Family YMCA," Kristin Irwin, Monroe Family YMCA's chief executive officer, said. “Her continued work reminds staff of our commitment to child abuse prevention and that everyone has the responsibility to protect those in their care. She is an excellent resource for our organization and the surrounding community in sexual abuse prevention.”
To become a Certified Praesidium Guardian, Marino had to complete three requirements: pre-workshop assignment that included six hours of online training; immersive in-person workshop experience, amounting to 20 hours of learning, discussion and application of abuse risk management skills; and a post-workshop Impact Project where she demonstrated her abuse prevention knowledge by putting it into practice in a tangible way at the Monroe Family YMCA.
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"The Impact Project is specific to each guardian and his/her organization and is reviewed by an expert Praesidium Consultant," the YMCA said in the release. "Marino will be certified for three years, and during this time will continuously work towards creating a safe environment and demonstrating her commitment to protecting those in her care from abuse."
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe Family YMCA's Penny Marino earns guardian certification
