Client Rights

Client Rights

Welcome to Youth Guidance!

We’re so glad you’re here.

Discover programs designed to help your child feel supported, confident, and connected. Youth Guidance provides safe, positive spaces where young people build skills, form strong relationships, and thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. By joining us, your family becomes part of a caring community of mentors, staff, and fellow families dedicated to helping every child reach their full potential.

Have questions or need help registering? We’re here and happy to assist.

We look forward to welcoming your child to Youth Guidance.

Sincerely,
Dr. Nacole Gibson
Chief Program Officer

How to Register:

1) Determine Eligibility: Your child must be enrolled at one of our participating schools and eligible for services prior to signing up for any program within Youth Guidance. All Program Registrations are YG staff-initiated.

2) Submit the Registration: Register your child electronically or via our Paper Consent. Once the YG Staff Person initiates the consent, please review the Terms of Service, Program Information and Consent with your child and return the form either electronically (the link will be emailed to you) or by completing the entire 1-Page Registration Form.

Where We Are

• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Kansas City
• Los Angeles
• Pittsburgh
• Seattle
• Washington DC

Learn about our Programs

• Alumni Engagement
• Becoming A Man (BAM)
• BAM-FI
• Community & Afterschool Programs
• Community Connections
• Extended Day & Enrichment Program
• Parent & Family Engagement
• Project Prepare
• Project Prepare Blue
• Project STRIVE
• School-Based Counseling
• The Fellowship Initiative
• Working On Womanhood (WOW)

Youth Guidance Program Terms of Service

As of: 4/1/26

WHO IS YOUTH GUIDANCE AND WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER?

Youth Guidance creates and implements school-based programs that enable children to overcome obstacles, focus on their education and, ultimately, to succeed in school and in life. We are a national organization with sites in Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas, California, Washington, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. We meet kids where they are – in schools and in the community – to provide services that engage students in the learning process, and through careful guidance, enables them to realize their full potential and graduate with a meaningful plan for successfully managing life.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REGISTER AND CONSENT TO YG PROGRAMMING?

Participation in YG programs is optional. For children under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must agree to their child’s participation. This Program Terms of Service outlines the rights your child has when participating in the programs and what they can do if they have a problem in YG programs. It also describes the expectations we have for you and your child while participating in YG programs.

The Registration and Consent Form asks for your contact information and basic information about your child. It also asks you for your consent for the items described below. These are optional, meaning if you say no, your child can still participate in YG.

• Photo/Media Consent – The Registration and Consent Form asks if you agree to YG and related parties taking photos, videos, or interviews of your child during Youth Guidance activities. If you say yes, these images or recordings may be used for non-commercial educational purposes, such as YG events and in websites, newspapers, or brochures without prior notice or compensation. You cannot hold Youth Guidance or its partners responsible for any issues arising from media use. Only your child’s first name, grade, and school will be shared.
• Use of Child’s Artwork – The Registration and Consent Form asks if you agree to YG using artwork your child produces while they are participating in a Youth Guidance program. If you say yes, this artwork may be used for non-commercial educational purposes, such as YG events and in websites, newspapers, or brochures without prior notice or compensation.
• Holistic Student Assessment: Optional; BAM (All Cities) and WOW (Dallas only) – The Registration and Consent Form asks if you agree to your child taking the Holistic Student Assessment (HSA). Youth Guidance uses PEAR’s Holistic Student Assessment (HSA) with BAM participants in grades 6-12 and WOW participants in Dallas. This means your child will answer a short survey about themselves at the beginning and end of the school year. Youth Guidance uses information from the HSA to make the program better and to better understand how our programs help youth learn and grow. Your child’s name or other identifying information won’t be part of this. Your child won’t be asked for anything else for this research, and their information will be kept private and deleted when it’s no longer needed.

CLIENT RIGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS

When your child participates in a YG program, both your child and you have the following rights:

The right to fair and appropriate services:

• YG offers services to all eligible participants, no matter their background.
• We’ll do our best to communicate with you in a way you understand, including use of assistive technology to help if you have trouble hearing or seeing.
• You have the right to be safe from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
• You won’t lose our services just because you exercise your rights.
• If you have a disability, we’ll work to get you the accommodation you need.

The right to revoke consent to participate in YG programming:

You or your parent/guardian can revoke your consent to participate in YG programming at any time. Just fill out the Client Data Requests and Removal of Consent Form at www.youth-guidance.org/feedback. If you need a hard copy or help filling out the form, let your YG staff member know.

The right to confidentiality:

• Your records are private, except in certain situations:
• If you or someone else might be in danger, we must tell someone.
• If a court tells us to share your information, we must.
• If you or your parent/guardian wants us to share info with someone else, we can.
• We might share some information about your time with us with staff at school.

The right to file complaints and grievances:

You or your parent/guardian can file a complaint if you feel you haven’t been treated right, or if we haven’t followed the rules.

EXPECTATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS:

• Be respectful to yourself and others.
• Don’t use abusive language, be physically aggressive, bully others, or take things that don’t belong to you.
• Don’t use electronic devices during our programs without permission.
• Complete your schoolwork, including anything missed during YG programming.
• Follow your school’s rules and code of conduct.
• Don’t have any forbidden items at school, like vapes, drugs or weapons.

EXPECTATIONS OF PARENTS/CAREGIVERS:

• Get Involved: We want you to be part of what we’re doing. That might mean joining in on activities when it’s right for you.
• Stay in Touch: We’ll keep you updated on how your child is doing, and we want you to share any worries you have about their schoolwork or behavior.
• Come to Events: You are always welcome to join us for special events that celebrate your child and their accomplishments.
• Cheer Your Child On: Encourage your child and support them in what they’re learning in the YG program.
• Keep Us in the Loop: If anything changes at home that might affect your child’s progress, or if they think they need extra help, we want you and them to feel comfortable telling us.

Remember, if you or your child has any questions or concerns, just ask! We’re here to help.

PARTICIPANT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

What’s a Grievance?

A grievance is when you have a concern with Youth Guidance about the type or quality of service you received; discrimination, harassment, or failure to provide accommodation; or other concerns about Youth Guidance’s treatment of you or compliance with relevant laws or policies.

If you have a concern, you can always talk to your Youth Guidance staff member, their manager, or the Program Director. If you are not comfortable talking to your Youth Guidance staff member, fill out this form at www.youth-guidance.org/feedback, and we will have the right person contact you.

How to Share Your Grievance:

Fill out the form at www.youth-guidance.org/feedback and include details about your concern, and we will have the Program Director, Chief Program Officer, or their designee contact you.

What Happens Next:

We’ll arrange a meeting with you within ten working days to talk about it. If we can’t solve it there, you can send your grievance to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Youth Guidance by filling out the same form and asking that it be sent to the CEO this time.

After You Share Your Grievance:

If you don’t send your grievance to the CEO within 30 days, we’ll send you a letter saying we’re closing your case. But if you do, we’ll acknowledge we got it and start reviewing it.

What the CEO Does:

The CEO or their designee will review your grievance and send you their decision within 30 days. The decision of the CEO will be the final decision on behalf of Youth Guidance.

Keeping Track:

We’ll keep a record of all grievances and how we responded, following the law.

Getting Outside Help:

You can also get help from or file a complaint with government agencies, including the following:

DATA PRACTICES AT YOUTH GUIDANCE

At Youth Guidance, we use data – including personal information – to keep track of how well our programs are working. We want you to know what kind of information we collect, how we use it, and how we maintain privacy.

What Information Does YG Collect?

We maintain records with clients’ basic information from the registration form, services received, and session notes to track program effectiveness. Surveys may be used to gather feedback and information; participation in these is optional and won’t impact involvement. We request academic data from school districts to understand how our program is helping clients succeed in school.

Who Can See the Information YG Collects?

• YG staff and their managers can only see the data on the clients they support. Our internal evaluation team also uses client data to help improve our programs.
• YG uses de-identified data to inform our funders, school districts, and community partners about how well we’re doing, but only with aggregate data – never names.
• YG does not sell the personal information of any participants.
• YG provides services in schools. We might share basic info like registration and attendance with the school. The school maintains this information based on their own rules. Sometimes, YG staff might talk to school staff about how a participant is doing, but we don’t share private details.
• Some programs utilize third parties within programming, such as guest instructors. In those cases, partners sign agreements to maintain confidentiality of any client records, as required by law.

What Are My Rights Related to Data?

• Right to Know: Parents/Guardians or adult participants can find out their rights under laws like FERPA, HIPAA, and applicable state laws.
• See What’s Shared: Parents/guardians or adult participants have the right to look at any of the information YG gives to your child’s school. You can also talk to the YG staff member who’s helping your child and ask about what info is shared with the school.
• Fix Mistakes: Parents/guardians or adult participants can ask YG to correct any incorrect information they have about a child. They can also ask YG to delete their child’s information. Sometimes, YG may need to keep the information as is and not make the requested changes or deletions for legal reasons.
• Speak Up: Parents/guardians or adult participants can tell YG if they believe YG has violated data privacy rights. The Participant Grievance Procedures above describe how a parent/guardian or adult participant can report a concern with YG. YG will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

How Long Does YG Keep Personal Information?

That depends on the status of our relationship with the client and the requirements of applicable law. YG keeps the personal information for as long as is necessary for the purpose(s) for which we collected it, or for our other legitimate business purposes, including to meet our legal, regulatory, or other compliance obligations and whether we may need to retain personal information to resolve disputes, make and defend legal claims, conduct audits, and/or enforce our agreements.

REMOTE AND TELEBEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

1. Sometimes, Youth Guidance offers services through the phone, text, apps, or video when you can’t be in person, like during school closures (like COVID-19).
2. The rules that apply to in-person behavioral services also apply to remote services. The technologies Youth Guidance uses are secure to protect your info. But you need to make sure your side of the communication is private too.
3. Youth Guidance will only use tech allowed by your school district and will follow school rules and relevant laws and regulations.

If you have any questions about the Youth Guidance program your child is registering for or about the information in the Terms of Service, please contact the Youth Guidance staff member working with your child or headquarters staff by phone at 312-253-4900 or by email at clientsupport@youth-guidance.org.

Resource Hub

DOWNLOAD TERMS OF SERVICE

Condiciones de servicio de orientación juvenil (español)