DISSOLVEMENT

It was with sadness that the City of Swift Current made the decision to discontinue the Safe Places program effective April 1, 2025. After a full review of the program with the City Solicitor and insurance providers, it was decided that Safe Places is no longer sustainable from a liability or financial perspective as a part of City operations.

The City of Swift Current and the Safe Places staff would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the partners and organizations who embraced this initiative. We are grateful to have been supported by businesses, organizations, and individuals who believed in the benefits and the bigger picture of what Safe Places represented in advancing this program with us. Our hope is that all youth service providers continue to place the highest importance on maintaining diligent screening processes, policies and procedures to ensure that those who we place trust in to care for our youth are safe to do so. The message cannot be lost that we must continue to have a collective responsibility of recognizing, reporting, and preventing bullying, harassment, and abuse in youth.

Effective April 1st, 2025, the City of Swift Current will not be processing any Safe Places applications. The City understands this decision will affect the operations of many youth organizations and will be working with all our affiliates to support the transition and next steps with them. Unfortunately, in the absence of a collective community certification, each organization will now be responsible for implementing and managing their own screening procedures and the City asks that you contact them directly for what they will now accept or require.

The City of Swift Current is still committed to the safety of youth in the community and will continue to support organizations through access to programs and resources. Respect Group training will also remain free of charge to any community member who wishes to access it.