Compliance & Safeguarding

All staff and volunteers who work with minors complete background checks, child-protection training, and our code of conduct before serving. We follow a two-adult rule, maintain visible supervision, and report any suspected abuse or neglect to Louisiana DCFS as required by law.

CDI staff and volunteers are trained as mandatory reporters. Concerns about a child's safety are escalated immediately to the program director and, when warranted, to civil authorities.

CDI welcomes children, families, donors, partners, and volunteers without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or family status. Our programs are open to the community we serve.

Donations are recorded by authorized staff, reviewed by leadership, and reported to donors and funders. We maintain segregation of duties for gift entry, deposit, and acknowledgment, and we make annual financial summaries available on our Transparency page.

Restricted gifts and grants are tracked against their designated purpose. We meet funder reporting deadlines, retain supporting records, and return or reallocate unspent restricted funds only with funder approval.

Records about minors are treated as confidential education-related information. Access is role-based, audit-logged, and restricted to staff with a legitimate need. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Meals served through the No Child Eats Alone Initiative follow Louisiana food-handling guidelines, including allergen awareness, safe storage temperatures, and certified food-handler oversight at serving sites.

Volunteers complete an application, reference checks, and an orientation covering safeguarding, confidentiality, and our faith-rooted code of conduct before serving with youth.

Board members, staff, and key volunteers disclose potential conflicts annually and recuse themselves from related decisions. Vendor and contractor selections follow documented criteria.

Any participant, family, donor, or staff member may report concerns about safety, finances, or conduct without fear of retaliation. Reports can be made in writing to leadership or through our contact page.

We retain donor, grant, and program records for the periods required by IRS, funder, and state guidelines, and we securely dispose of records past their retention window.

We work toward WCAG 2.1 AA conformance on this website and make reasonable accommodations for participation in our programs. Please tell us if you encounter a barrier so we can address it.