Programs and Activities Serving Minors Best Practices

Ensuring the safety of minors and always providing effective supervision should be the primary concern of program administrators. Implementing strong accountability procedures is a key step towards safe program operations. All program staff should be properly trained on accountability and supervision requirements.

• Having an accountability system to know where all program minors are is a baseline safety requirement for all programs. This may include the taking and re-taking of attendance, attendance logs, and the use of a buddy system – particularly for field trips or during high-risk activities to include being around lakes, streams, swimming pools, and similar areas.
• Pre-program training should ensure staff understand their role in accountability of program minors. Training on both personal responsibility for accounting for minors assigned to each staff member and effective teamwork and coordination should be included.
• Staff supervision should be designed so that each staff member has accountability for an appropriate number of minors; this will better ensure effective scope of responsibility throughout the program. The American Camp Association recommends the following staff to minor ratios:
  • ages 5 years and younger: one staff for each six day campers
  • ges 6 - 8 years: one staff for each eight day campers
  • ages 9 - 10 years: one staff for each 10 day campers
  • ages 11 - 14 years: one staff for each eight overnight campers and one staff for each 10 day campers
  • ages 15–18 years: one staff for each 10 overnight campers and one staff for each 12 day campers
• Accountability is most critical at movement times (from one activity area to another, from dorm to dining hall, at start and end of field trips). By name accounting is preferred to head counts, when possible; this limits possibility of incorrect count before movement.
• If a minor is discovered missing from the program, safety of the minor must be prioritized over individual or institutional reputation concerns. If the minor is not quickly located in the immediate vicinity, UNG Police and department leadership should be notified quickly; there should not be excessive delays in notifying authorities to assist with expanding the search.  A lost child protocol should be included in your staff manual and reviewed as part of training. You do not want to wait until a child is actually missing to determine next steps.

All minors programs should have some degree of medical preparation and training as part of their program planning. At a minimum staff should understand basic first aid responses and have access to a first aid kit.  More extensive training and plans should be implemented for residential or extended day programs.

Training:

• Programs should ensure their staff have at a minimum basic first aid training (how to deal with cuts, scrapes, mild burns). Residential or week-long day programs should consider more extensive training, as well as programs that have higher risk of injury (athletics camps, outdoor activities).
• CPR/AED training is recommended for all or some staff for extended/residential programs. Several organizations offer CPR/AED training including UNG Police.

First Aid:

• Programs should either purchase/create their own first aid kits or have access to facility first aid kits.
• Annual reviews of the contents of first aid kits will ensure that items are replaced as needed.

Medical Care:

• Plans should be developed for how medical issues beyond basic first aid will be handled. For non-emergency medical situations day programs should normally call parents/guardians to pick up minors who need medical care; residential programs will need to develop plans to have minors taken to the local hospital for care.
• A best practice is to have a signed medical authorization form from the parent/guardian; this will ease the process of obtaining medical care for the minor. Programs should also have notification plans for parents/guardians in the event of a medical situation.
• Programs should develop plans for how serious medical emergencies will be handled including: who will provide care for the minor; who will notify medical authorities, program leadership, and parents/guardians; and who will transport. There should also be plans for moving other minors away from injury scenes and ensuring appropriate supervision levels are maintained as the medical emergency is handled.

Effective communication and interaction with parents/guardians should be a component of all minors program planning. Pre-program information, as well as updates during programs on significant incidents, are critical elements of successful operations. Effective parental engagement will result in much smoother program operations.

• Program leaders should develop information to provide to parents/guardians prior to program start. This information should include: general itinerary, residential housing procedures, program rules and guidelines, Participant Code of Conduct, and contact information for program leaders.  Ensuring parents/guardians have a good understanding of your program can limit parental questions and enhance engagement during the program.
• Programs should identify staff who will communicate with parents/guardians in the event of significant incidents. These staff should be properly trained in how to best communicate information to parents/guardians including details about their child and actions the program has taken to ensure safety of all participants.  Program leaders need to ensure the confidentiality of information about other minors in the program.  If program leaders are unsure of what information to share, they should engage their department leadership. 
• Program leaders also need to be prepared to handle difficult conversations with parents/guardians about disciplinary issues, inappropriate behavior, and removing minors from programs. Ensuring that all information is gathered first is critical; leaders should speak with staff directly involved in situations. 
• Parent/guardian engagement is a critical component of successful programs. Ensure your program staff are prepared to correctly interact with parents/guardians during all phases of programming.

While criminal history background investigations are a key component of staff hiring and are required by the Programs and Activities Serving Minors Policy, programs should also utilize other methods to ensure potential staff and volunteers are properly screened appropriate to the level of contact they are expected to have with minors. Effective screening options are provided below.

For Programs/Activities hiring staff:

• Closely review resume and cover letter for experience working with minors. Ensure the applicant has the necessary background experience for the position.
• During the interview, ask questions about reasons for applying for position, focusing on motivation for working with minors and understanding of the unique responsibilities of supervising minors.
• Contact references and ask about prior experience working with minors and their impression of the candidate’s approach to safely engaging with minors in their care.

For Programs/Activities working with non-hired staff (volunteers, university students):

• Use a screening system to evaluate volunteers or other non-hired staff for their understanding of the requirements of working with minors and their motivation to work with a minors program.

For all Program/Activity staff:

• Evaluate prior experience to understand level of training needed to ensure full understanding of minors protection role.
• Only permit fully qualified staff to work with minors; do not just fill a position, select the right individual to ensure your program is being managed safely.

To provide for a safe and healthy environment for all who participate in University programs and activities, at least two background checked and trained Program Staff should always be present with a minor. The Two-Adult Rule reduces the risk of opportunities for inappropriate behavior and/or unsubstantiated allegations, protecting both minors and Program Staff.

If Program Staff have an important reason to be alone with a minor, such as for music lessons or individual meetings, safeguards should be discussed in advance with the Program Director and Program Administrator. For example, approved “one-on-one interactions” should only take place in open, well-illuminated spaces or rooms observable by other adults.   Additional guidance on interacting with minors is available on the Program Staff Code of Conduct.

It is expected that University Programs where minors are present will adhere to the Two-Adult Rule. Occasionally, a program or activity may require a one-on-one interaction with a minor. If a one-on-one interaction is necessary, it should adhere to the following best practices:

• Obtain pre-approval from the Director of Regulatory Risk for Youth Programs in addition to explaining to the minor's parent or legal guardian in writing the nature of the program and the necessary one-on-one interaction. 
• Individual meetings with a minor are to be held in an open, public, or otherwise interruptible, observable, and well illuminated area. If that is not appropriate or possible, then the door to the room should be left open, or a window that allows for unobstructed observation should be present. Remaining visible to other people protects the minor as well as the Program Staff. 
• In a time-sensitive or emergency circumstance, it may be necessary for a Program Staff member to attend to a minor’s needs without adherence to the two-adult rule. When this occurs, the Program Staff member should report the emergency as soon as possible to the Program Administrator.

Following are a few examples of how the two-adult requirement applies (but should not be considered an exhaustive list):

1. Transportation to/from University Programs: 
   • When transporting minors on behalf of a University Program, more than one Program Staff member should be present in the vehicle. Transportation in personal vehicles is prohibited. 
2. Electronic communication involving minors:
   • Program Staff should not engage in or converse one-on-one with minors through electronic means, including but not limited to, email, text messages, social networking websites, or other forms of social media at any time unless the following conditions are met:
     1. There is a legitimate educational or programmatic purpose; 
     2. The content of the communications is consistent with the mission of the approved program and the University; 
     3. At least two Program Staff (or a parent/guardian) are included in the electronic communication; and 
     4. Only University or University-approved communication tools are utilized (official e-mail, preferably group account, for example).  This recognizes the continued and evolving reliance on emerging electronic technologies and the interaction between those and approved Programs.
3. Private spaces (e.g. Dorm, Bathroom, Locker Room) and/or private activities:
   • Private spaces (e.g. Dorm, Bathroom, Locker Room) and/or private activities: