Guidance for Youth Programs

1. Comply with all applicable University policies
2. Abide by Equal Access and Anti-Discrimination laws and policies
3. Establish behavioral expectations for program staff and participants Adopt policies and program rules which promote youth safety including all required policies described in the Handbook section below
4. Train all Program Staff including volunteers
5. Utilize additional screening measures where appropriate based on the level of access Program Staff will have to children
6. Observe the recommended staffing ratios below paying special attention to overnight staffing
7. Prohibit use and influence of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, and weapons in accordance with University policy
8. Report all major incidents, policy violations, and emergencies to the appropriate campus authority

A – Avoid Alone Time

Alone time refers to situations where a single adult is alone with a single child either in person or electronically. You can eliminate alone time by adopting the Rule of Three, which requires there to be at least two children with every adult or at least two adults with every child at any given time. 

In order to operate, child predators require access, privacy, and control. By eliminating private interactions between youth and adults, you remove one leg of that triangle. There are usually specific red flags displayed when an adult is trying to gain access, privacy, and control. For more information on the Red Flags, see this document from Praesidium.

Examples of rules which eliminate private interactions include: 

• Copying a child’s parent or the Program Director on any electronic communication between a child (including Program Staff under the age of 18) and Program Staff; 
• Prohibiting closed door meetings between Program Staff and minors unless medically necessary; and
• Requiring Program Staff to conduct tutoring or mentoring sessions in public spaces and view of other participants or program staff

B – Beware of Bullying

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Middle school-aged children are particularly at risk of these behaviors.

According to Praesidium, statistics show that:

• 1 in 4 youths are bullied and over 70 percent report bullying as an ongoing problem
• Every seven minutes a child is bullied at school
• 160,000 children miss school each day for fear of being bullied
• 49 states now have laws addressing bullying

Studies have shown that when not interrupted, bullying can lead to sexual abuse—bullying language becomes sexually explicit and physical aggression becomes sexual assault. Simply ignoring bullying won’t make it go away, and youth-serving programs know bullying can expose their organization to civil and criminal liability. 

When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe. Review the Bullying Awareness section for more information.

C – Careful with Contact

Issues surrounding physical contact, particularly in sports, can be controversial and complex. Some activities require physical contact between adults and children for skill development; others do not.

If physical contact is to occur, it should always be within clear guidelines to reduce the risk of inappropriate touching and to ensure people working with children e.g., coaches, officials etc. are not placed in situations where they could be accused of abuse.

Physical contact is appropriate if it: 

• is used to assist in skill development; 
• is required for the child’s safety;
• occurs with the player’s understanding and permission; and
• is for the child’s benefit, not adult gratification.

Physical contact is inappropriate if it:

• includes touching the groin, genital area, buttocks, breasts or any part of the body that may cause distress or embarrassment;
• frightens, distresses or embarrasses a child;
• destroys their trust;
• occurs against the child’s wishes; or
• occurs in a private space.

D – Ditch Inappropriate Discipline

Discipline is the system of teaching a child what is and is not appropriate behavior.  It can mean praising good behavior or correcting bad behavior. Either way, the goal is to guide the child in the right direction. There are many ways to discipline children. Age-appropriate discipline can be effective, especially if caregivers have learned tools for positive discipline and are consistent with children. (Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance)

Sometimes the line between discipline and abuse is clear – for example, sexual contact between an adult and a child is never appropriate and is always child abuse. Other times it is not so clear. Whether an action is appropriate discipline or child abuse often depends on the severity, duration, and age-appropriateness of the behavior, as well as the impact it has on the child.

When engaging in discipline or behavioral management:

• Do not touch minors in a manner that a reasonable person could interpret as inappropriate.
• Do not engage in any abusive conduct of any kind toward, or in the presence of, a minor, including but not limited to:
  • verbal abuse such as humiliating, threatening, or degrading language;
  • physical abuse such as striking, hitting, punching, poking, spanking, or restraining except for the safety of the child;
  • mental abuse such as shaming, withholding, or cruelty;
  • neglect such as withholding food, shelter, or medical attention.

All incidents of discipline must be documented and disclosed to the program director and the minor’s parent or guardian.

E – Eliminate Extracurricular Engagement

Meeting outside the program’s designated meeting times and locations can blur the lines and set the stage for opportunistic predators. 

• To meet with a minor outside of established times for program activities, get written parental authorization. This meeting must include more than one adult from the program.
• Do not engage or communicate with minors through email, text messages, social networking websites, internet chat rooms, or other forms of social media at any time, except and unless there is an educational or programmatic purpose and the content of the communication is consistent with the mission of the program and the University. A parent/guardian or another adult program staff member must be included on all electronic communication.
• Avoid using personal vehicles to transport program participants who are minors, if possible.

The information and table below provides the staff supervision ratios as recommended by the American Camp Association.

Recommended Staff Supervision Ratios

Participant Age	Number of Staff	Day-Only Participants	Overnight Participants*
<= 5 years	1	6	5
6-8 years	1	8	6
9-14 years	1	10	8
15-18 years	1	12	10

At least 80 percent of the program staff should be 18 years of age or older. If the program is primarily for minors with special needs, 100 percent of the staff should be adults.

All of the program staff should be at least 16 years of age and at least two years older than the minors with whom they will be working.

At least one staff member representative of the genders of the participants must be on duty at all times.

When considering the above ratios, program staff should not include individuals whose primary responsibility is administrative, food service or maintenance.

*Overnight programs must have staff members awake and actively on duty making rounds throughout the night.

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

There Are Three Types of Bullying

• Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things.
  Verbal bullying includes:
  • Teasing
  • Name-calling
  • Inappropriate sexual comments
  • Taunting
  • Threatening to cause harm
• Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships.
  Social bullying includes:
  • Leaving someone out on purpose
  • Telling other children not to be friends with someone
  • Spreading rumors about someone
  • Embarrassing someone in public
• Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions.
  Physical bullying includes:
  • Hitting/kicking/pinching
  • Spitting
  • Tripping/pushing
  • Taking or breaking someone’s things
  • Making mean or rude hand gestures

Stop Bullying on the Spot

When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time. There are simple steps adults can take to stop bullying on the spot and keep kids safe.

Do:

• Intervene immediately. It is ok to get another adult to help.
• Separate the kids involved.
• Make sure everyone is safe.
• Meet any immediate medical or mental health needs.
• Stay calm. Reassure the kids involved, including bystanders.
• Model respectful behavior when you intervene.

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Don’t ignore it. Don’t think kids can work it out without adult help.
• Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts.
• Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw.
• Don’t question the children involved in front of other kids.
• Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only separately.
• Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot.

Get help immediately if:

• A weapon is involved.
• There are threats of serious physical injury.
• There are threats of hate-motivated violence, such as racism or homophobia.
• There is serious bodily harm.
• There is sexual abuse.
• Anyone is accused of an illegal act, such as robbery or extortion — using force to get money, property, or services.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.

Kids who are being cyberbullied are often bullied in person as well. Additionally, kids who are cyberbullied have a harder time getting away from the behavior.

Establish rules about appropriate use of computers, cell phones, and other technology.

Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone. It can happen any time of the day or night.

Cyberbullying messages and images can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. It can be difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the source.

Deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts, and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent.

Anyone age 18 or older is required by Indiana law to report any suspected or witnessed abuse or neglect of a minor. 

Suspected or witnessed abuse or neglect of a minor must be reported even if the alleged perpetrator is also a minor. 

Reports must be made to the local police and/or child protective services and may be made anonymously. Call 911 in an emergency.

Local Numbers

Department	Number
Purdue University Police	765-494-8221
Lafayette Police	765-807-1200
West Lafayette Police	765-775-5200
Child Protective Services	800-800-5556

Suspected or witnessed child abuse that occurs in conjunction with a Purdue University program or activity should also be reported to the program or activity director. Anonymous reports can be made to the University’s Whistleblower Hotline website or by calling 866-818-2620. The person making the report must also report the information to the police or child protective services in order to fulfill their obligation under Indiana law.

Program Directors are required to complete an incident report within the Purdue Protection of Minors Portal. The incident report will need the following information: names and ages of all parties involved, incident details, who they reported the incident to (Law Enforcement/CPS), and the case number. Program Directors do not need to notify youthprotection@purdue.edu if they complete the incident report immediately following one of the above incidents.

A Third-Party Sponsor (located within the State of Indiana) may provide its own training to Program Staff so long as it covers, at minimum, information on youth safety and the mandatory reporting requirements in Indiana. Complete training will include the following information.

Child Abuse and Neglect Generally

Definition of child abuse and neglect

Behavioral and physical signs of:

• physical abuse,
• sexual abuse,
• emotional abuse, and
• neglect

What to do if a child discloses abuse or neglect

Peer-to-Peer Abuse: Signs of Bullying

Indiana’s Mandatory Reporter Law

Who must report

Timeline for reporting

Reporting to University or Supervisor DOES NOT relieve duty to report

CPS Hotline – How to report

Program and University Policy Overview

Staff behavioral expectations

Prohibited conduct:

• One-to-one or private interactions
• Electronic communication
• Program Staff accompanying children into the restroom

Appropriate behavioral intervention

Anti-Harassment policy

Alcohol, tobacco, and drug policy

Safety

Emergency response

Incident reporting protocol

Missing participants

For additional support related to this information, please contact the Youth Safety Compliance Specialist at youthprotection@purdue.edu.

Remembering the 5 Cs of Discipline

While you may bemoan the “disciplinarian” part of your role at camp this summer, it comes with the turf. And it’s important as you — in many ways — take over for the children’s parents.

In summary, there are essentially five steps you and your co-counselors must take to have an effective disciplinary system in place.

1. Clarify what rules will be put in place — and why they are there.
   • Rules are important. They provide structure and continuity that help children feel safe in your environment.
   • The rules you and your co-counselors decide on should be limited in number, constantly reviewed for relevance, and clearly explained to the children. Enforcement of those rules needs to be uniform and consistent. When rules are randomly enforced, people don’t take them seriously.
2. Communicate the rules to your campers.
   • Kids want to know where the boundaries are and, in general, want to earn our approval and trust. It is our duty to make sure that they understand what our expectations for them are.
3. Apply the rules consistently.
   • Rules applied inconsistently confuse campers and invite problems. It is critical that every counselor “buy in” and agree to a common approach to discipline. If a 10:00 p.m. curfew for one counselor means 10:00 p.m., but another applies a margin of error, say 10:05 p.m., problems — and conflict — will result.
4. Enforce consequences when the rules are broken.
   • It’s a pretty simple conclusion that if campers believe the stated consequences won’t be applied, it makes it more likely they will engage in misbehavior.
   • Finally, when (and if) it comes to punishment, it is important that the punishment, if possible, should be linked to some constructive action the camper can take to make up for the infraction and to restore trust with the counselors.
5. Stress that character does count.

It is critical that you and your co-counselors address discipline within the context of the values upon which your camp operates and the responsibility each member of your community has to one another. Lying erodes trust, and trust is a fundamental building block in all human relationships. Children and teens need help to connect the dots between values, honesty, integrity, and relationships. And, they need to hear loud and clear that character does count.

(The 5 Cs of Discipline were excerpted from Confessions of a Disciplinarian: How Managing Camper Behavior Can Save the Summer by Steven Gray Wallace)

Appropriate Discipline Principles

Remember to follow any behavior management guidelines specific to your program or your director’s preferences, and keep the following in mind:

• Give the participant one warning; make it clear that the behavior or action was inappropriate and undesirable.
• Give the participant a chance to explain; he or she may have a good reason for the behavior.
• Be consistent and impartial.
• Stay cool and calm; keep strong emotions in check.
• Avoid lecturing or embarrassing the participant; discipline in private if possible (but remember the rule of three).
• Stress that the participant’s behavior is the problem, not the participant’s personality. Help the participant identify acceptable alternatives to the problem behavior.
• Once the disciplinary time is over, accept the participant as a part of the group again.
• Follow the program’s behavior management policies for continuing discipline problems.

Inappropriate Discipline Techniques

• Physical force including hitting, striking, punching, pushing, kicking,  pinching, or restraining.
• Verbal abuse such as name-calling, cursing/profanity, shaming, belittling, harsh language that may frighten, threaten or humiliate, or derogatory remarks about the participant or his/her family.
• Neglectful behavior such as withholding food, shelter, medical care, or attention.

Required Policies

Participant Check-in and Check-out

• Policy must establish check out procedures that prevent kidnapping.
• Policy may take maturity level of participants into consideration.

Incident Reporting

• Policy should establish how the program will keep track of all incidents internally. 
• Policy must also include notice to the Youth Protection Compliance Specialist and the child’s parent or guardian in the event of an incident involving serious bodily or psychological harm. 

Emergency Response Plan 

• Policy must include notification to the Youth Protection Compliance Specialist and, where appropriate, PUPD.

One-on-one interactions

• Policy must prohibit one-on-one contact altogether.  If a program receives written approval from VPEC for one-on-one interactions, the specific safety measures being put into place must be clearly outlined.
• Policy should include electronic contact as well. 

Prohibited items 

• Policy must prohibit dangerous weapons, tobacco products, vapor products, alcohol, and illegal drugs in accordance with University policy.

Non-Discrimination

• Policy must prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran.
• Program must provide accessibility accommodations. Note: Accommodations for children with disabilities can be costly and are not optional. Programs should be prepared to absorb those costs as needed. 

Recommended Policies

While specific policies on these topics are not required in accordance with University policy, Programs may wish to consider adopting policies related to the following subjects:

• Behavior Management (including protocols for program dismissal for staff and participants)
• Bullying, Threats, and Violence
• Curfew (for residential programs)
• Dress code
• Electronic Devices (Presence and Use)
• Fighting
• Medication (Use and Disbursement)
• Obscenities
• Social Media Use
• Unsupervised Time or Free Time (especially for residential programs)
• Visitors 

Questions to Consider

How will parents communicate with participants while the program is in progress?

What will you do if staff or participants violate the program or University policy?

What age and maturity level are your participants?

Are any of your employees or volunteers under the age of 18 (especially if you are using incoming students as Program Staff)? If so, have you considered policies to protect them?

What will you do if a child becomes ill during camp?

Does your program involve swimming, water sports, high ropes, or other high-risk activities?

Will participants need any money with them during the program?

Will the program provide participants with any/all meals during?

How will you handle participants wanting to bring their own food?

Under what circumstances will parents be contacted during the program?

How will you handle late pick ups and absences?

Will participants have downtime at any point?

The following waivers and consent forms may be required if the primary sponsor of the Youth Program is a unit or division of Purdue University, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest, and/or Purdue Indianapolis.

Supporting Document: Statement on Minors in Research Laboratories  

RM28 – Medical Treatment Authorization Form

RM29 – General Waiver, Release, and Hold Harmless Form

RM60 – Photo/Video Release Form

Travel Waiver for Minors (traveling alone to and from a Youth Program)

Guidance Document and Approval Form: Minors in Research Laboratories or Animal Facilities