Protection of Minors on Campus

As online interaction increases between personnel and youth due to the implementation of online learning tools, it is important that the correct policies and procedures are in place. Please follow the guidelines in the following documents:

• Send and reply to text messages with youth in group messages, preferably with a supervisor or another staff member copied in.
• At minimum, ensure a supervisor and the youth's parent/caregiver are consistently aware that text messages are being exchanged between youth and the adult staff member.
• To the extent possible, utilize corporate or agency-issued mobile phones OR utilize services like Google Voice that allow for connection through cell phones without necessarily giving away one's personal cell phone number.
• Communicate with youth through designated or authorized organizational "group pages" or "group profiles"' on social media platforms (Facebook, What's App, etc.).
• Ensure that staff designate their personal social media profiles to "private" so youth cannot befriend or access staff's personal information.
• When using video conferencing apps, ensure both staff and youth are aware of their background surroundings and personal appearance or attire in order to maintain professionalism and personal privacy.
• Use electronic communication strategically to communicate with youth by keeping conversations focused on curriculum or projects, goal attainment, and safety tips, rather than personal details of one's life.
• When providing general encouragement or support to youth at this challenging time, keep in mind the necessity to maintain consistent and professional boundaries to protect oneself from false allegations.
• Ensure any conversation that may be misinterpreted as inappropriate is immediately brought to a supervisor's attention.
  Also, remember:
• Do not engage in any derogatory, demeaning, or humiliating conversations with youth.
• Do not engage with youth in sexually oriented conversations, memes or posts.
• Do not post inappropriate or suggestive comments on pictures/videos on youths' profiles.

Below are the required supervision ratios for minors which have been provided by the American Camp Association.

• 4-5 years 1:5 for overnight, and 1:6 for day
• 6–8 years 1:6 for overnight, and 1:8 for day
• 9–14 years 1:8 for overnight and 1:10 for day
• 15–18 years 1:10 for overnight and 1:12 for day

• Collect a signed parental consent form with language for parents/guardians to consent to online interactions (and recording if applicable).
• Collect participant registration information including name, email (if available), phone number, physical address, age/grade, gender.
• Collect emergency contact information for the parent(s) legal guardian(s) including phone number and email address.
• Inform parents/guardians of their responsibility to monitor the minor participant throughout the duration of the program if it is offered in real-time.
• Inform parents and obtain their consent if live interactive sessions will be recorded.
• Inform parents/guardians on how to report technical problems, raise concerns about staff or the program, report discrimination/harassment, and request disability accommodations.
• Clearly outline the days/hours of the Program, outline exactly what the Program entails and state that there is to be no contact between staff and minors outside of the established Program.
• Provide rules or a code of conduct for online interactions to the participants and have the parents/guardians sign it along with the participant.
• Include a disclaimer or content advisory if there is risk of physical injury or emotional distress, if you are providing content via video that can be viewed at will.
• Use a Program Expectations and Parental Permission form that can be modified to meet the needs of your program or activity.
• Follow the Guidelines for interacting with minors online.
• Have two or more Program staff present in online interactions with minors. Or send the virtual meeting link to the participant’s parent/legal guardian so they have the option to participate.
• For live programs with minors, conduct a check-in at the beginning of the program with cameras on to confirm the identity of the participant.
• Define which platforms will be used for communication, content delivery and storage and limit all communication to official Program platforms.
• Avoid using personal email addresses and personal social media platforms. Only properly branded program/unit specific platforms should be used.
• Avoid texting directly with minors, use a group platform and involve another adult staff member.
• Take steps to eliminate the presence of unregistered attendees and risk of "zoombombing" by having the leader admit each participant individually.
• Check attendees against registration lists.
• Follow the Personal Boundaries for Working with Minors in UNCW Programs.
• Remember there is to be no staff-to-youth contact outside the Program.
• Determine how participants will be allowed to communicate with each other. Monitor posts or submissions to ensure appropriate content.
• There is to be zero tolerance for bullying or harassment.
• Consider sending a short survey to the parents after real time interactions to gather any concerns, questions or feedback.
• Consider disability accommodations in the online environment. Can minors with sensory impairments participate?
• Avoid recording sessions with minors. There are legal risks, and children who would miss in-person activities would not typically have a recording of the event. Participant privacy must be protected and FERPA and/or other privacy laws may apply. There may also be a need for intellectual property protections. It is best to avoid recording interactions with minors.
• If you decide to record, the content should be “locked down,” password protected, and only available for a specified amount of time to those associated with the program, an exception would be content that is used for promotional purposes to be shared through Program websites and communication channels in the same manner as in-person interactions.
• Avoid recording personally identifiable information (PII) of minors such as names with photos, or chat transcripts.
• Consider if the participants need access to recorded material or if only the program leaders need access.
• The person recording must announce that the recording is starting before recording so that all are aware.

• Prohibit "friending" youth on social media. Any private electronic communication between staff and youth, including the use of social networking websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, direct messaging, texting, etc. is prohibited.
• Make all communication between staff and youth transparent.
• Maintain boundaries: keep discussions to curriculum or activity; no discussion of personal issues, sexual conversations, pornography or references to drugs or alcohol.
• Provide examples of appropriate electronic communications. For example: only respond to emails/text/messages when copying a supervisor or parent/guardian, only utilize work-issued email addresses or phone numbers.
• Provide examples of inappropriate electronic communications, such as “friending or following” youth on social networking sites, engaging in sexual conversations or sharing of intimate personal information.
• Stress importance of professional appearance and setting.
• Provide clear expectations of when staff can use their personal cell phones (emergencies, field trips, when approved by a supervisor).
• List of information or items that can or cannot be stored on staff’s personal devices such as photos of youth participants.
• Provide staff with a Program Expectations form that meets the needs of your program or activity.

• How will Program staff be supervised?
• Will leadership "sit in" on programs, perhaps at random, unannounced times?
• Will there be staff meetings to reinforce staff training or hold discussions with individual staff?

• Maintain appropriate physical boundaries at all times. 
• Immediately report any reasonable suspicion or knowledge of abuse of a minor to the UNCW Police by calling 911 or 910-962-2222, and the Department of Social Services 910-798-3400.
• Do not touch or speak to a minor in a sexual or other inappropriate manner.
• Avoid one‐on‐one interaction with minors, but if unavoidable it will take place in an open, well  lighted space with windows observable by other program staff. 
• Do not meet with minors outside of established program locations or outside of established times. Do not invite minors to your home or other private location or accept their invitations for the same.
• Do not make sexual comments, tell sexual jokes,or allow minors to access sexually explicit materials.
• Do not engage in private communications with minors including communications via text messaging, e‐mail, phone, internet chat, on‐line games, or other forms of social media unless there is an educational purpose and the content of the communication is consistent with the mission of the program. Should communication be necessary, include a third program staff member.
• Do not engage or allow minors to engage in romantic or sexual conversations.
• Do not accept or give gifts to minors without the knowledge of their parents or guardians.
• Do not inflict any physical or emotional abuse on minors to include, but not limited to, striking, humiliating, ridiculing, or degrading minors.
• Do not use, possess, or be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at any time while working with minors.
• Do not provide or knowingly allow minors to possess or consume alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
• Do not use profanity, vulgarity, or harassing language in the presence of minors at any time.
• Do not provide transportation to minors unless doing so is an acknowledged component of the program. When transporting minors, more than one volunteer or program staff must be present in the vehicle, except when multiple children/teens will be in the vehicle at all times during the ride.  

Overnight programs present unique challenges that require careful management. Please adhere to the following safety precautions.

Additional Supervision:

• Supervision Ratio: Refer to the Supervision Ratio section of the Protection of Minors Training Video for acceptable staff-to-participant ratios based on age groups.
• Room Entry:
  • Staff should not enter participant rooms alone.
  • If it is necessary to check on a participant, two staff members should be present.
  • In emergencies, if another staff member is unavailable, the door(s) must remain open.

Housing Considerations: 

• Curfew:
  • Establish and Communicate: Set a curfew and inform parents/guardians and participants.
  • Curfew Times: Define specific curfew times.
  • Enforcement: Identify who enforces the curfew and the policy for enforcement.
• Participant Separation:
  • Biological Sex: Ensure participants are separated by biological sex.
  • Separation Plan: Develop a plan to maintain separation.
  • Non-Binary Individuals: Create a plan for non-binary individuals.
• Access Control:
  • Door Access: Determine who has access to which doors if staying on campus.
  • Room Access:Participants should have access only to their assigned rooms.
  • Staff should have access to exterior doors.
  • Exterior Doors:Keep exterior doors closed and locked at all times.
  • Do not prop them open or allow unknown individuals into the residence hall.
  • Key Management: Participants must manage their keys responsibly.
• Safety Provisions:
  • Facility-Specific Safety: Inform participants of safety provisions specific to their housing facility (refer to Conference Services Contract).
  • Prohibited Items:No alcohol, controlled substances, or illegal drugs.
  • No firearms, weapons, fireworks, or explosives.
  • Windows: Ensure windows remain closed and locked.
• Alternative Housing Facilities:
  • Individual Beds: Confirm each participant has their own bed.
  • Room Occupancy: Specify the number of participants per room.
  • Other Groups: Identify other groups/camps/programs housed in the same facilities.
  • Public Restriction: Plan how to restrict the housing area to the public.
  • Access Control: Determine who has access to the housing area.
• Emergency Procedures:
  • Exit Locations: Instruct participants on emergency exit locations, policies, and common meeting areas.
  • Emergency Contacts: Ensure participants know who to contact in case of an emergency.
  • Conduct Rules: Inform participants of rules and expectations regarding conduct (e.g., horseplay, pranks) while staying overnight.
  • Emergency Contacts: Establish who staff and participants should contact in case of an emergency.
• Missing Participant Protocol:
  
  • Policy for Absence: Develop a policy for managing situations where a participant is absent and unaccounted for.
  • Area Sweep: Conduct a sweep of the area.
  • Contact Attempts: Try to contact the missing participant.Parent/Guardian Notification: Inform the parents/guardian.
  • Police Notification: Notify the police if necessary.

Purpose: The Bathroom Supervision Guidelines ensures the safety and privacy of children involved in Summer Camp and youth programs. It is designed to protect children from peer-on-peer abuse and to protect staff from accusations of abuse.

1. Regular bathroom trips should be made to reduce the need for ‘emergency’ trips. At no time may a child or group of children go to the bathroom without supervision.
2. When supervising bathroom runs or assisting children in the bathroom, no time during a program may a staff person be alone with a single child where they cannot be observed by others.
3. When using the bathrooms that are available to the public, a staff member must visually confirm that the bathroom is empty before allowing a child to enter. At no time shall a staff member or any other member of the public be in the bathroom alone with a single child. The staff member should remain outside the bathroom until the child is finished and prevent anyone else from entering the bathroom.
4. In a situation where there are two or more children, a staff member of the same sex shall go into the bathroom or remain in the doorway with the children. If the staff member enters with the children, all children/staff will exit the bathroom at the same time.
5. Supervision ratios in youth programs or summer camps must be maintained at all times.
6. During changing time for swimming, the locker rooms staff will enter locker rooms with their campers (male staff with male campers and female staff with female campers). Staff should stand at both exit ways to the locker room to ensure no campers leave the changing area without permission. Once all campers are finished changing the staff member will walk to the pool through the shower area and await instruction from the lifeguards.