A resource for parents and caregivers considering camps, schools, sports or other programs for kids, with questions worth asking to assess adequate sexual abuse prevention measures.
Take action to ensure youth-serving organizations (YSOs), camps and other programs are safe for your children!
Recommended Actions
1. Independent Research:
- Keyword Search: Does the YSO have a history of abuse that’s publicly known and available?
Conduct internet searches of “[Insert Organization Name]” + “abuse,” and/or “[insert key leader name(s)]” + “abuse”
The use of quotes is important to ensure the most relevant results. - Institutional Background Check
Conduct a “background check” on the institution by using the relevant state websites to check for any active or former civil litigation. - Local Regulations
Conduct internet searches to understand the relevant regulations in the state where the provider operates – are background checks, licensures, or other items required for YSOs in that specific city, county, state or country? Who is considered a mandatory reporter in that jurisdiction? Keep in mind that 18 states in the U.S. do not require criminal background checks for summer camp counselors, and 10 U.S. states do not require day camps to be licensed.
2. Information and Responses from the YSO:
- Staff & Volunteer Recruitment
Ask the YSO about their process for recruiting, screening and interviewing staff. What is the typical age of counselors or other staff? Note that the younger the staff member, the less likely any misconduct is to show up on a standard criminal background check.
Good practices include:
✔ Criminal background check
✔ Thorough reference checks
✔ Alerting interviewees of their strong policies on the prevention of child sexual abuse during the interview and associated consequences
✔ Reviewing social media accounts and internet data as part of an enhanced background check and screening
✔ Renewing background checks regularly for returning or long-term staff members (including social media and internet data reviews) - Staff Training
Ask the YSO what the process is for training staff. What is the initial and ongoing training process? - Child / Participant Training
Ask the YSO what the process is to train children in their care about safety and inquire as to what happens if a child needs to report a policy violation. - Emergency Preparedness
Ask the YSO to provide their emergency action plan, and when they were last inspected. How are staff trained on the emergency action plan? Have they have had any prior emergency incidents; if yes, how were they handled? - Policies
Ask for a copy of the organization’s Code of Conduct and other child safeguarding documents. Seek to understand who oversees implementation of these policies and procedures and their level of expertise. Ask for examples of how the organization handles disclosures and misconduct reports (e.g. staff terminated over incidents, proper following of mandatory reporting protocol, etc). Do they invite any third-party accountability related to child protection?
Good policies include:
Staff, volunteers, and ANY adults on-site are prohibited from:
✔ Spending time alone with one child in situations that are not observable and interruptible by others
✔ Allowing children (especially older youth with younger youth) to spend unsupervised time together
✔ Showing preference for one child over another through giving gifts or other forms of favoritism and targeting
✔ Suggesting that children keep secrets from their parents or others
✔ Having any form of contact with the children they work with outside of pre-approved programming that is known to parents
✔ Touching children without first asking for consent, even if it is to adjust sports equipment, etc. (unless in response to immediate safety needs)
Staff, volunteers, and ANY adults on-site are required to:
✔ Directly and immediately report suspected child abuse, neglect or other risks to law enforcement and other relevant parties
✔ Immediately report any child protection policy violation to leadership and the assigned third-party accountability mechanism
✔ Clear reporting and whistleblowing policies
✔ A process for informing current and former attendees if the organization learns of child sexual abuse allegations against any former staff members (regardless of known abuse occurring at their institution). - Litigation
In addition to self-conducted research, ask if the provider has any past or current litigation and seek to understand the nature of the claims. If concerns arise, consult with a lawyer or subject matter expert to interpret the severity of any filed claims.
3. Equip Children:
- Understanding of Reporting/Disclosure Routes
Ensure children are aware of ways they can seek help or report an incident outside of the camp or youth-serving organization. Communicate with your children what your expectations are regarding when to call home. - Risk Awareness and Mitigation
Equip children with an understanding of risks at camps or similar programs where an outside provider is the child’s guardian ad litem. Ensure they can access parents or legal authorities and instruct them on the protocols and expectations of your family. Read all contracts carefully before signing.
Provision of Information
A policy is only as good as its implementation. Most YSOs with an emphasis on child safeguarding will be glad you’ve asked these questions, share their practices and policies freely, and have examples of a policy’s enactment and a situation where appropriate steps were taken to respond to an incident or report/allegation.
Protection of Institutions
Many popular companies contracted by YSOs in the U.S. offer services that focus on institutional protection and risk mitigation, not necessarily the children’s best interest. Reading a provider’s web site with a critical eye often exposes this delineation. Ensure that any YSO you’re paying to care for your child takes a child-centered approach to their safeguarding plans, rather than prioritizing institutional protection and brand reputation.
The recommendations above are suggestions to help you get started when considering YSOs. There are other avenues available to further vet YSOs. The recommendations above are not an exhaustive list of all options available, nor are they intended to provide legal advice or to discourage using other options to vet YSOs. Be diligent and use all options available to you to vet YSOs before stewarding your children to their care.
BeforeYouGoToCamp.com 