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by Marge Scanlin, ACA Staff
Scare headlines and emotional media coverage almost always follow tragic
situations that involve children — fires, car accidents, drownings, abuse,
disabling injury, or death.
Soul-searching and a reaffirmation to vigilance usually follow tragic
situations that involve children as well. These are mature responses to
situations we hear about from our colleagues whether they involve children,
adults, guests on our site, or our staff and family members.
There has been considerable media coverage of several incidents over
the spring season, and, undoubtedly, more headlines will appear before
your camp year ends.
In responding to parents asking questions this spring, we at ACA have
found ourselves repeating the Partnership of Caring concept. This represents
an opportunity for parents and camp professionals to work as partners
in the development of our participants and staff.
The messages below appear on the parents’ page of the ACA Web site (www.ACAcamps.org/parents/).
We want you to know what we are saying to parents and what questions we
are telling them to ask you. In our years of talking with parents, these
are the issues they have expressed as concerns.
Why not draft answers to these questions and leave them posted by the
phone for those who answer parents’ questions? And why not talk with your
staff about what it means to partner with parents in the positive development
of their child?
A Parents’ Guide to Child Protection Issues
and Camp
Child Protection — A Parents’ Primary Concern!
More than one in ten teens aged twelve through seventeen used illicit
drugs in 1999, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Many youth
experiment with and use alcohol. Gun violence has jumped in our schools.
Newspapers highlight allegations of sexual abuse or experimentation. This
alarming news leaves parents wondering where their children will be safe.
No institution of society (churches, schools, youth programs, camps,
families) has an impenetrable safety net from the ills of society. However,
parents can take steps to assure themselves that all reasonable precautions
have been taken to provide an environment that make safety for children
the top priority.
Parents and camps can form a Partnership of Caring that will help camps
stay vigilant and will help parents feel comfortable that their children
are participating in programs whose sponsors keep child protection at
the forefront.
We urge every parent to ask the day or resident camp directors to whom
they entrust their children these questions.
1. Tell me how you screen staff.
The American Bar Association’s Center for Children and the Law recommends
that organizations rely on more than one means to identify child predators.
All youth organizations should institute a number of screening procedures
that evaluate the background of applicants and their acceptability to
work with youth.
Look for an immediate sensitivity from the director for your concern
for a safe atmosphere for your child. Directors should explain if they
use criminal background checks and why or why not. (Be aware that some
states do not give access to background checks for camp directors.) Ask
about screening procedures used for return staff.
Directors should explain WHAT ELSE they do — such as face-to-face interviews,
character references with non-relatives, work history checks.
2. Tell me what training your staff receives in
the prevention of child abuse.
Directors should quickly and easily explain their discipline policies,
policies about staff being alone with a single child, policies related
to training staff in the definition of and criminal penalties for abuse,
and camp policies concerning suspension or termination related to allegations
or proof of abuse. Directors should be able to quickly and confidently
tell you what the state law is concerning the reporting of abuse — who
is a mandated reporter and to whom would they report?
What training does staff receive in the recognizing and reporting abuse
or other situations that give rise to concern? How are they trained to
deal with such situations?
You may ask particularly about the supervision of “free time,” of overnight
activities, or of cabin/group dressing and changing times. Are multiple
staff present? Are children informed of persons to whom they can report
behavior that makes them uncomfortable?
3. Tell me what supervision your staff receives
in the performance of their duties.
Directors should explain the supervision procedures for staff. Do staff
supervisors rotate through cabins and activities unannounced? Are counselors’
on-the-job skills observed, and is in-service training provided as needed?
4. What methods do you use to make your staff sensitive
to the needs and concerns of children?
Look for directors who verbalize specific training for staff in understanding
children’s needs, training to immediately stop abusive, hazing, or damaging
behaviors and relationships among children. Seek directors who provide
training and supervision for staff to use language and activities that
do not belittle children or minorities, that develop an atmosphere of
caring.
Directors should identify training methods and guidelines that help staff
work effectively and appropriately with children.
5. What experience and background do the staff
have who supervise children?
At least 80 percent of staff should be a minimum age of eighteen. Those
younger should always be at least two years older than youth they supervise.
Ask if younger staff-in-training (sometimes called CIT’s or counselors-in-training)
are ever left in charge of campers by themselves. It is recommended there
always be an adult (at least eighteen) present and supervising.
6. Tell me about your policies on parent-camper
communication while in camp.
Under what circumstances will the camp director call you? Will you be
called if your child needs to stay in the camp health lodge overnight
or leave camp to see a doctor? If your child seems unhappy? If your child
is running a fever? Can you send and receive e-mails from your child?
Can you call and talk to your child during his/her time at camp? Know
that many camps understand the important developmental tasks of childhood
— the task of learning to live apart from one’s parents for a short time
when under good supervision. They may encourage no direct contact during
the session for that reason. There isn’t a single right answer. It is
important that you feel comfortable with the director’s responses and
assurances that you will be contacted if the situation appropriately requires
it.
7. Ask for references from the camp and call those
parents!
Ask other parents about the experiences of their children at the camp.
Find out if the children seemed comfortable in talking about their experiences
with staff and campers and if they are returning next summer. Ask if parents
were pleased with the communication they received from the camp. Ask what
communication was received. Ask these parents for the names of other parents
and children who may have attended the camp.
Camps and parents need to form a Partnership of Caring to help assure
the positive development of young people as they transition from childhood
to adulthood. Many developmental tasks are in this period, and camps provide
an excellent framework to accomplish this important work of childhood.
We urge PARENTS not to assume that just because a camp is sponsored by
an organization with which they are familiar or just because their child’s
friend went to this camp and had fun that everything will be fine. Ask
directors these questions and choose a director and camp whose answers
make sense to you . . . a director and camp who convince you that they
are partnering with you for the positive development of your child!
Camp experiences have been magical, productive, positive, and growing
experiences for millions of children. We want that to be true for your
child!
Originally published in the 2001 Spring issue
of The CampLine.
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