Appendix 10: Ensuring Safe Physical Environments and Safe Technology

Checklist for Safe Environment

Visibility

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Have you assessed your facility for visibility?
Keeping in mind programming needs, do you have a written plan for changes that can be made to maximize visibility and plans to maintain that visibility?
Do you have mirrors to improve visibility in areas that are out of the line of vision of staff as appropriate?
Do you have windows, as appropriate, in doors that may be closed when the room is in use?
Do you have a written policy in place for those rooms that cannot have a window installed that includes whether the door is to be left open and who is allowed to be in the room under what circumstances?
For programming that cannot be observed, does your policy require that it be interruptible?
Have you secured all unsafe, isolated, or concealed spaces?
Do you have signs that clearly mark areas that are off limits?
Does all space used by children/youth have adequate lighting?
Have you checked for blind spots and eliminated them to the extent possible?
Do you have written policies that address parental access?
Do you have written policies that address staff/child ratios?
Do you have written policies that address on-site toileting, showering, and personal grooming spaces including who can access them, when, and under what supervision?
Do you have written procedures aimed at managing spaces such as bathrooms when they are used by more than one child at once, paying special attention to spaces that are used by youth of different ages and developmental capacities?
Do you have a Safety Committee of staff and youth that periodically walk through facility and conduct safety surveys to note potential problem areas and needed maintenance?
Do you have a written procedure for checking the visibility of spaces to be used for off-site activities?
Do you inform everyone what spaces are off limits during off-site activities?
Do you have a procedure for assuring that both youth and adult supervisors know who is responsible for supervising who for off-site activities?
Are adult supervisors and participants readily identifiable during off-site activities through the use of tee shirts or caps etc.?
Do you have a written policy for staff/youth ratios for off-site activities that is appropriate to the situation?
Do you have written policies for off-site toileting, showering, and grooming activities if needed?
Do you have a written procedure for when hands on help is required for toileting, grooming, or changing clothes?
Overnight trips
Do you have written policies for who is allowed to room with each other?
Do you have written policies for who is allowed to access rooms occupied by youth and rooms occupied by adults?
Do you have written procedures for who will check on youth in their rooms, under what circumstances, and how frequently?
Are parents informed of sleeping arrangements before each trip?
If sleeping in a common area such as a gym, do you have a procedure for separating adults and youth, separating genders when appropriate, separating older youth from younger youth when appropriate?
If sleeping in a common area such as a gym, do you assigned adults in teams to watch over the youth?

Access

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Are your program boundaries clearly defined and marked with signage?
If possible, do you have a single point of entry?
Do you have a written policy for monitoring the entry and exit points?
Have you marked and locked areas that are off limits?
Do you have written procedures for admitting and releasing youth?
Do you have written policies and procedures that clearly define which people outside of your organization are allowed in and how to monitor that?
Do you have a list of who is authorized to pick up a child from the program and a written procedure for how to manage release to someone other than an identified parent or guardian?
Are all non-screened adults accompanied by a screened adult when on site?  Do you have a written policy and procedure that defines these steps?
Do you have a written policy and procedure for restricting vendors and other service or maintenance providers to the area in which their service is being provided and are children prohibited from those areas?
Are adult supervisors easily identifiable?
Do you have a written procedure on what to do if an unknown or unauthorized person gains entry to the site
Do you have a written procedure for identifying when responsibility for a child changes between parents and program staff?
Off-Site
Do you have a procedure for assuring that each child is assigned to an adult supervisor and each child and supervisor knows who is assigned.
Do you communicate the physical boundaries for activities?
Do all youth know how to immediately access a supervising adult?
Do adult supervisors carry cell phones or radios and can they easily communicate with each other?
Do you have written procedures for what to do if an unknown or unscreened adult tries to interact with the youth?

Supervision

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Do you have written policies and procedures for supervision of youth that are reviewed with all staff, volunteers, and youth when appropriate?
Do you have written policies for supervising adult/youth ratios?
Are adult supervisors easily identifiable?
Are older youth who are given responsibility for supervision of a younger child working in tandem with a screened adult over the age of 18?
Do you have written procedures to assure adult supervisors know where their assigned youth are at all times during off-site activities?
Have you trained youth on what to do if people outside of the organization approach them during an off-site activity?

Transportation

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Do you have written parental consent to transport youth?
Do you have written policies and procedures that govern who can transport youth and under what circumstances?
Do you have written policies that limits the potential for an adult to be alone with youth in a vehicle or separates the adult and the youth by having the youth sit in the back?
Do you have a policy against transporting children in vehicles with tinted windows or panels that eliminate visibility?
Do your policies and procedures for transporting youth comply with state and local regulations that apply?
Do you have a procedure for check in and check out that provides information regarding where drivers are expected to be at any given time?
Do you maintain a transportation log which notes all youth and adults present in a vehicle at any given time?

Technology

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Do you have policies and procedures that clearly define allowable and prohibited means of electronic communication including phone calls, text messages, email, and use of social media?
Does more than one adult have access to email, texting, and social media accounts that are used for communication between adults and youth?
Do you have monitoring software that limits access to inappropriate websites for computers and tablets that are used by youth?
Do you have written policies that prohibit adults from joining social media pages belonging to youth in the program and prohibits adults from inviting program youth to join their page?
Do you obtain written permission from parents for any electronic communication with youth, specifying which accounts will be used?
Do you have written policies governing the use of personal devices to communicate electronically with youth?
Are technological devices prohibited from bathrooms and spaces used for personal grooming?

Communication

	In Place	In Process	Not Yet Started	Not Needed
Do you send regular reminders of the responsibilities associated with maintaining safe physical and virtual environments (i.e. newsletters, posters, bulletins)?
Does the organization’s leadership send periodic statements concerning ongoing commitment to the safe environment policies?
Are the safe environment policies and procedures widely distributed?
Are there checklists or other tools about what is necessary to have in place or to have accomplished to be considered in compliance?
Do you communicate your Safe Environment practices to parents?
Do you communicate your Safe Environment practices to youth participants?
Do you have ongoing training in safety policies and procedures?
Are the results of “safety audits” widely distributed?
Is there a mechanism in place for awards, certificates or recognition of efforts to ensure the safety of children/youth in the organization’s care?

Sample Electronic Communication Policy

A major component of the abuse prevention code of conduct used by many youth serving organizations is that no communication is allowed outside of program activities. Current technology has made monitoring and enforcement of that standard extremely challenging, yet it must be done to protect both staff and the children/youth in their programs. Well-defined screening and hiring protocols combined with detailed staff training and thorough parental education and feedback practices will work together to meet the goal of protecting children and youth.

Implementing an Electronic Communication Policy is an important means of keeping children safe. Designed to guide and protect both staff and the children and youth  serve, it should be shared with parents and participants so that all expectations and controls are fully understood.

Your policy should include at least the following:

• Phone Calls / Text Messages – Staff members are prohibited from initiating or receiving personal phone calls or text messages with youth who are in or whom they have met through (Name of YSO) programming. A call or text is considered personal if it does not involve both a (Name of YSO) device and (Name of YSO)-specific subject matter. Staff members are required to report incoming calls or texts to their supervisor immediately.
• Email / Instant Messaging – Staff may not share any personal email address or instant message name or nickname with youth. Staff may neither initiate nor respond to email or instant message communication from youth while using any personal (i.e., non-(Name of YSO)) account or connection to the internet).
• Social networking websites – Any communication with youth using this medium (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) must use (Name of YSO) sponsored or approved sites – no personal blog or social networking website may be used. Also,
• Any staff profile or blog must be private and inaccessible to youth; the site should not have pictures of, or make references to specific youth.
  • Staff with profiles on social networking sites may neither request to be friends with nor accept as a friend a youth as described in the policy.
• Appropriate protocols – All communication with youth must be from (Name of YSO) accounts and devices. Communication from youth must be forwarded to supervisory staff and the youth’s parents or guardians must be notified. All other communication with youth must be documented immediately with the staff member’s supervisor.

Programming with older youth who volunteer or are paid to assist adult staff in (Name of YSO) activities will often require communicating with them electronically. Youth staff are required to use only (Name of YSO) devices and accounts for such communication and contact records will be regularly monitored to identify excessive communication with any particular participant. If this type of behavior is identified, (Name of YSO) staff will determine the appropriateness of the contact. Such communication may have been appropriate, but excessive contact with a particular child is a pattern common to abusers that must be investigated.

How is Your Facility Designed to Keep Children Safe? ¹

Child development and school-age programs operate in many different types of facilities. Your program might operate within a dedicated Child Development Center (CDC), in a renovated elementary school, a community center, or a variety of other settings. Regardless of floor plan or design elements, all programs share several key characteristics that protect children from harm. These features promote visibility and enable active supervision of children at all times (depending on the age and design of your facility, it may not have all of these features):

In CDCs:

• There are windows in the doors to all rooms and areas used to care for children (except for adult and school-age toilet rooms), allowing activities in the room to be viewed from outside the room.
• There are vision panels between activity rooms and hallways to provide visual access.
• Doors on toilet stalls are removed, except for toilets used by children over age 5 and adults; or there are half walls that allow line of sight supervision for children under age 5.
• Walls around toilet stalls are reduced to half the normal height, if possible, to permit better viewing of toilet areas.
• Storage areas are designed so the hardware on the doors is operable from both sides. Doors on closets can be opened from the inside without a key. This prevents a child from being locked in a closet or storage area. In some Services, vision panels are required in the doors for all storage areas.
• There are no draperies or blinds that obstruct the view into areas in which children receive care or areas where someone might take a child. Art work is not hung on windows.
• There are sinks for handwashing in activity rooms rather than in toilet areas so children can be observed more easily.
• Diapering areas are separated from activity rooms by either half walls or walls with glass. Ideally, buildings are constructed with no walls between diapering areas and activity rooms to increase visibility of caregivers and children during diapering.
• Crib or sleeping areas are located in activity rooms. If the design of the building prevents this arrangement, crib or sleeping areas are separated from activity rooms by half walls or walls with glass.
• Concave mirrors are installed where needed to improve visibility.
• Rooms used for evening care are located near the front door so staff and parents have easy access.
• Outdoor play areas are constructed so all parts can be viewed from inside the center and from outside the playground fencing. There are windows in the walls between activity rooms and outdoor play areas to permit viewing of both areas.
• Doors to storage areas are visible from the main building so they can be visually monitored by adults other than those on the playground.
• Play structures such as lofts and play houses are built so that children can be viewed while at play in the structure.
• Closed circuit television systems are installed and allow staff members, managers, T&Cs, and families to monitor program activities.

In School-Age programs:

• All program areas (rooms, hallways, parking lots, and outdoors spaces) are well-lit and visibility is good enough that staff members can supervise all spaces easily.
• Storage areas are designed so the hardware on the doors is operable from both sides. Doors on closets can be opened from the inside without a key. This prevents a child from being locked in a closet or storage area. In some Services, vision panels are required in the doors for all storage areas. This prevents children from entering unsafe spaces with each other or an adult who means harm.
• Closed circuit television systems are installed and allow staff members, managers, T&Cs, and families to monitor program activities.
• There are no draperies or blinds that obstruct the view into areas in which children receive care or areas where someone might take a child.
• Concave mirrors are installed where needed to improve visibility around corners or into difficult-to-see spaces.
• Doors to outdoor storage areas are visible from the main building so they can be visually monitored by adults other than those on the playground.

There are additional design elements that help ensure children are safe. According to Koralek’s guide to preventing child abuse and neglect in center settings (1993), these include:

• The reception desk is located so that the entrance can be viewed by reception desk staff.
• Large centers have alarms on all exit doors that do not open onto a play area.
• Centers have alarms on all exit doors, other than the main entrance and the kitchen exterior entrance, that do not open to a fenced area.

A system at the main entrance, such as a buzzer system, restricts entry to the building at night when only a few caregiving employees are on duty.

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¹ Virtual Lab School: (https://www.virtuallabschool.org/tcs/child-abuse-prevention/lesson-5)