Camp professionals are entrusted with the care of other people's children, which makes policies for the protection of minors and mandated reporting essential components of a camp safety plan. A robust policy focuses on clear boundaries, vigilant supervision, and proactive safeguards. The following principles guide such policies:
1. Rule of Three
The Rule of Three ensures that a staff member is never alone with a camper, which is a foundational principle for preventing misconduct and maintaining accountability. This policy minimizes opportunities for inappropriate interactions and protects both campers and staff from potential false allegations.
Outside of an emergency situation, there should never be a time when a staff member is alone with a camper. Thus, if a staff member must discuss a disciplinary issue or other sensitive information with a camper, the discussion should take place in a private setting with at least two staff members present, or in a public area within hearing and/or vision range of others but far enough away that the conversation remains private.
2. Housing Policies
To maintain boundaries and safety, staff should never invite a camper into their housing under any circumstances. Policies should also prohibit staff from entering campers’ housing unless they're doing so for a work-related reason and are accompanied by another staff member. Upon entering camper housing -- and this applies equally to staff who live in camper bunks -- staff must maintain appropriate distance and boundaries. For example, a staff member should never sit on a camper's bed, and should instead stand or sit on the floor or a chair.
3. Transportation Safeguards
The Rule of Three does not end when campers are being transported in camp vehicles. Transportation policies should prevent one-on-one situations by requiring at least three individuals in a vehicle. Additionally, personal vehicles should never be used for transporting campers.
4. Physical and Verbal Boundaries
Staff must be trained to avoid physical contact with campers unless absolutely necessary (e.g., assisting an injured camper). Staff should also refrain from initiating or encouraging physical interactions with campers -- policies should ensure that staff avoid hugs, piggyback rides, wrestling, rough play, and any other physical contact. Of course, policies should also state that any form of hitting or physical punishment is strictly prohibited.
Similarly, verbal interactions must always remain professional. Staff should never make comments about camper appearance, engage in discussions of dating or personal matters, encourage camper relationships, tell inappropriate jokes, speak about romance or romantic topics, provide sex education, convey inappropriate personal stories, tell secrets, or engaging in anything other than professional conversations with campers. Also, any form of yelling, verbal abuse, shaming, derogatory remarks, or threatening language must be strictly prohibited.
For the benefit of typically-young camp staff, the policy should also give specific examples of what's allowed and what isn't.
5. Recognizing and Reporting Red Flags
Research shows that most people have a default assumption that others are doing the right thing -- otherwise, we couldn't go grocery shopping without thinking that everyone is stealing from the store. However, when working with minors, we need to "turn off" this default assumption and look carefully at the behavior of other adults. Anything remotely concerning or inappropriate -- including just having a feeling that something is off -- should be immediately reported to management. Your policies should also train staff to identify and report concerning behaviors among coworkers. Red flags include excessive interest in a particular camper, spending time alone with campers, playing favorites and treating some campers differently than others, foregoing free time to spend time with campers, and any similar behaviors.
6. Supervision and Attendance
A best practice is to ensure that campers are supervised at all times, including during transition periods, meals, and rest times. Staff should conduct regular headcounts, keep all campers with the group, and make sure there is never a time when campers are alone and unsupervised.
7. Communications Outside of Camp
Your policies should make clear that staff and campers cannot visit each other outside of camp. Any exceptions to this policy should be subject to the explicit written approval of camp management. Likewise, your policies should address technology use to prevent unsupervised communication between staff and campers. First of all, staff should never communicate with campers for personal reasons. Even when communicating with campers for work-related reasons, staff should use only camp-monitored communication channels and ensure that any communication is subject to the Rule of Three (by either having a parent or another staff member join the communication).
8. Mandated Reporting
The above principles and policy recommendations are intended to go hand-in-hand with a mandated reporting policy. Your policy for the protection of minors is intended to keep the kids at camp safe, while your mandated reporting policy is intended to ensure that any incidents (in or out of camp) are promptly reported as required by law. For more about drafting a mandated reporting policy, visit: Our Obligations as Mandated Reporters.
Conclusion: Building a Culture of Safety
Creating a safe camp environment goes beyond policies -- it requires consistent training, monitoring, and evaluation.
All staff should be trained on your policy for the protection of minors and your mandated reporting policy. Staff should also receive these policies, and ideally, online training on this topic, before they ever step foot into camp. The goal is for every staff member to know your policies and understand that your camp is a toxic environment for those with bad intentions towards kids -- so those people who accepted your job with bad intentions never arrive to camp on opening day.
Moreover, after every camp season, it's a good practice to review your policies, solicit feedback from staff and management, and incorporate lessons learned into the following year's policies. By having strong policies and implementing good training on those policies, camps can go a long way to ensuring the campers, and staff, have a safe and memorable experience.