Adult staff for host sites or partner organizations must be oriented to these Guidelines and the safety policies contained therein. They must commit to implementing those safety policies on site, as well as to following these policies as a minimum standard. Upon the failure to follow these...

If there are outside guests (such as a presenter) or someone in the building for another reason, adults must be alert to the interaction of the guests with youth and monitor this so that they know when all guests have left. Guests must stay in main programming area, wear a nametag, and sign in/out.

The only adults who meet the requirement for this ratio are those adults approved under this policy. See requirements for “Adult Staff and Volunteers Leaders”. Other adults such as guest presenters do not count towards ratio. See section on “Age Range for Youth” for definition of youth. 1...

NOTE: This does not apply to multigenerational events such as General Assembly where youth are the responsibility of their parent/guardian or Sponsor. Hotel-based programs or programs with hotel housing are rare for UUA youth ministry events and have their own challenges....

Dormitories are used when programs are on college/university campuses, some retreat centers, and hostels. They typically have 2 or more beds with either shared or en-suite bathroom facilities....

When UUA events are held at camp facilities: Camp facilities should be appropriately licensed for their state Our events will follow all necessary rules to comply with state laws See Medical policies for Onsite Staff for requirements for camps. Nighttime Supervision and Housing in Cabins Events...

When UUA events are held in congregational buildings: Our programs will follow congregational policies in addition to those set forth in these Youth Guidelines. We will follow building rules Nighttime Supervision and Sleeping in Congregations The sleeping policy will be shared with parents and...

Any incident relating to UUA vehicle or property damage, including UUA staff and participant vehicles or property damage, must be reported to law enforcement immediately for investigation. The investigation will provide answers to insurers. Examples of incidents that must be reported to law...

The safety of youth is the primary focus of these Guidelines. Decisions to report to police and law enforcement should be made based on the facts and circumstances of the situation. If there is a potential risk of immediate harm then 911 should be called. However, in other situations, such as...

To create a safe environment for youth, the UUA staff will report any suspected incident of abuse or neglect to state child protective services and to the youth’s religious professionals, who may share the information with the youth’s parents/guardians, by following the procedure below. (1) The...

Youth and adult leaders will report any knowledge of harm to self or others to the UUA staff responsible for the event. Harm to self or others may include, but is not limited to: suicidal ideation; cutting; burning or shocking oneself; physical or verbal aggression towards self or others; violent...

When any youth’s actions have made youth events unsafe or are inconsistent with the rules and expectations of the event, UUA staff or empowered program leaders, including those members of Right Relationship Team (e.g. Spirit Committee, Spirit Corps, etc.) may suspend or restrict that youth’s...

Each event must have a UUA staff person responsible for the event. Event leaders must know which UUA staff members are on call for their event and have contact information for those individuals’ in case of emergency. Each event must have a small number of designated adult leaders who serve as the...

Each youth program creates and maintains community norms, which can be expressed in a covenant, expressing the goals of the community and how the community will be together. Rules/expectations express a baseline or minimum standard....

Prior to attendance at UUA youth events, all participants must disclose any child welfare agency investigation or any criminal or juvenile delinquency arrests, charges, convictions including those involving abuse, violence, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, child abuse, driving while intoxica...

Youth must have a permission form for the event signed by their parents and/or guardians in order to participate in an event. If youth arrive without a signed permission form and the permission form cannot be sent via an online signing service, two adults must obtain verbal permission from the...

UUA staff will provide relevant information in a timely manner to youth and adult participants before the event. UUA staff will encourage congregational leaders/religious educators to hold an orientation for youth who are going to participate in immersion events like camps, conferences, General...