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Program Practices that Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

At the �Թ���, we have interviewed a number of families about their experiences in child development and school-age programs. When asked about the reasons they chose particular care for their children, the first answer was typically “safety.” Families want to know that their children are safe in your care. In this lesson, you will learn about the program practices that can help you and family members feel confident that children are safe in your program. These include supervising staff, supervising children, enforcing an open-door policy, and managing the admission and release of children.

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Formal and Informal Supervision: Management by Walking Around

You have two responsibilities related to supervising staff. First, you must perform formal supervision duties. This includes observation and performance evaluation. There are many benefits of formal supervision, and it is beyond the scope of this lesson to discuss all the policies and procedures related to this topic. As it relates to child abuse and neglect, however, managers should know one important drawback of formal supervision: it does not happen very often. For some staff members, formal observations and performance evaluations may happen yearly. You cannot be an effective leader if you use formal supervision as your only mechanism for connecting with staff about their work. Therefore, you have a second responsibility to provide informal supervision. You are informally supervising your program when you talk with staff members, check on classrooms, greet families, introduce yourself to a visitor, accept deliveries, or look at lesson plans. Another way of thinking of this is “management by walking around.” You cannot keep children safe from behind a desk. You are expected to engage in your program each and every day.

By being present and active in your program, you are able to:

• Notice potential problems and take action before they escalate. For example, you might notice signs of stress in a staff member (you will learn more about this in Lesson 6). You can check in with the staff member and provide support.
• Monitor and support training efforts. By spending time observing your program, you can help Training and Curriculum Specialists (T&CSs) pinpoint specific training needs for staff. You can work with the T&CS to get timely support to staff members who need it.
• Teach appropriate guidance or discipline techniques. You have a responsibility to enforce your program’s guidance and discipline policy. If you see something inappropriate (i.e., a staff member uses a harsh tone with a child), you can immediately and respectfully redirect the staff towards a more positive response.
• Prevent problems with ratio and supervision. You know staffing and attendance patterns. You can facilitate effective scheduling. This maximizes resources and ensures children are adequately supervised at all times.
• Build relationships with all members of your team. This includes educational staff, food service or custodial personnel, contractors, volunteers, and families.
• Become a resource for staff members. Staff members know they can come to you with concerns or questions right away. Often, issues can be resolved during simple, informal conversations.
• Encourage and recognize staff members for jobs well done.

Supervision of Children

In addition to supervising staff, you must ensure that staff members are adequately supervising children. Maintaining staff-to-child ratios is one of the simplest things you can do to protect children from harm in your program. You will learn more about this in the Safety course. For now, you must know and enforce staff-to-child ratios and maximum group sizes for each age group of children you serve. Key elements to keep in mind related to preventing child abuse and neglect are (Koralek, 1993):

• At least two adults must be present in the center at all times.
• At least one staff member at a supervisory level must be present in the center at all times.
• Staff must wear nametags or apparel that visually identify them to families and visitors as employees who are responsible for the program and the children enrolled.
• Center staff may not take a child or children enrolled in the program to their home or in their own vehicle without permission of the child’s parent or guardian and the center director.
• Children and youth must not be left unattended or under the sole supervision of teen volunteers.
• Staff must match their supervision to the needs and abilities of the children and youth. Children in CDCs and younger school-age children will need more direct supervision. Older school-age children may only need checked on every 15 minutes. Make sure an adult is always close enough to respond if the children call for help. Help staff adapt supervision based on the needs of the children and the characteristics of the activity. Potentially dangerous activities like woodworking and swimming will require direct supervision for all children regardless of age.
• Ensure staff use sign-in and sign-out systems to monitor which children are in attendance and where they are in the program.
• Work with your team to make sure all areas of the program are adequately supervised. Staff will need to monitor indoor rooms, outdoor spaces, hallways, restrooms, etc.

Open-Door Policy

Child development and school-age programs often face seemingly competing demands:

• We want to provide a welcoming environment for current and potential families.
• We want to be members of our communities and ensure children have access to the richness of experiences around them.
• We want to provide a secure environment that limits access to only approved individuals.

It is possible and necessary, however, to achieve all of these demands. It requires careful planning and coordination on your part. Providing an open-door for families is one of the most important things you can do to prevent child abuse and neglect in your program. It sends the message that you are proud of your staff and the work they do with children and youth. It also confirms the message that families are critical partners in your program. Families should know they can visit anytime. They do not need an appointment or to call ahead. They should have access to every part of the building that their child visits.

Why does this policy prevent child abuse and neglect in centers? It does so for two reasons. First, it allows families to monitor program activities and advocate for their children if they see an inappropriate action. Second, it helps strengthen the relationship between staff members and families. It can be helpful to think about this in terms of protective factors. An open door helps build social connections between staff members and families. It provides an opportunity to discuss child development and strategies that work at home or in the program. It helps all parties recognize and respond with support in times of need. Strong relationships between parents and staff members provide an opportunity for children to see mature social and emotional skills.

An open-door policy does not mean adults are free to roam the building. You must put reasonable safeguards in place to ensure the security of children. The following list of criteria is in place to protect children:

• Sign-in and sign-out procedures: Make sure your program is aware of and can account for all individuals in the building at all times. Your sign-in procedures must indicate where the adult is going, when they arrived, and when they left.
• Identity verification: Any unknown individual must be asked for identification. Confirm that the individual is listed on the child’s records as a family member.
• Visitor badges or stickers: Providing some visual evidence that a visitor has signed-in helps control access to your buildings.
• Staff accompaniment: All guests or visitors (who are not known family members) should be escorted by a staff member at all times. Guest vendors or staff must be accompanied by appropriate personnel. For example, a food delivery vendor should be accompanied by the cook.
• Supervision and monitoring: A staff member who has an approved background check must directly supervise children at all times. Children cannot be left in the care of a family member who is visiting the program.
• Clear boundaries: Post signs on areas that are restricted. For example, the staff break room or areas where child records are kept should be clearly marked as “Staff Only.”

Make sure family members know what to do if they witness something that makes them uncomfortable. Provide a paragraph in the family handbook about your open-door policy. Here is sample text from a CDC program:

Admission and Release of Children

You have a responsibility to make sure children are always in the care of approved individuals. This includes not only your staff but also the individuals you release children to. Your program must have in place clear policies for the admission and release of children to individuals other than their parents or guardians. This information should be in the family handbook. Parents or guardians should be required to submit a list of individuals who are approved to pick up their child. Here is sample language from a parent handbook: