Tip of the Month - February 2003

INVOLVE CLIENTS IN PROTECTING THEIR OWN SAFETY

Much as the children under your care need to be protected from harm, the organization serving them needs to be protected to survive and continue to operate in the future. The risks extend from early childhood to 21 years of age and encompass service recipients, unpaid volunteers and paid staff.

 Risk is inherent in normal child-development. A toddler’s propensity to touch, taste, and explore helps the child learn, grow and develop, but also puts the child at risk for poisoning, electrical shock and falling out of second-story windows. As the child matures, curiosity takes new paths culminating in the teenage years of invincibility. 

Organizations can reflect a child’s developmental changes in their safety programs. As the child matures, the organization can transfer more and more of the responsibility for the child’s safety from the caregiver to the child through education, training and monitoring.

Infants and toddlers need to be protected from their natural tendencies to try everything, but they need to be allowed to explore or they won’t learn how to protect themselves.

• Lock poisonous substances in a cupboard or closet.

• Place outlet covers on unused electrical receptacles.

• Provide nontoxic arts and crafts supplies.

• Fix windows so they only open 2-3 inches from the bottom sill.

• Supervise, supervise, supervise.

From ages 5 to 11, children gain more independence and begin to manage the abstract, but do better with the concrete.

•  Enforce consistent, explicit and firm rules for safe behavior.

• Teach sports’ safety measures, including the use of protective gear.

• Set limits and establish reasonable consequences for unacceptable behavior.

•  Teach age-appropriate personal safety skills.

• Promote positive interactions between children and their peers.

Early adolescents, 11-14, strive for independence; part of which is realizing adults aren’t perfect. The drive for independence may keep preteens from asking for help. 

• Develop skills in conflict resolution, negotiation and anger management.

• Teach age-appropriate personal safety skills.

•  Stress the use of protective devices and adhering to safety procedures.

• Establish a zero-tolerance policy for possession of weapons, alcohol and drugs.

•  Involve them in the creating “Codes of Conduct” and other rules.

• Monitor behavior; intervene in potentially dangerous situations.

Age 15-21 is the final stage of transition from childhood to adulthood. Many legal responsibilities will be substantially different for those younger than 18.

• Monitor conduct and intervene in potentially dangerous situations.

• Establish a zero-tolerance policy.

• Set clear guidelines for social relationships between participants during organizational activities.

• Clearly place limits on decisions that require judgment and that could have serious consequences.

• Prohibit sexual relationships between adult caregivers (including young adults) and program participants.

 Read more about keeping clients safe in The Season of Hope, A Risk Management Guide for Youth-Serving Nonprofits, published by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, www.nonprofitrisk.org.

View Past Tips of the Month

May 2004 - One Million Minnesotans Can See Your Form 990
April 2004 - Avoid Unexpected Cost of Directors, Officers, and Organizational Liability
March 2004 - Strategies for Reducing Operating Costs
February 2004 - What Can Nonprofits Due During an Election Cycle
January 2004 - Celebrate Your Nonprofit
November 2003 -Get Your Board on Board
October 2003- Take a Walk-About for Safety
September 2003- Exit Interviews-Learn from those who Leave
August 2003 - Participant Waivers: The Good the Bad and the Ugly
July 2003 - Practical Tips for Reference Checking
June 2003 - Evaluating Your Insurance Professional 
May 2003 - Supervising Volunteers
April 2003 - Protect Your Assets with Sound Internal Controls
March 2003 - Teaching Computer Users to Surf Safely
February 2003 - Involve Clients in Protecting Their Own Safety
January 2003- Managing the Risk of Board Discontent

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