Youth Protection Code of Conduct and Procedures
You will be asked to review the following 6 sections:
1.) Code of Conduct (pages 1 – 4)
2.) Reporting Procedures (pages 1 – 2)
3.) Appropriate and Inappropriate Physical Interaction with Minors
4.) Appropriate and Inappropriate Verbal Interaction with Minors
5.) Electronic Communications
6.) One-on-One Interactions
At the end of each section, you will be asked to sign, acknowledging that you have
read, understood and agreed to the following policies and procedures of working with
minors as defined in this packet.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct:
o Our employees and volunteers will exhibit the highest ethical best practices and
personal integrity.
o Our employees and volunteers will provide a professional work environment that
is free from physical, psychological, written, or verbal intimidation or harassment.
o Our employees and volunteers will not physically, sexually, or emotionally abuse
or neglect a youth or adult.
o Our employees and volunteers will share concerns about suspicious or
inappropriate behavior with their supervisor or administrator.
o Our employees and volunteers will report any suspected abuse or neglect of a
youth to the Fresno State Title IX Coordinator @559.278.5357.
o Our employees and volunteers will accept their role of responsibility to protect
youth and adults from all forms of abuse.
Code of Conduct with Minors
The following requirements and guidelines are intended to assist employees and
volunteers in making decisions about interactions with minors. For clarification of any
guideline, or to inquire about behaviors not addressed here, contact your supervisor.
Our program provides participating minors with the highest quality services available.
We are committed to creating an environment for minors that is safe, nurturing,
empowering, and that promotes growth and success.
Page 1 of 4
No form of abuse will be tolerated, and confirmed abuse will result in immediate
dismissal from the program. Our program will fully cooperate with authorities if
allegations of abuse are made that require investigation.
The Code of Conduct outlines specific expectations of program employees and
volunteers as we strive to accomplish our mission together.
1. Minors will be treated with respect at all times.
2. Minors will be treated fairly regardless of race, sex, age, or religion.
3. Employees and volunteers will adhere to uniform best practices of displaying
affection as outlined by our organization.
4. Employees and volunteers will avoid affection with minors that cannot be
observed by others.
5. Employees and volunteers will adhere to uniform best practices of appropriate
and inappropriate verbal interactions as outlined by our organization.
6. Employees and volunteers will not stare at or comment on minors’ bodies.
7. Employees and volunteers will not date or become romantically involved with
minors.
8. Employees and volunteers will not use or be under the influence of alcohol or
illegal drugs in the presence of minors.
9. Employees and volunteers will not have sexually oriented materials, including
printed or online pornography, on our organization’s property.
10. Employees and volunteers will not have secrets with minors and will only give
gifts with prior permission.
11. Employees and volunteers will comply with our organization’s policies regarding
interactions with minors outside of our programs.
12. Employees and volunteers will not engage in inappropriate electronic
communication with minors.
13. Employees and volunteers are prohibited from working one-on-one with minors in
a private setting. Employees and volunteers will use common areas when
working with individual minors.
14. Employees and volunteers will not abuse minors in anyway including (but not
limited to) the following:
Page 2 of 4
Physical abuse: hitting, spanking, shaking, slapping, unnecessary restraints
Verbal abuse: degrading, threatening, cursing
Sexual abuse: inappropriate touch, exposing oneself, sexually oriented
conversations
Mental abuse: shaming, humiliation, cruelty
Neglect: withholding food, water, shelter
15. Our program will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of one minor by another
minor. In addition, our program will not tolerate any behavior that is classified
under the definition of bullying, and to the extent that such actions are disruptive,
we will take steps needed to eliminate such behavior.
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, is repeated over time, and
involves an imbalance of power or strength. Bullying can take on various forms,
including:
a. Physical bullying – when one person engages in physical force against
another person, such as by hitting, punching, pushing, kicking, pinching,
or restraining another.
b. Verbal bullying – when someone uses their words to hurt another, such as
by belittling or calling another hurtful names.
c. Nonverbal or relational bullying – when one person manipulates a
relationship or desired relationship to harm another person. This includes
social exclusion, friendship manipulation, or gossip. This type of bullying
also includes intimidating another person by using gestures.
d. Cyberbullying – the intentional and overt act of aggression toward another
person by way of any technological tool, such as email, instant messages,
text messages, digital pictures or images, or website postings (including
blogs). Cyberbullying can involve:
i. Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening messages or images;
ii. Posting sensitive, private information about another person;
iii. Pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look
bad; and
iv. Intentionally excluding someone from an online group.
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v. Hazing – an activity expected of someone joining or participating in
a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers that
person regardless of that person’s willingness to participate.
vi. Sexualized bullying – when bullying involves behaviors that are
sexual in nature. Examples of sexualized bullying behaviors
include sexting, bullying that involves exposures of private body
parts, and verbal bullying involving sexualized language or
innuendos.
Anyone who sees an act of bullying, and who then encourages it, is engaging in
bullying. This policy applies to all youth, staff and volunteers.
16. Employees and volunteers will report concerns or complaints about other
employees and volunteers, other adults, or minors to the Fresno State Title IX
Coordinator reached at 559.278.5357 (leave a message if no answer) or via the
Reporting Form located at the Title IX website:
https://adminfinance.fresnostate.edu/title-ix/index.html
17. Employees and volunteers may not have engaged in, or been accused
or convicted of minors abuse, indecency with a minor, or injury to a
minor.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Page 4 of 4
Reporting Suspicious or Inappropriate Behaviors
between Adults and Minors
Because our program is dedicated to maintaining zero tolerance for abuse, it is
imperative that every employee and volunteer at our program participate actively in the
protection of program. In the event that employees and volunteers observe any
suspicious or inappropriate behaviors on the part of other employees or volunteers, it is
their personal responsibility to immediately report their observations. Remember, at our
programs, the policies apply to everyone.
Examples of Suspicious or Inappropriate Behaviors
Between Adults and Minors
Violation of the abuse prevention policies
Seeking private time or one-on-one time with minors
Buying gifts for individual minors
Making suggestive comments to minors
Picking favorites
All reports of suspicious or inappropriate behavior with minors will be taken seriously.
Our program’s procedures will be carefully followed to ensure that the rights of all those
involved are protected.
1. Employee and Volunteer Response – In the event that an employee or
volunteer witnesses suspicious or inappropriate behaviors or policy violations
from another adult, the employee or volunteer is instructed to do the following:
Guidelines for Response to
Suspicious or Inappropriate Behavior
Interrupt the behavior.
Report the behavior.
Document the report but do not conduct an investigation.
Keep reporting until the appropriate action is taken.
Reporting Procedures
Reporting Suspected Abuse by an Adult
Employee or Volunteer Response to Abuse
As required by mandated reporting laws, employees and volunteers must report
any suspected abuse or neglect of a minor—whether on or off program property
or whether perpetrated by staff, volunteers, or others—to the Fresno State Title
IX Coordinator.
Reports may be made confidentially or anonymously. A person who mistakenly
reports suspected abuse is immune from civil or criminal liability as long as the
report was made in good faith and without malice.
* Refer to California State University Executive Order 1083 on Reporting Child
Abuse and Neglect for specific mandated reporting requirements and more
information (https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/10927154/latest).
In addition to reporting to campus authorities, employees and volunteers are
required to report any suspected or known abuse of minors perpetrated by
employees or volunteers directly to the program leadership so that immediate
and proper steps may be taken to ensure the safety of alleged victims and others
who may be at risk. Reports of suspected or known abuse may be made
confidentially to the following:
Fresno State Title IX Coordinator reached at 559.278.5357 (leave a
message if no answer) or via the Reporting Form located at the Title IX
website:
https://adminfinance.fresnostate.edu/title-ix/index.html
Additional Guidelines for Employee or Volunteer Response to Incidents or
Allegations of Abuse
If you witness abuse, interrupt the behavior immediately.
If abuse is disclosed to you, assure the individual disclosing that he or she was
correct to tell to you.
Protect the alleged victim from intimidation, retribution, or further abuse.
Be sure to document the incident, disclosure, or circumstances causing your
suspicion of abuse.
It is not your job to investigate the incident but it IS your job to report the
incident to your supervisor in a timely manner.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Page 2 of 2
Appropriate and Inappropriate
Physical Interactions with Minors
Our program has implemented a physical-contact policy that will promote a positive,
nurturing environment while protecting minors, employees, and volunteers from
misunderstandings. The following guidelines are to be carefully followed by all
employees and volunteers working with minors:
Appropriate Physical Interactions
Side hugs
Shoulder-to-shoulder or “temple” hugs
Pats on the shoulder or back
Handshakes
High-fives and hand slapping
Verbal praise
Pats on the head when culturally appropriate
Touching hands, shoulders, and arms
Arms around shoulders
Holding hands (with young children in escorting
situations)
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Appropriate and Inappropriate
Verbal Interactions with Minors
Employees and volunteers are prohibited from speaking to minors in a way that is, or
could be construed by any observer, as harsh, coercive, threatening, intimidating,
shaming, derogatory, demeaning, or humiliating.
Employees and volunteers must not initiate sexually oriented conversations with minors.
Employees and volunteers are not permitted to discuss their own sexual activities with
minors.
The program’s policies for appropriate and inappropriate verbal interactions are:
Appropriate Verbal Interactions
Positive reinforcement
Appropriate jokes
Encouragement
Praise
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Electronic Communications
Electronic communication provides a venue for private communication between
employees and minors. Therefore, with electronic communication policies, our program
stresses transparency in all interactions.
Electronic Communication
Appropriate Electronic
Communication
Inappropriate Electronic
Communication
Sending information via email to
minors AND parents/guardians.
Replying to emails from minors
only if parents are included.
Sending and replying to text
messages from minors
Communication through social
networking sites (like Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
Sending and replying to emails
from minors
Sending and replying to instant
messages
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
One-on-One Interactions
Most abuse occurs when an adult is alone with a minor. Our program aims to eliminate
or reduce these situations and prohibits private one-on-one interactions unless
approved in advance by program administration.
In those situations where one-on-one interactions are approved, employees and
volunteers should observe the following additional guidelines to manage the risk of
abuse or false allegations of abuse:
Additional Guidelines for One-on-One Interactions
When meeting one-on-one with a minor, always do so in a public place where you are in full view
of others.
Avoid physical affection that can be misinterpreted. Limit affection to pats on the shoulder, high-
fives, and handshakes.
If meeting in a room or office, leave the door open or move to an area that can be easily observed
by others passing by.
Inform other employees and volunteers that you are alone with a minor and ask them to randomly
drop in.
Document and immediately report any unusual incidents, including disclosures of abuse or
maltreatment, behavior problems and how they were handled, injuries, or any interactions that
might be misinterpreted.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood and agreed to the following
policies and procedures of working with minors as defined in this section.
Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________