4-H Leader Training for Master Gardener Volunteers Welcome! 4-H Leader Training for Master Gardener Volunteers This training session is presented to Master Gardeners who wish to participate with youth in horticulture-related educational activities. We will give you a basic understanding of the 4-H program, talk about the ever-important record keeping and reporting, and discuss risk management. All of this will prepare you to be well-informed educators, and make the experiences pleasant and productive. You have some handouts. As the training progresses, we will reference them.

Objectives of this Training I. What is 4-H? II. Reporting Responsibilities III. Risk Management There are three objectives for today’s training. First, we want you to have a basic understanding of the 4-H program. Second, we’ll cover your responsibilities as a Master Gardener reporting to a 4-H agent. Lastly, we’ll discuss the risk management issues.

Master Gardeners + youth = 4-H! Impacts that Master Gardeners have on youth in horticulture projects are counted in 4-H Horticulture-related 4-H activities are counted as MG service hours All VCE volunteers have the common purpose of educating the public. When activities involve the education of youth, they fall under VCE 4-H program guidelines. Master Gardeners working with youth have a responsibility to inform 4-H agents when conducting youth horticulture or natural resources projects.

How does 4-H fit with the other programs? Horticulture FCS To explain the relationship between Master Gardeners and 4-H, consider this graphic representation. Horticulture and Family and Consumer Services are both subject matters. 4-H is an audience for these subjects.

I. What is 4-H? USDA program based on the needs of youth introduce better techniques to children who take message to parents diverse groups, schools, and those of all abilities stresses learning by doing The 4-H program grew from the USDA. It seeks to introduce better techniques to youth, who then take the message home to their parents. It hits diverse groups, schools, and those of all abilities. It tends to be informal, and stresses learning by doing.

The 4-H Mission “The mission of 4-H is to assist youth, and adults working with those youth. To gain additional knowledge, life skills, and attitudes that will further their development as self-directing, contributing, and productive members of society.” 4-H is the youth development educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension. The 4-H mission is…(READ SLIDE) 4-H programs should be community centered, led by volunteers, supervised by Extension staff, research-based, home and family oriented, public and private funded, and responsive to change.

Who’s Who in Virginia 4-H ...Is the 4-H Extension Agent, other staff, and the volunteers who fill defined roles. The handout entitled “Who’s Who in Virginia 4-H” explains that the 4-H Extension Agent is ultimately responsible for: recruiting, and supervising volunteers, for budgeting for reporting, and for coordinating with volunteers to conduct county activities. Youth and adult volunteers plan, implement and evaluate programs based on the needs of youth and families in the community. Volunteers are involved in all levels of program activity.

4-H Symbols express the spirit and ideals The 4-H Pledge Motto “To Make The Best Better” Colors Emblem Every member knows the pledge: “I pledge… my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, my Health to better living, For my club, my community, my country, and my world.” The motto is “To make the best better!” The white color in the symbol symbolizes purity, and the green is emblematic of life, springtime, and youth. The four-leafed clover signifies good luck and achievement, and the four H's stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

Virginia 4-H Membership Age Policy Cloverbuds 4-H Junior 4-H’ers are 9 through 11 years old Intermediate 4-H’ers are 12 through 13 years old Senior 4-H’ers are 14 through 18 years old The 5-8 year old Cloverbuds are in exploratory years. While skills are developed, the activities are less structured. Members work at their own pace, and are not involved in competitions. The regular 4-H members are involved in longer-term projects. In the example of a garden project, these children would select plants, do the planting, and care for the plants. The older 4-H members do compete amongst their age group.

4-H Delivery Modes 4-H Neighborhood 4-H Project Club Cloverbud 4-H After School 4-H School 4-H, and others …but Master Gardeners may fit best in one of the next two delivery modes Ideally, participation by both children and family members is over a long period of time. How they participate is in various forms. In a 4-H Neighborhood, members participate in a variety of projects which meet at different times than the neighborhood club meeting. The project clubs focus on a subject matter related to the club’s project emphasis. The Cloverbuds progress at their own speed in hands-on, learn-by-doing curriculum. After-school and School 4-H groups are other delivery methods. And there are others. Master Gardeners will probably go with the less traditional delivery method of the...

Special Interest 4-H teaches youth, ages 9-18, subject matter in a short time exposes new youth to 4-H involves youth in further 4-H programming Special Interest 4-H. These groups work on one project or subject matter on a short-time basis, or on one project that will be completed in 6 or more learning activities. The groups may evolve into project clubs.

School Enrichment 4-H 4-H materials used as part of school curriculum learning by experience, without involving organized club activities Or Master Gardeners may find they are helpful in the School enrichment delivery mode. School Enrichment 4-H is for youth ages 9-18 The learning experiences are coordinated with school personnel, using 4-H material as curriculum. Groups meet on school time or at a school-sponsored activity. The learning experiences are meant to complement and supplement the public school Standards of Learning, or “SOL’s.”

Camps Junior 4-H Camp Special interest camps Cloverbud and special interest camps, where horticulture is the topic, may also be a place where Master Gardeners can be helpful. Because each camp is an independent event, and not restricted to pre-requisites, camping is a delivery mode to reach and teach youth. Junior 4-H camp emphasizes educational programs, decision-making, group activities, learning to take care of themselves, concern for others and the world in which they live, and application of what they learn when they return home. Special interest camps that would involve Master Gardeners would have horticulture or natural resources topics.

II. Reporting Responsibilities Compliance Record Keeping 4-H leaders have two areas of administrative responsibility, that of compliance and that of record keeping.

VCE Club Compliance Form Numbers of members by race Titles VI and IX compliance Plans to comply While it is probably out of the scope of the role that Master Gardeners will play as volunteers, it is important to know that clubs are expected to be fair and not to discriminate on the basis of race or sex. Clubs must also comply with Titles 6 and 9. If the club is not in compliance, the form asks for specific plans of the leaders to bring the club into compliance.

Keeping Records Members Volunteers 4-H programs track their impacts by keeping records, just like impacts of Environmental Horticulture and Master Gardeners are tracked. In 4-H, both 4-H’ers and volunteers are enrolled annually. We’ll look at the different ways that both are tracked.

4-H Enrollment Policy Individual Enrollment Group Enrollment Group Summary Don’t forget to count the adults! Documentation and record-keeping are not strangers to Master Gardeners. It should not be surprising that enrollment is most important to 4-H for furnishing documentation and for offering justification for continued support. Master Gardeners should discuss with the 4-H agent which form the agent would like for them to use. Let’s take a look at each of the forms, which are in your handouts. The most detailed form, the Individual Enrollment Form, is best at providing the greatest level of detail about the youth served. The Group Enrollment Form provides a lot of detail, but may not be practical in school-based activities, as the schools protect their students’ information. But after 6 hour of programming, this form is necessary. It is also beneficial, as the group can tap into the larger 4-H system - projects, newsletters, camps, etc. The Group Summary is the least detailed, but does provide the number of children, along with a sex and race breakdown.

4-H Volunteer Enrollment Forms One Time/Occasional Enrollment 4-H Volunteer Profile As much as we would prefer not to have to deal with it, the reality is that parents must be wary and cautious to whom they entrust their children. Several steps are taken to insure that the volunteers working with the children are competent and trustworthy. Any Master Gardeners working with youth gardening projects must have this 4-H leadership training, and must complete a volunteer enrollment and volunteer profile form. The forms answer the questions, “Who is the volunteer?” and “What can the volunteer do?” The first are the two Volunteer Enrollment forms. One that is used most often, and the one-time enrollment.

Volunteer Tax Deduction Some deductible expenses are... Mileage Phone calls Supplies to do the job Use the “Volunteer Tax Recordkeeping Form” on the back Here is a record-keeping task that will help the volunteer who itemizes on taxes. The publication, “Volunteer Tax Deductions” is given to each volunteer for his or her own use when filing personal income taxes. The Recordkeeping Form which appears on the back of the Tax Deductions is a place to document any deductible expenses. A copy of this is in your handouts. It is always best to consult your tax advisor on allowable deductions.

III. Risk Management A. Elements of Liability B. 4-H Risk Management Guidelines C. Evaluating the Risks D. In the Event of an Incident or Accident Risk Management is the third and final topic for this training. We’ll discuss: the elements of liability, go over the 4-H risk management guidelines, talk about evaluating the risks of an activity or environment, and what you should do in the event of an incident or accident. Let’s begin with the elements of liability.

All four elements must be present in the situation A. Elements No VCE staff member wants to see any volunteer staff hurt or in trouble. It would cause an immeasurable amount of grief and pain to know that, because of the actions of someone generously giving their time to an Extension program, the volunteer has been injured or has an allegation of abuse to deal with. But planning can prevent such an occurrence. The Master Gardener volunteer must understand his or her responsibility as it relates to liability. The volunteer must also incorporate safety and “above suspicion” situations in the regular planning for an activity. If I may quote from the risk management policy, “It is important to clearly know for whom you have duty of care and that you have a responsibility to perform as any other reasonably prudent person would be expected to perform in the same situation.” So two points: you have to know who you are taking care of, and you must do as any reasonably judicious or wise person would. All four elements must be present in the situation

Element #1 “Existence of a legal duty to protect the injured party from reasonable risks of harm that can be reasonably foreseen.” When you volunteer to work with children in a horticulture project, you are assuming a legal duty. You are expected to plan to prevent injury or accident. We’ll go over some guidelines in a few minutes that will help you in anticipating hazards.

Element #2 “A failure to perform that duty of care. Ignorance and inexperience are no excuse. Inability to perform will eventually lead to problems.” In order for you to be liable, the claimant must prove that you failed in your duty to care for the individual(s). As an example, let’s say you took a 4-H group on a nature walk along a river. It had been raining for several days, but cleared up in time for the walk. After several children slip and hurt themselves, you respond. “I didn’t know the floodwaters were rising so quickly. I have never seen rushing water so strong that it could knock someone off their feet.” The excuse of “not knowing” just will not help you. If you have a hard time anticipating situations, get help from a person who can! If you ignore this planning and anticipation, PROBLEMS WILL HAPPEN.

Element #3 “An injury suffered by the claimant (person filing the claim). Injury may be physical, mental or property.” Obviously, an accident or injury has to occur for a claim to be made of your liability for that injury. Element #3 tells us that the injury can take several forms: physical, mental, or to property.

Element #4 “A reasonably close causal relationship between the breach of duty and the claimant’s injury.” This last element refers to the burden of proof that the claimant has to prove that what you did or failed to do is the reason for the claimant’s injury.

How to Ruin a Lawyer’s Day Document your planning and training: Notes to the effect that you know who you have duty of care for Analyze the activity and environment for hazards on paper Write down your contingency plans for accidents or incidents Records, records, records! It isn’t what we want to spend time doing, but it will bust those elements of liability! Can you imagine facing a court date without records? It makes sense to jot down some notes while in your planning meeting. And it doesn’t have to be pages long. Here’s an example. The activity is mulching the 4th grade herb garden. 1. Four volunteers/adults will be working with 20 children, so the names of the kids on each of 4 teams are written under each volunteer’s name. The Health History for each child is given to the appropriate volunteer. 2. The volunteers brainstorm the potential safety hazards (lifting, use of tools, soil particles in eyes, etc.) and then... 3. ...talk about how to avoid accidents, and what to do in case of an incident (location of the nurse’s office, who transport to hospital, etc.) Now that’s not so much thinking and writing, is it?

B. 4-H Risk Management Guidelines Annual member and volunteer enrollment forms Health History Forms Health and Accident Insurance Permission and Release Form Above Suspicion Policy Now let’s talk about the 4-H Risk Management Guidelines. We know that Risk Management looks at all the potential hazards that might negatively impact a program participant, agent, or volunteer. At the club meetings or activities, volunteers accept a certain level of responsibility to check the environment the children will be in, for risks. The items on this slide should serve as a guideline. Each item will be covered in some detail.

Current Enrollment Forms If the participant is not enrolled, the coverage may be at risk Enrollment forms must be filled out each year by each member and every adult and teen volunteer, and for more reasons than counting participants towards goals. Leaders are expected to keep copies of the forms and have them at club functions. In the event of an emergency, names, addresses and phone numbers are immediately available. (Permission forms will have the emergency numbers for a specific time period.) In the unlikely event of an emergency, problems could arise if the proper documentation of the member or volunteer is not on file. To avoid any problems with insurance, make sure all Master Gardener volunteers have submitted an enrollment form each year.

Health History Report Forms submitted at the beginning of a school year may not have the most recent information. Forms should be in the possession of the responsible adult. Check that the leader has them! For overnight or extended stay activity, the emergency medical forms should be in the possession of the leader, or in the case of a car trip, the driver of the vehicle for all the participants in the car. Many times, the form will be filled out in the beginning of the school year. As changes in that medical history can take place, it may be a good idea to update the history as time passes. If you are a resource to a 4-H group, and not a leader, you may still want to help by verifying that the leader has this form and all other forms!

Health and Accident Insurance Non-school groups can get insurance through American Income Life Insurance Company Individual club activities coverage for $1 per year For accidents or injuries to the children, schools have the first liability with school-based activities. Volunteers should still verify that the insurance is in place for the children on a particular activity. For non-school groups, insurance is available on a very reasonable basis. The informational brochure from the company offering this insurance is included in the handouts.

Permission and Release Forms Forms should be on file with the school, or obtained by the volunteer from the parents. Again, verify that there are permission slips on file at the school, or obtain them from the parents. The form also includes a “holds harmless” clause, and an emergency phone number where the parent or guardian can be reached during the time of the activity.

Allegations of Abuse Two Issues: Abuse or neglect is suspected Positioning of the volunteer to be “above suspicion” Times are different. And although the topic at hand may be distasteful to you, it is a reality that must be dealt with. You may have even run into this issue at church nurseries or in scouting. This discussion should not scare you, but instead should make you feel that you are in control of a situation. We’ll talk about potential situations that should be avoided. If you are prepared, and have thought out possible scenarios, then the possibility of problems will be slim. We have two issues to talk about here; the first is if abuse or neglect of the child is suspected.

If abuse or neglect is suspected... By law, the volunteer has a responsibility 1-800-552-7096 If during this process you feel your safety or the safety of others is in jeopardy, you should call the police Be aware of the confidentiality issues By the laws of the Commonwealth, any representative in a professional capacity involving the education or care of children who has reason to suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, shall report the matter to local officials (Social Services) in the county or city where the child resides or to the Department of Social Services Toll-free hotline. 1-800-552-7096 On the handout titled ”Risk Management Information, section 2.5,” you’ll find the guidelines for your actions, should an allegation be brought to you. Confidentiality must be maintained permanently. You should not mention the allegations to anyone not listed in the handout. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

“Above Suspicion” Policy One other person should be around at all times, preferably an adult Anticipate scenarios to avoid problems The second issue involves positioning yourself “above suspicion.” As a volunteer you will want to avoid being in a situation where accusations could arise. The best thing you can do is to avoid being alone with a child or children. It is preferred that the other person is an adult. Before an activity, imagine how all phases of the activity will proceed. Anticipate problems. What will you do if a parent is late to pick up a child? What if there were to be a medical emergency? Do you have enough volunteers to leave two adults with the remaining children? Do you have the ability to phone parents from the pick up location?

C. Evaluating the Risks Anticipate safety hazards, and plan for problems Use the handout, “Planning for the Best and the Worst” as a checklist! In your handouts, you’ll find a sheet entitled, “Virginia Cooperative Extension, Risk Management Information.” This sheet could be used as a checklist for each activity in which you are involved. While not complete, the list of items may help you as you plan. Brainstorm other hazards that may not be on this list. Then, make plans in case the worst happens.

D. In the Event of an Incident... Submit the Accident / Incident Report for: personal injuries or accidents to participants or volunteers serious injuries Even with all kinds of planning and preparation, an accident can still occur. That is the definition of “accident.” Minor accidents do not require any reporting. What constitutes a “minor accident?” If you’ll look at the back and bottom of the Accident/Incident Report Form, you’ll see, in capital letters, the types of accidents that you don’t need to report, and those that you should report. And we’re talking about any injuries to a participant, or to a volunteer, or to a paid employee. Submission of the Accident / Incident Report form is also required whenever the conditions on the Emergency Response Card are met.

..follow the card listing Emergency Procedures In the event of... serious multiple injuries, or fatalities, incidents that involve law enforcement, or incidents that may result in litigation ..follow the card listing Emergency Procedures The Emergency Procedures card is for use in the event of very serious accidents or incidents. If the accident has produced injuries worse than the injuries that require the submission of an Accident/Incident Report Form, then consider them “serious.” You’ll notice that the Virginia Tech Police can also be used to reach the parties who must be contacted. (PASS OUT CARDS) Each volunteer should carry an Emergency Procedures card in his/her wallet. Let’s fill yours out now. Flip to the back... If you have any doubts as to the seriousness of an accident or incident, or the potential for the accident to result in litigation, it would be wise to complete the Accident/Incident Report Form, and initiate the Emergency Procedures.

Volunteer’s injuries... ...are covered by the volunteer’s health insurance What if the injury is to a volunteer? Any injuries to volunteers, minor or serious, are his or her responsibility and must be covered by his or her personal healthcare insurance policy. The insurance coverage for treatment of the injury falls to the personal healthcare policy. But if the injury is of the types mentioned on the Accident/Incident Report Form, then the form must be filled out and submitted. The form is reporting the circumstances around the injury. Information like this is necessary if future injuries are to be prevented. Make sense? If the injury is serious enough to be reported, then it is. If it requires treatment, the cost of the treatment is covered by your personal insurance.

Liability and Legal Counsel Virginia Tech Insurance Coverage for Volunteers Visit the VCE website: http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/policies/ riskmgt/riskmgt.html Planning, documentation and training are essential for preparation of activities. Completing those tasks, and evaluating the risks, will make for a safe, enjoyable educational experience for you, the other volunteers, and the children. Know that if you follow all your plans, and a mistake causes an accident or incident, that the VA Tech Insurance Coverage is available. Legal and liability counsel is covered. A copy of the coverage is in your handouts. Let’s read the section on Liability Insurance. (READ) Any questions? If you get a chance, visit the Risk Management web site! The entire policy is there.

Thank you for attending! Any Discussion? This was a lot of information, and we’ll take time now to discuss any issues and answer any questions. Thank you for attending!