1. Youth Protection Guidelines REVISED JANUARY 2016
Rotary District 5020
Youth Protection Guidelines
REVISED JANUARY 2016
The audience for this presentation: this is for the general Rotary membership and should be presented once per year as per RI guidelines. It can also be used in conjunction with the Rotary Abuse and Harassment prevention training manual with Host families and exchange students as part of the their awareness and training. It does not replace the youth protection training parts 1 and 2 offered at DLTA and other locations each Rotary year which all club youth protection officers, youth exchange officers and ideally presidents should take.
This session is designed to cover training information for Clubs involved with any youth related activities and is not limited to Ryla, Youth Exchange etc. but rather any activities involving people defined as youth under the Rotary guidelines. (people younger then 18 years)
REMINDERS BEFORE DELIVERING CLUB YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING:
Have copies of the District Youth Protection Policy available for members. It is available on the District website.
Any questions that may come up that you cannot answer – write them down and forward to District Youth Protection Officer for assistance.
Have copies of the Club Checklist available for members.
Print a copy of the presentation with notes – the notes will assist with your presentation.
This is a brief overview of youth protection only!! .

2. Agenda Rotary Code of Conduct
Youth Programs covered under Youth Protection Policy Guidelines
District Policy Guidelines
Information on District and Youth Exchange Website
Rotary code of conduct, what is it and why? The purpose first and foremost is to protect youth to the best of Rotary’s ability.
The objective of this presentation is for the participant by its conclusion to have a basic understanding of:
1.Youth protection within Rotary District 5020
2.The risk management component of youth protection
3.That everyone has a role to play within our sacred trust to protect our youth.
4.What their role is within the scope of the program
5.What policies ,tools and support are available and how to locate them

3. Statement of Conduct for Working with Youth
Rotary District 5020 is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all who are involved in youth programs. It is the duty of Rotarians, Rotarian’s spouses and partners, and any other volunteers to safeguard to the best of their ability the welfare of and to prevent the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of young people with whom they come in contact.
This statement of conduct provides the basic principle for Rotarians to follow when working with young people in any capacity.  An abuse prevention program with specific plans and procedures will help to ensure that Rotarians and other volunteers exemplify this conduct.  In addition, such a proactive approach will further demonstrate Rotary’s commitment to youth, help prevent specific incidents of abuse or mitigate their negative effects, protect the long-term viability of youth programs, and strengthen the trust of participants and their parents.
District 5020 requires all clubs participating in youth activities within the district to comply with RI and District guidelines for abuse and harassment prevention.  In order to assist clubs with this task District 5020 has developed and approved Guidelines for Rotary Youth Programs. The district youth protection policy is available at the Rotary District 5020 Website under Avenues of Service, Youth Services , Youth protection
Recommend having current policy on computer desktop as well as a hard copy for review and discussion during presentation.

4. Rotary Youth Services
All club and district activities involving youth, including but not limited to:
Youth Exchange
RYLA
Rotaract
Interact
The type of activities your club is involved in will determine the selection and screening process for volunteers and Rotarians involved with youth. Any adult involved with Rotary youth activities who has continued contact with youth must undergo the selection and screening process. This includes any programs run by a Rotary club and does not have to be a specific Rotary program. All clubs involved in youth in ANY WAY should have a club youth protection officer. The level of work involved in that position is determined by the level and type of involvement on the part of the club.

5. District Policy Guidelines for Rotary Youth Programs
HIGHLIGHTS

6. Access and familiarity with District/Club Policy Guidelines
Volunteers – continued contact vs. casual contact
Screening Volunteers – continued contact involves: volunteer affidavit appendix B, interview in person, reference checks appendix C outlines the guidelines & appendix D are some sample questions, background/criminal record check appendix E includes Canadian and US information, attend training)
Access and familiarity with District/Club Policy Guidelines – all club members should have access to this information and it can be found on the District website under Youth Protection Information.
There are two types of volunteers which are defined as follows:
Continued Contact – includes club and district Youth Exchange Officers and Committee members, Rotarian Counselors, club members, non-Rotarians, spouses/partners hosting youth exchange students, host parents and any person living in the host family house that is 18 years or older. Continued Contact is defined as persons assigned to support Rotary functions i.e.. YEO Counselor, Interact Club Rep, person assigned to transportation of minors on the clubs behalf. These persons, as well as any adult who will have more than 72 hours of continuous contact, must be vetted (screened).
Casual Contact: Persons having casual contact are persons not directly responsible for the youth under age 18, but who might provide incidental transportation or invite a youth to an event such as dinner, movie, sports event, weekend activity, or other travel. Casual contact must be infrequent and incidental so that a regular pattern is not developed. Further, casual contact must take place in a group setting with no reasonably foreseeable risk of abuse or harassment. Persons having casual contact with youth are not required to be screened (i.e., not required to have volunteer applications or background checks). District 5020 recommends three or more people (any combination of students and adults) are present during any casual contact outing with a youth.
Screening Volunteers – The District Policy Guidelines outlines the selection and screening process for those volunteers with continued contact.

7. Club Youth Protection Officer Club Training – Youth Protection
Prohibited Persons
Club Youth Protection Officer
Club Training – Youth Protection
Reporting Allegations (detailed in appendix A)
Club Compliance
Club Checklist for Youth Programs
Prohibited Persons – A person prohibited from participating in a Rotary youth program is anyone who:
a) has been convicted of any offense, which resulted in harm to an individual, including, but not limited to assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment or neglect;
b) has been convicted of any offense which, in the opinion of the District Youth Policy Coordinator, suggests an unacceptable risk of harm to a person in the care of that individual;
c) is a person subject to a court order or decree prohibiting that person in being in contact with another individual or being at a specific location?
Club Youth Protection Officer – Responsible for risk management and due diligence of all programs involving the club’s youth activities. This includes, but not limited to Youth Exchange, RYLA, Rotaract, and Interact. The Club YPO is responsible for the documentation and safe keeping of records and to provide the District YPO with the Club Compliance Form (Appendix F) that shall be completed by the club President within 30 days of the new Rotary year. The Club YPO will also be responsible to provide necessary documentation to the District YPO for purposes of auditing compliance. Duties include ensuring all adults with continued contact with youth are vetted (screened) using appropriate protocols.
Club Training – Youth Protection – should be done annually – this PowerPoint presentation (slides and notes) is available on the District website and should assist you in providing this training.
Reporting Allegations: A youth involved in a Rotary program may report an allegation of abuse to an adult. This adult must immediately contact the Club Youth Protection Officer, who in turn must immediately contact the District Youth Protection Officer whose name and contact information is available on the district website The Youth Protection Officer will then contact the District Governor, the Rotary Club President, and other district leaders, where appropriate. The District Youth Protection Officer must ensure the procedures described in the Youth Protection Recording and Reporting Guidelines (Appendix A) are followed. In the event of an allegation please refer to the abuse and harassment prevention guide.

8. THANK YOU!!!
QUESTIONS????????
For more information contact Ron Fisher District 5020 Youth Protection Officer at
It is the duty of each club to appoint a Club Youth Protection Officer who will ensure club members comply with the statements within these guidelines. The District YPO will also monitor District clubs’ compliance via the timely submission of the District Club Compliance Forms. All clubs that wish to participate in youth programs must comply with the guidelines described in this document and the attached Appendix A. At a minimum, the District YPO shall submit a quarterly report to the District Continuity Team at least two weeks prior to each District Council meeting.
Club Compliance – The incoming president for each Rotary Club must be aware of the District/Club Youth Policy Guidelines and send in the signed club compliance form to the District Youth Protection Officer by July 3lst each year. This will ensure the necessary information regarding Youth Protection is being passed on from year to year.
Club Checklist – This document will assist Club Youth Protection Coordinator and club President by outlining the club’s responsibilities and duties with regards to Youth Protection.
Once again these forms are on the District website under avenues of service, youth services, youth protection.
For more information please contact the District Youth Protection Officer whose contact information is also on the website under youth protection.