Instructor fastening rock climbing helmet to head of young student.

Youth Protection Program

Safeguarding positive engagement with minors at UC Davis

Policy PPM 290-31, Activities and Programs with Minors, was developed in order to provide consistent guidance and a structure that helps prevent untoward actions against minors, as well as allegations against the organization.

This policy does not apply to minors enrolled at UC Davis, nor does it apply to situations when minors participate in campus events under the supervision of a chaperone (e.g., K-12 school teacher). It recommends some of the most basic protections for minors, our faculty and staff, and the institution.

Some of the most common activities and programs involving minors and requiring registration include:

  • Youth Sports Athletic Camps and Clinics
  • Day Camps and Programs (non-sport)
  • Overnight Camps and Programs
  • Mentoring and Tutoring Programs
  • Outreach Programs
  • Community Service Activities
  • On-campus internships for minors
  • Recruitment Activities

Registration

  • Registration for activities and programs with minors must be completed annually and before an activity or program with minors begin.

Reporting Guidelines: Suspected Abuse of Minors MUST Be Reported

Any suspected abuse or neglect of a minor participant—whether on or off campus property or whether perpetrated by employees, volunteers, or others—must be reported to state authorities. 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.

Reports of suspected or known abuse must be made to the following:

  • If an imminent threat, contact UCD Police Department immediately or local law enforcement if off campus to intervene.
  • Report to immediate supervisor.
  • Immediately contact the local child protective agency.
    • Yolo County: (530) 669-2345 
    • Sacramento County: (916) 875-5437 
  • The report can also be made to any police or sheriff’s department. To reach campus police, call (530) 752-1230.
  • A written report must be mailed or faxed to the child protective agency within 36 hours of learning of the incident. Use the Suspected Child Abuse Report Form and the Definitions and General Instructions for Completion of Form SS 8572.
  • File an internal report with the University by first reporting observed or suspected child abuse or neglect to their supervisors or through the University Whistleblower Hotline. Supervisors who receive reports should promptly forward those reports to the Hotline. These internal reports may be made anonymously. After reporting to Hotline, immediately notify Chief Compliance Officer at (530) 752-9466 (wjdelmendo@ucdavis.edu).
  • When two or more persons are aware of an instance of abuse or neglect, and when there is an agreement among them, the report may be made by one of them.
  • The duty to report is individual. No one shall impede the reporting duties. No one shall be subject to any sanction for making a report.

Screening: Background Checks & Sex-Offender Registry

Employees - Staff, Faculty and Student

The following requirements for background checks are in addition to those addressed by PPSM 21, Exhibit D.

  • Authorized Persons who have a break in service for less than 6 months must disclose any arrests that occurred during the break before commencement of participation in activities and programs with minors. If a break in service is longer than 6 months, a new screening is required.
  • Authorized Persons without a break in service will be screened every three years.

Schedule a Background Check (Live Scan)

Nationwide Sex Offender Searches

Volunteers

Before volunteers can start, they must complete and clear a background check. The process is outlined below and explained in more detail in our Background Check Instructions for Applicants (.pdf)

  1. Complete the Background Check form (.pdf)
  2. Complete the Fax Transmittal page (.doc)
  3. Fax your completed materials to the number provided.

Training: Mandatory and Recommended

Mandatory

  • CANRA Training for Mandated Reporters - English   |   Spanish
    Every day children are abused and neglected in the United States. More than three million reports of child abuse are made every year and no one knows for sure how many reports should be made that aren't. And even worse, most abusers are known to their victims. Adults have a moral responsibility--and in many cases a legal responsibility-- to report suspected child abuse or neglect. In this course you will learn: - Why reporting suspected abuse and neglect is critical - What your legal responsibilities are to report suspected abuse and neglect - What types of conduct must be reported - How to report suspected abuse and neglect - How to respond if a child discloses abuse or neglect to you. 
  • Keeping Your Higher Education Program Safe
    Specifically designed for youth-serving higher education programs, this course teaches learners about appropriate boundaries, how to navigate high-risk situations, and best practices for responding and reporting inappropriate behavior and abuse.

 

Recommended for All
 

  • Safe Social Media
    Social media safety is a relevant topic for everyone who works with young people. In a short period of time, new technologies have revolutionized the way we all communicate. This course introduces guidelines for protecting the youths in your care when using social media and electronic communication. You will learn how to: 
    • Identify the risks of using social media and other forms of electronic communication
    • Follow policies and best practices governing the use of social media and electronic communication
    • Educate youths and parents about online safety
    • Respond appropriately to improper and illegal use of social media/electronic communication 

Recommended for Non-sport Day/Overnight Camps and Programs

Day camp can be a wonderful experience for kids. They make new friends, learn new skills, and increase their self-confidence. But not if they are abused at camp by a counselor or another peer. This course shows you where and when abuse is most likely to happen in a day camp setting and steps you can take to keep kids at day camp safe. 

Camp can be a wonder experience for kids - but it can be a high-risk situation for abuse by an adult staff member or a peer. You will learn the abuse risks at a residential camp, and how all employees and volunteers can make a difference.  

Recommended for Mentoring/Tutoring and Outreach Programs

This course educates learners on where and when abuse is to more likely occur in your schools and the specific steps schools can take to keep students safe. Learners also learn how to keep themselves and their coworkers safe from allegations of abuse. 

Recommended for Youth Sports, Athletic Camps and Clinics

This two-part course is designed to keep your athletes safe from abuse and to protect you from false allegations. By establishing appropriate boundaries, you can facilitate a healthy coach-athlete relationship. You will learn about six high-risk situations for keeping your athletes safe and how to manage them. This course will also teach you how to recognize and report boundary violations and allegations of abuse. 

Forms: waivers, emergency contact, authorization, incident report

Waiver of Liability: English (.pdf)   |   Spanish (.pdf)

Authorization to Consent to Treatment of Minor (.pdf)

Code of Conduct with Minors (.pdf)

Consent to Record (.pdf)

Emergency Info and Contacts for Minor (.pdf)

Incident Report (.pdf)

FAQs

Who will fund and provide resources for background checks?

Background checks for University activities and programs with minors is funded by the Common Goods Assessment. The Police department will continue conducting and administering background checks, and they are bolstering their capacity for timely turnaround.

What is the role of departments to ensure background checks are happening?

As defined in the proposed policy (IV.C.2), the Program Director is ultimately responsible to ensure background checks are in place for Authorized Personnel prior to accepting responsibility for minors.

Who is responsible if background checks are not completed?

As noted above, the Program Director is responsible.

What about “simple tours”?

The proposed policy governs activities and programs with minors in which parents or guardians are not expected to be responsible for their care, custody, or control. In the example of a tour wherein a minor is chaperoned by a guardian (i.e. school teacher) we, UC, are not in care, custody, or control of the minor and therefore the proposed policy does not apply.

What about laboratory activities?

The proposed policy complements the existing PPM 290-32, Minors in University Facilities (labs and shops) policy wherein background checks are required (IV.B.d.).