What Would You Do?

Monday, January 29th, 2018

Imagine this scenario: You are a staff member at a youth camp, and a parent approaches you with questions about your showering policies. You look through your policies but can’t find anything related to the topic. What do you do?

First, don’t panic. It’s not unusual for policies to be incomplete in one area or another. However, take action immediately and put the policy in writing so there is no confusion. Perpetrators look for situations where adults and children or youth shower together, such as mission trips, travel, retreats, and other overnight fellowship.

Bottom line: As a policy, adults and children/youth should not shower together or at the same time. However, in times of limited resources, such as on a mission trip, there may be a need to make an exception to this rule. In limited circumstances, everyone should wear swimwear while showering so you can potentially eliminate a compromising situation.

Policies don’t prevent inappropriate behavior, but they do help with risk management and when training staff and volunteers. Don’t let anything slip through the cracks!