All Program Staff who work with Minors are required to complete an online training program regarding appropriate supervision and protection of Minors before beginning their work with Minors.
A list of key definitions for the Youth Protection Program is available here.
If you are a non-University organization sponsoring a program on University property, please view Third-Party/External Organizations.
As part of the program registration process, program administrators must provide a list of program staff participating in the program. A representative from the Youth Protection Oversight Committee will review the program staff list and contact the program administrator regarding directions on completing required training. Training should be completed two weeks prior to the program start date.
The training is conducted via Praesidium Academy and provides helpful information on preventing and reporting suspected child abuse, steps that should be taken to protect the wellbeing of minors, and appropriate supervision of minors. The training includes three separate modules, all of which need to be completed to comply with the training requirement:
- Meet Sam: In this course, you will learn the types of offenders and the methods they use to manipulate their coworkers, parents, and children-all to meet their own needs. You also learn how to spot interactions between adults and children that may indicate danger.
- It Happened to Me: In this course, you hear children and adults describe the devastating effects abuse had on their lives. You learn about the prevalence of abuse and specific characteristics that may put some children at higher risk of abuse.
- Duty to Report: Mandated Reporter: 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, and how to respond if a child discloses abuse or neglect to you.
Two optional trainings, Preventing Bullying and Social Media Safety are also available in staff training portals, but are not required for compliance with the policy. The Youth Protection Oversight Committee may recommend additional optional trainings based on the nature of the program to provide additional guidance regarding appropriate and inappropriate behaviors specific to their program.
Once training is successfully completed, program staff can print a certificate of completion to submit to program administrators.