Standards of Behavior
STAFF STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR
The safety of youth participating in any KWE program is paramount. Above all else, KWE values and promotes healthy child development.
KWE has standards of behavior for conduct and relationships with all youth participants, year-round, on and off KWE property. These standards apply to all adults interacting with youth participants, including employees, contractors, volunteers, parents, and any other third party interacting with youth participants in connection with our programs. They are clearly outlined in KWE’s Employee Handbook, the Summer Camp Family Handbook, and are an integral part of all staff training.
These Standards of Behavior apply to all conduct and relationships with all youth participants, year-round, on and off KWE property. These Standards apply to all adults interacting with youth participants, including employees, contractors, volunteers, parents, and any other third party interacting with youth participants in connection with our programs.
- Roles: Adults are required to maintain clear and appropriate roles when interacting with children.
- Serve as a role model.
- Act consistently with your appropriate adult role, such as counselor, educator, staff, coordinator, director, or other representative of KWE.
- Avoid acting as a peer or alternative parent.
- Boundaries: Set and promote awareness of appropriate boundaries in all relationships with children.
- Establish and maintain healthy boundaries to ensure interactions with children are safe, healthy, and positive.
- Be alert to the comfort zones of different children and how culture and identity might affect perceptions of boundaries.
- When possible and practicable, adult and youth interactions should be within hearing or sight range of another adult.
- Power: Use your influence and authority to promote the healthy development of children.
- Be alert to the imbalance of power between adults and children.
- Use your influence to promote the healthy development of children.
- Put the wellbeing and emotional needs of the children before your own.
- Accountability: Be accountable for your own and other adults’ interactions with children.
- Always act in the best interest of children.
- Take responsibility for the impact of your actions on children and others.
- Seek and accept assistance for personal issues before they impact children.
- Actively support others in the efforts to meet these Standards of Behavior.
- Promptly address or report concerns about adherence to these Standards of Behavior to your supervisor, the Healthcare & Risk Director, the Director, or the Executive Director.
- Avoid any conversations of a sexual nature with children. This includes conversations that involve sexual banter or questions about a child’s dating relationships, or other conversations that are flirtatious or have a romantic tone.
- Do not use inappropriate language, share risque jokes or photos, engage in gossip or overly familiar conversations with children.
- Avoid addressing children or allowing children to address adults with personalized terms of endearment, pet names, or otherwise in an overly familiar manner.
- The knowledge you possess and the experiences you have had can be very powerful influences upon youth participants. Anything you have done, and tell them about, will be immediately endorsed as acceptable or desirable, because you did it; and you are a role model. Do not discuss your own personal problems or activities (particularly personal relationships, sexual activities, use of drugs/alcohol, or other unlawful or controversial activities) with children.
- Avoid adopting an “emotional welfare role” beyond the scope of your role for KWE.
- Do not promise to keep secrets and never ask a child to keep secrets for you. Youth participants should know you are an advocate and that you will always prioritize their safety; employees working directly with youth are Mandated Reporters and must meet the legal requirements of that role.
STAFF STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR
The safety of youth participating in any KWE program is paramount. Above all else, KWE values and promotes healthy child development.
KWE has standards of behavior for conduct and relationships with all youth participants, year-round, on and off KWE property. These standards apply to all adults interacting with youth participants, including employees, contractors, volunteers, parents, and any other third party interacting with youth participants in connection with our programs. They are clearly outlined in KWE’s Employee Handbook, the Summer Camp Family Handbook, and are an integral part of all staff training.
STAFF STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR
These Standards of Behavior apply to all conduct and relationships with all youth participants, year-round, on and off KWE property. These Standards apply to all adults interacting with youth participants, including employees, contractors, volunteers, parents, and any other third party interacting with youth participants in connection with our programs.
- Roles: Adults are required to maintain clear and appropriate roles when interacting with children.
- Serve as a role model.
- Act consistently with your appropriate adult role, such as counselor, educator, staff, coordinator, director, or other representative of KWE.
- Avoid acting as a peer or alternative parent.
- Boundaries: Set and promote awareness of appropriate boundaries in all relationships with children.
- Establish and maintain healthy boundaries to ensure interactions with children are safe, healthy, and positive.
- Be alert to the comfort zones of different children and how culture and identity might affect perceptions of boundaries.
- When possible and practicable, adult and youth interactions should be within hearing or sight range of another adult.
- Power: Use your influence and authority to promote the healthy development of children.
- Be alert to the imbalance of power between adults and children.
- Use your influence to promote the healthy development of children.
- Put the wellbeing and emotional needs of the children before your own.
- Accountability: Be accountable for your own and other adults’ interactions with children.
- Always act in the best interest of children.
- Take responsibility for the impact of your actions on children and others.
- Seek and accept assistance for personal issues before they impact children.
- Actively support others in the efforts to meet these Standards of Behavior.
- Promptly address or report concerns about adherence to these Standards of Behavior to your supervisor, the Healthcare & Risk Director, the Director, or the Executive Director.
- Avoid any conversations of a sexual nature with children. This includes conversations that involve sexual banter or questions about a child’s dating relationships, or other conversations that are flirtatious or have a romantic tone.
- Do not use inappropriate language, share risque jokes or photos, engage in gossip or overly familiar conversations with children.
- Avoid addressing children or allowing children to address adults with personalized terms of endearment, pet names, or otherwise in an overly familiar manner.
- The knowledge you possess and the experiences you have had can be very powerful influences upon youth participants. Anything you have done, and tell them about, will be immediately endorsed as acceptable or desirable, because you did it; and you are a role model. Do not discuss your own personal problems or activities (particularly personal relationships, sexual activities, use of drugs/alcohol, or other unlawful or controversial activities) with children.
- Avoid adopting an “emotional welfare role” beyond the scope of your role for KWE.
- Do not promise to keep secrets and never ask a child to keep secrets for you. Youth participants should know you are an advocate and that you will always prioritize their safety; employees working directly with youth are Mandated Reporters and must meet the legal requirements of that role.