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by Chris Rollins
The summer season is over and you've probably taken a deep breath and
let out a long sigh. As you reflect over the summer and its problems,
you realize that most of them, though challenging, were manageable because
you were prepared. There may have been a few that you never saw coming
or those that took on a life of their own because they weren't managed
properly. So, like most years, you say to yourself, "I'll cover
that in training next year."
Preparing staff training in this reactive way, however, does not work
as well as a systematic approach to identifying and planning for areas
of risk. The best way to manage risk is through staff education and training
and by a pro-active crisis plan to manage unforeseen problems as they
arise. Staff members play an important role in risk management and each
member of the staff should see him or herself as a risk manager. Your
staff must feel responsible for themselves, the campers, and the environment
in which they work.
Identifying Risks
When identifying areas of risk that need to be covered in precamp training,
a helpful question to ask yourself is, "How can campers be hurt
doing. . . ?" and then list your programs and the activities you
offer. For example, many camps offer swimming, boating, horseback riding,
arts and crafts, nature, sports, trips, archery, or riflery. In each
of these activities campers can hurt themselves or be hurt by objects
or other people handling equipment. Other areas of risk that might not
be so easily seen or taken into account are native animals, plants and
insects, or the danger that one child poses to another.
Listing specific things that may cause risk is the first, necessary
step. However, looking at the broader picture of categories of risk allows
you to manage risk in an orderly fashion and will keep you from planning
for a specific event instead of planning for the risk itself. Two of
the largest categories of risk for camps are relationships and program
activities.
Relationships as a Risk
The category of relationships may be the easiest area of risk to overlook,
the hardest to plan for, and yet one of the most damaging to the organization
if problems occur. Three areas of concern in this category include child-to-child,
staff-to-child, and staff-to-staff.
Children can cause verbal, physical, and emotional harm to themselves
and others. Name calling and teasing can rise to the level of abuse both
verbally and emotionally and often escalate to physical abuse. Another
form of emotional abuse stems from a bully situation or when groups of
campers may exclude one or more campers because of religion, gender,
or race. These two categories are difficult to prevent because much of
the interaction between campers goes on out of sight of staff members.
Staff members may also cause verbal, physical, and emotional abuse to
campers, peers, and themselves. Combating these harms takes diligent
recruiting efforts, adequate training methods, and proper monitoring.
Removing the risk
Taking risk out of relationships begins with the recruitment of qualified staff.
The interview process must include questions and role-playing situations,
which put potential staff members into conflict situations. From their responses,
the interviewer can evaluate the candidate's ability to interact appropriately
with campers and peers. Many states also provide free or low-cost child abuse
screening processes for potential staff members and will notify the organization
if the staff member has been involved in a child abuse case. Using these
methods and similar ones will provide the best possible candidates for your
summer staff.
Teaching appropriate behavior
After the best staff are chosen, they must be educated on what is and is not
appropriate conduct. You must not assume that staff know what is and is not
appropriate language, actions, and touching.
During staff training, define appropriate words, actions, behaviors,
and language the staff may use in the camp setting. Just as your camper
population comes from all different backgrounds and family situations,
so to do your staff. Staff may be unable to recognize a potential serious
conflict arising between campers because counselors' personal lives have
given them a skewed set of definitions for appropriate behavior. For
example, appropriate touching in a family setting may include kissing,
hugging, even intimate contact, yet each of these actions may or may
not be appropriate for the camp setting. Also, remember physical abuse
is not limited to striking someone hard enough to cause a bruise.
Defining appropriate touching
Appropriate and inappropriate touching, language, and actions must be defined
for all staff on a larger scale. For example, a definition for appropriate
touching may include physical contact for the express purpose of nurturing
the person touched. The touch is given to convey approval, reassurance, and
trust with no expectations of anything in return, and the toucher always
takes into account the touchees level of comfort.
Conversely, a definition of inappropriate touching may include physical
contact that violates the touchee's comfort level and is achieved through
the use of power on the part of the toucher. It is given or forced for
the primary satisfaction of the toucher and may also include intentional
or unintentional injury.
For another example, let's analyze two forms of child abuse: corporal
punishment and neglect. All camps disallow forms of corporal punishment,
i.e., no physical harm can be done to a child. Most staff would understand
this before camp begins. However, many staff may not be aware that neglect
is a form of child abuse. Making a camper do jumping jacks because she
was not quiet in line may do as much emotional damage as making her stand
in the rain alone because she was late for a meal. Also, ignoring a child
who seems to need more attention than all the other campers combined
could be viewed as neglect. Many staff may not see these examples as
forms of child abuse before precamp training.
Getting the most from precamp training
These definitions and others dealing with appropriate and inappropriate conduct
need to be given to the staff during precamp training. Small and large group
discussion on these topics and role-playing situations should be acted out.
Only after staff have the time to absorb and practice using these new ways
of interaction are they ready to meet and interact with campers.
Other prevention tips include training staff in observation techniques
so they learn how to detect physical abuse. Likewise, staff members should
be aware of general group dynamics so that they can observe the way in
which their group of campers forms their social ties. They will then
be able to head off the bully or loner camper.
Finally, to reinforce the seriousness of these matters, place questions
in the staff job evaluations to indicate whether the staff member has
appropriately conducted themselves in front of campers and staff and
whether they have been able to minimize the risk of camper-to-camper
situations.
Program Activities as a Risk
The second category of risk, program activities, is manageable as well,
as long as staff are trained to approach each activity in a preventive
manner.
First, examine the time of day different activities are scheduled. Staff
need to be aware that on any given day there should be a balance of low-energy
activities and moderate-to-high energy activities. Injuries are more
likely to occur in high-energy activities when children are too warm,
too tired, or hungry. For example, after breakfast moderate activities
such as playing games in the meadow or going on a scavenger hunt would
be a good way to start the day and get campers ready for a more high-energy
activity.
After warming up, swimming, hiking, or other high-energy activities
would be appropriate. Just before lunch, when the campers' blood sugar
is low, have them do chores around the unit, go to arts and crafts, or
participate in other low-risk, low-energy activities. After lunch, the
cycle should be repeated so at the end of the day the day's activity
levels reflect a roller-coaster pattern.
Fourth-day syndrome
Staff should also take into account fourth-day syndrome. As defined by Linda
E. Erceg, R.N., president of the association of camp nurses, fourth-day syndrome
reflects the fact that the fourth day of camp produces the most trips to
the health center.
On the first day of camp, campers arrive having not slept very well
the night before because of a mix of anxiety and excitement about camp.
That first day is full of different emotions for campers. They've left
the safety of their parents and their world has been turned upside down.
As a result, campers usually sleep less the first night of camp than
they did the night before.
During the second day of camp, campers want to experience everything,
and they run on full steam. By the third day, campers are sleep deprived,
and their immune system is low. They probably haven't eaten a well-balanced
diet either, living off of peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for the
last few meals. By the fourth day, campers wake up with sore throats,
headaches, stomachaches, and are generally overtired.
Fourth-day syndrome is easily preventable, however. If you make adjustments
to the second and third day schedules to provide for the physical needs
of campers, you will have a happier and healthier camp. Plan more moderate
activities and rest periods so campers' bodies can recover from the stress
caused by the first three days of camp, and you will have fewer campers
in the health center.
Staff as active risk managers
Beyond scheduling and regulating the activity level of the campers' programs,
staff need to become active managers of risk in their specific program areas.
Each staff member should be trained on the risks his specific program poses
for campers and staff. Encourage staff to examine the activities and provide
suggestions on how to reduce risk to their supervisors. After approval of
their suggestions, staff should implement the changes.
The ability to recognize risky
activities and eliminate or minimize the risks for themselves, peers, and campers
should be part of staff members' job descriptions and included in the review
process. Questions to place on the performance review may take a form of:
- Does this person manage the activity to eliminate
or minimize risk?
- Does this person manage the cabin group to
maintain the health and safety of the group?
- Does this person manage their health and
safety to maintain job effectiveness?
All managers should be given the opportunity to brainstorm ways to reduce
risk. They should constantly monitor their staff for behaviors that reduce
and increase the opportunity for incidents to occur. Statistics of incidents
need to be kept for each program area. If a suggestion is made and changes
to the program occur, statistics from before and after the change need
to be compared. The data should be used to determine the value of the
suggestion.
Reducing risk in relationships and activities at camp requires recruiting
qualified staff, educating them on appropriate behavior while at camp,
and training them to become risk identifiers and managers. By spending
time looking at the specific areas of your program, you should be able
to reduce risks for campers and staff.
s.
Originally published in the 1998 September/October
issue of Camping Magazine. |
