Ohio 4-H Volunteer Information
Youth Protection Policy and Guidelines

SCREENING AND TRAINING OF EXTENSION PERSONNEL AND VOLUNTEERS

• Volunteers (age 18 and over) working directly with youth and having two or more contacts per year with youth will acknowledge by signing the Ohio 4-H Volunteer Standards of Behavior that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by the Youth Protection Policy and Guidelines. Extension personnel and staff will acknowledge by signing the attached Agreement Form that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by the Youth Protection Policy and Guidelines.
• At the discretion of each County Chair and appropriate staff, a criminal record check pertaining to any prior child abuse, felony, domestic violence, petty theft, etc. may be conducted and placed in his/her personnel file prior to the involvement of any or all potential Extension personnel and volunteers who work with youth.
• All Extension personnel, staff and volunteers will be provided appropriate materials and orientation on the following:
  • Youth Protection Policy and Guidelines of Ohio State University Extension,
  • Identifying signs of possible child abuse and/or endangerment, and
  • Legal requirements for responding to the suspicion of child abuse.

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUTH

• Extension personnel, staff and volunteers will endeavor to provide safe and healthy programs for youth. In cases of illness or injury, youth will be treated on site by an appropriate health care provider or taken to an appropriate health care provider if necessary, when a parent or guardian is not available for consultation.
• Extension personnel, staff and volunteers are encouraged to avoid, where possible, being alone with a single youth, including sharing sleeping quarters with non-related youth.
• Extension personnel, staff and volunteers will not, under any circumstances, discipline youth by the use of physical punishment or by failure to provide the basic necessities of care, such as food or shelter.

REPORTING PROCEDURES

• According to Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.421 anyone may report child abuse or neglect to the Children Services Board. In addition, this law also imposes upon the following persons a legal reporting obligation by stating that such persons "when acting in their official or professional capacity are required by law to report knowledge or suspicion that a child under eighteen years of age or a physically or mentally handicapped child under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child:
  • attorney
  • physician, including a hospital intern or resident, dentist, podiatrist, practitioner of a limited branch of medicine or surgery
  • registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, visiting nurse, other health care professional
  • licensed psychologist, licensed school psychologist
  • speech pathologist or audiologist
  • coroner • administrator or employee of a child day-care center, administrator or employee of a certified child care agency or other public or private children services agency
  • school teacher, school employee, school authority
  • social worker
  • person rendering spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religion.
• Although Ohio State University Extension professionals are not listed in number seven, O.S.U. Extension encourages all Extension personnel, staff and volunteers to report forthwith, either by telephone or in person, suspected cases to the Children Services Board, the County Department of Human Services exercising the Children Services function, or a Municipal or County Peace Officer in the county in which the abuse or neglect is suspected to have occurred. (Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.421 (A) and (B)).
• When Extension personnel, staff or volunteers file a report as described in paragraph eight, such person shall then immediately inform: either the Agent responsible for the program, and/or the County Chair, or their immediate supervisor about the incident so reported.
• This information shall proceed through Ohio State University Extension administration until the District Director, the appropriate Assistant Director, Associate Director and Director have been informed of the situation.
• Ohio law provides that anyone reporting suspected child abuse or participating in a judicial proceeding resulting from such reports, is immune from any civil or criminal liability that otherwise might be imposed as a result of such actions when taken in good faith. (Ohio Revised Code Section 2l5l.42l(G)).
• A person who knowingly makes or causes another person to make a false report that alleges that any person has committed an act or omission that resulted in a child being an abused or a neglected child is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. (Ohio Revised Code Sections 2151.421(H)(3) and 2921.14).
• Extension personnel and volunteers will be familiar with and follow the reporting procedure described by Ohio law, including reporting the names and addresses of the youth and his/her parent(s) or the person(s) having custody of the youth, if known; the youth's age and nature and extent of known or suspected injuries, abuse or neglect or of the known or suspected threat of injury, abuse, or neglect; and any information that might be helpful in establishing the cause of the known or suspected injury, abuse, or neglect (Ohio Revised Code Section 2l5l.42l(C)).
• Extension personnel, staff and volunteers shall not contact the parent(s) and youth involved in a reported suspected child abuse incident unless instructed to do so by appropriate legal authorities.
• When an incident that involves Extension personnel, staff, or volunteer is reported to Children Services Board, the County Department of Human Services exercising the Children Services function, or the appropriate Municipal or County Peace Officer, the immediate supervisor in consultation with the appropriate Extension administrator, will remove the person from all activities involving direct contact with youth until the matter is resolved.
• Extension personnel, staff and volunteers will handle suspected child abuse information in a confidential manner. Involved Extension personnel, staff and volunteers will discuss matters pertaining to suspected abuse with only the immediate supervisor and the Children Services Board, the County Department of Human Services exercising the Children Services function, or the appropriate Municipal or County Peace Officer.

This policy has been approved by the Ohio State University Extension Administrative Cabinet, in consultation with Gary E. Brown, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Affairs, The Ohio State University.