Going Online with Youth

The way in which programs interact with youth has changed, but it’s important to understand that our risk responsibility has not. As programs navigate the technological landscape for connecting with your participants online, we encourage you to remember that the risk management standards remain the same whether in person or a virtual Campus Program for Minors.

Understanding the Requirements

The first step is to contact University Youth Programs. Each program will receive individualized risk assessments and specific information on what rules and regulations will still apply based on the activities of your program. Depending on the specifics of each program’s individual use of online platforms, a program may be required to complete a CPM Application or Events with Minors Application, Child Protection Training, Waivers, Background Checks, and other risk mitigation requirements. Remember that CPM Rules and Guidelines still apply, and additional privacy and online risk management issues should be addressed and documented for the safety of youth. Please contact University Youth Programs to discuss the details of how your program will be moving online via email at [email protected].

Please see the Privacy and Online Care of Youth sections on this page for risk management beyond the regular youth protection requirements.

Choosing the Right Platform

In order to ensure that you are following all university rules and SAPs, your program must use a platform that is under contract with Texas A&M and has been reviewed for privacy and security elements. Several platforms have already gone through the contract review process and are used by other departments. We recommend you reach out to your departments and colleges to find out about options for online program delivery.

Zoom

One of the most visible and highly used platforms is ZOOM. There are multiple ways to use ZOOM, and the platform is TAMU-approved. If you have not had the opportunity to review the settings, we highly recommend you familiarize yourself with your options on Zoom. You will find helpful information on Zoom practices below:

Accessibility

When selecting a platform, configuring the settings, and preparing the content for the online presentation of your programs, accessibility should be a high priority. Please be aware that potential accommodations will need to be made online, just like in-person activities. One example of accessibility that programs should consider is the ability of video conferencing platforms to provide accurate captions to instructions and/or conversations occurring in real time. Zoom uses an API (Application Programming Interface) called Rest to live stream the closed audio captions for Zoom meetings and webinars. The Division of Information Technology has provided resources for IT Accessibility that will be beneficial to all programs. For more information, see the links below:

Privacy

The widespread use of online interactions occurring in place of in-person activities adds an additional layer of risk. The myriad of unique risk exposures from online platforms include those specific to privacy and protection of identities and personal information, to name a few. Here are requirements, tips, and resources for programs to utilize to mitigate such risks:

Requirements

Forms

Online Care of Youth

While the landscape of youth programs has changed, the risk responsibility is still high. When planning your move to an online platform, please remember to document all the excellent risk mitigation plans you put in place for the duration of your program and each session’s specific activities.

Staff Expectations Online

One of the best places to start is by training your team to a high standard for supervising youth online. This is a key element to risk management, and depending on the format you choose to use, we recommend the following training topics:

Using age-appropriate language
No tolerance for bullying
Background image standards and reminder for staff to check their surroundings if they aren’t using a background image
Punctuality and staying online for the predetermined amount of time for the program
Any program-specific information your staff will need to know before beginning their online presence with youth.

We encourage you to consider creating a Behavioral Agreement that the staff can sign to show they’ve been trained and understand your expectations.

Additionally, the staff should be trained to report any behavior issues or incidents during the session. It is also the program’s responsibility to provide participants or parents/guardians a way to report any incident or activity they feel should be shared with the program sponsor. Once received from staff or participants, these reports must be submitted to UYP within 24 hours of occurring. As a reminder, even in an online capacity, all Texas A&M staff are mandatory reporters, so program staff should be aware of the steps taken if there is suspected abuse or neglect.

Program Planning

Program sponsors can find multiple resources for understanding the online risk landscape they will need to mitigate. University Youth Programs recommends that TAMU online youth programs set the following standards while planning program procedures.

Create a plan that requires at least two staff members to be present during all sessions with youth.
Both in a physical and virtual space, 1 to 1 correspondence should not occur. Practices that can reinforce this include ensuring a parent/guardian or additional program staff are included on correspondence with youth.

It is important to remember that no communication should occur in a one-to-one ratio!

As you move forward with planning and implementing online programs with youth, please remember to contact University Youth Programs. UYP can help you determine which requirements are needed for your program and how best to continue the high standard of youth protection expected of our programs at Texas A&M University.

Program Logistics