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Appropriate Physical Interactions Appropriate Verbal Interactions
• Side hugs • Positive reinforcement
• Shoulder-to-shoulder or “temple” hugs • Appropriate jokes
• Pats on the shoulder or back • Encouragement
• Handshakes • Praise
• High-fives and hand slapping
• Verbal praise Inappropriate Verbal Interactions
• Pats on the head when culturally appropriate • Name-calling
• Touching hands, shoulders, and arms • Discussing sexual encounters or in any way involving
• Arms around shoulders youths in the personal problems or issues of staff
• Holding hands (with young children in escort situations) and volunteers
• Secrets
Inappropriate Physical Interactions • Cursing

• Full-frontal hugs • Off-color or sexual jokes
• Kisses • Shaming
• Showing affection in isolated area • Belittling
• Lap sitting • Derogatory remarks
• Wrestling • Harsh language that may frighten, threaten
• Piggyback rides or humiliate youths
• Tickling • Derogatory remarks about the youth or
• Allowing a youth to cling to an employee’s or his/her family
volunteer’s leg
• Any type of massage given by or to a youth Appropriate Electronic Communication
• Any form of affection that is unwanted by the youth or • Sending and replying to emails and text messages
the staff or volunteer from youths only when copying in a supervisor or
• Compliments relating to physique or body development the youth’s parent
• Touching bottom, chest, or genital areas • Communicating through “organization group pages”
on Facebook or other approved public forums
Appropriate Outside Contact • “Private” profiles for staff and volunteers which youths
• Taking groups of youths on an outing cannot access
• Attending sporting activities with groups of youths
• Attending functions at a youth’s home, with par- Inappropriate Electronic Communication
ents present • Harsh, coercive, threatening, intimidating, shaming,
derogatory, demeaning or humiliating comments
Inappropriate Outside Contact • Sexually oriented conversations

• Taking one youth on an outing without the parents’ • Private messages between staff and volunteers
written permission with youths
• Visiting one youth in the youth’s home, without a • Posting pictures of organization participants on social
parent present media sites
• Entertaining one youth in the home of staff or volunteers • Posting inappropriate comments on pictures
• A lone youth spending the night with staff or volunteers • “Friending” participants on social networking sites

Additional Guidelines for One-on-One Interactions
• When meeting one-on-one with a youth, always do so • Inform other staff and volunteers that you are alone
in a public place where you are in full view of others. with a youth and ask them to randomly drop in.
• Avoid physical affection that can be misinterpreted. • Document and immediately report any unusual
Limit affection to pats on the shoulder, high-fives, incidents, including disclosures of abuse or mal-
and handshakes. treat ment, behavior problems and how they were
• If meeting in a room or office, leave the door open or handled, injuries, or any interactions that might
move to an area that can easily be observed by others. be misinterpreted.

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