Bathroom Activities
Most incidents of youth-to-youth abuse occur in the bathrooms. Therefore, the following supervision guidelines have been implemented:
When supervising restroom use, adult staff members should first quickly scan the bathroom before allowing youth to enter.
a. For “Group Bathroom Breaks”:
• Require staff to take groups of three or more to make trips the bathroom –following the “rule of three” or more.
• If the bathroom only has one stall, only one youth should enter the restroom while the others wait outside with the staff.
• If there are multiple stalls, only send in as many youth as there are stalls.
• Minimize youth of different ages using the bathroom at the same time.
• Require staff to stand outside the bathroom door but remain within earshot.
b. For single use restrooms:
• Require youth to ask permission to use the bathroom.
• Require all staff to frequently check bathrooms.
c. Prohibit staff from using the bathroom at the same time as youth.
d. If assisting young children in the stalls, the staff should keep the door to the stall open.
e. For diapering, the YMCA of Greater Dayton requires that all staff adhere to the diapering processes set forth by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Index: M18