[endorsed by Executive Council, March 23/05]

Introduction
Numerous children's camps are offered on the UW campus each year. UW's involvement varies from the actual organizing and running of the camps, to the renting of its facilities to third parties. Camps provide wonderful opportunities for children to use UW facilities and services within a safe and regulated environment. It is the University's desire to continue to facilitate the variety of quality camps offered, recognizing the safety issues when participants of a young age are involved. The purpose of this guide is to establish requirements for the planning and operation of safe and enjoyable camps on campus.

Definitions
A camp is any organized activity or event that is programmed and conducted for recreational and/or instructional purposes for a group of children under 18 years of age.

There are two types:

An external camp is defined as above but is not organized or run by UW employees within the course of their University responsibilities.

A university camp is organized and/or operated by UW employees. While University camps can be related to the mission of an academic unit, they are not part of the offerings designed for university degree students. [Note: Job shadow opportunities or outreach programs offered as part of an academic program are not considered university camps.]

Emergency/Serious Occurrence - is one which involves a death, a serious injury, a disaster, an alleged abuse or mistreatment of a child, a situation where a child is lost for any extended period of time (i.e., more than one hour).

Reportable Occurrence - is one which gives rise to any safety concern or to a statutory reporting obligation. Examples include Health and Safety regulations, and offences under the Child and Family Services Act of Ontario. The report to be completed will depend upon the incident.

Support Services
UW support services are available to assist if needed; they should be considered when designing policies and procedures for camps.

University of Waterloo Police [ext. 22222 or (519) 888-4911] should be contacted for any emergency. For a medical emergency, contact an ambulance at: 911 and then call UW Police.

Health Services [(519) 888-4096] can deal with less serious injuries. Health Services should also be called if there are concerns about an outbreak of communicable illnesses within the camp. Health Services is open year-round, Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30, and will see campers for treatment or referral who are injured at the University. If a camp wishes to use this service as part of a safety plan, Health Services must be advised prior to the commencement of the camp. Camps will be responsible for the provision of necessary emergency information required by Health Services.

Safety Office [(519) 888-4567 ext. 33587] must be involved in the case of injury of a participant, staff member, or visitor. Incident/injury forms are available from this office and are to be submitted by fax [(519) 886-8082]. In-house first-aid reports should be maintained. The Safety Office can provide advice on the design and filing of these reports.

Approval Process for new Camps
The supporting documentation described below must be submitted to and approved by the appropriate Dean, Associate Provost or delegate prior to the camp being advertised. Ongoing camps do not have to submit full packages every year but are required to provide a declaration to the appropriate Dean, Associate Provost or delegate that the requirements in these Guidelines and the associated Checklist have been met.

Supporting Documentation Required
All University and external camps must provide information to satisfy the following requirements:

Notification. Camp directors are responsible for notifying Health Services, Safety Office, and the UW Police of the camp.

Accountability. Each camp must provide contact information for camp organizers and managers as well as those responsible for emergency situations while the camp is in operation.

Responsibility for Campers. The camp must have appropriate procedures to address safety issues which may arise. These must include, but are not limited to appropriate sign-in/sign-out procedures which include information on who has the authority to sign out a child, identification information, procedures for monitoring campers' whereabouts, procedures for dealing with special needs campers (e.g. procedures for administering medication) and procedures for lost campers. See the attached Checklist and Appendices for examples of forms.

Emergency Protocols. Procedures for addressing emergency/serious occurrences must be identified. Camps should also be well prepared for potential dangers (e.g. severe storms, fire alarms). Written procedures for emergencies must be appended to the application. All emergency/serious occurrences must be reported to the UW Police immediately. The Police will take responsibility for informing the appropriate authorities on campus. See the attached Checklist and Appendices for Procedures and Report. The Report must be submitted to the UW Police within 24 hours of the incident.

Safety of Children. Camps need to provide documentation detailing the risks particular to their camp (e.g., athletic activities, exposure to chemicals or animals, participation in research, operation of equipment) and provide evidence that appropriate procedures and training have been established to address those risks. Camps must also have procedures in place to ensure that children with special needs are provided with a safe experience. All safety procedures should be written down and be accessible to staff at all times. Examples of Procedures: administering of medication, dealing with severe allergies.

Proof of sufficient staff, CPR and First Aid training will also be required.

All camp volunteers 18 years of age or older who may have direct contact with children must have criminal checks completed.

All staff are required to adhere to the Legislated Reporting Requirements of Child and Family Services Act.

Checklist. All Camps must conform to the requirements noted on the UW Children's Camps on Campus Checklist.

Release forms may be needed for certain activities.

1) Camps engaged in any research involving human subjects must undergo prior ethics review and clearance through the Office of Research Ethics. This process is intended to ensure that projects comply with established guidelines to ensure that the safety, rights and welfare of participants are adequately protected.

2) Parental consent must be obtained for:

• the use of pictures involving campers for publicity/advertising and registration materials; and
• if the camp is going on a specific field trip or engaging in any other activity that is not described in registration materials that will take the children off UW property.

3) In keeping with confidentiality legislation, no personal information regarding campers may be released without written consent from parents/guardian.