Protection of Minors

In its continued commitment to ensure the well-being and safety of minors on campus, Rutgers University has rolled out the Protection of Minors Policy.

 

Rutgers defines a University-sponsored Program as a program or activity operated by an affiliated Rutgers Department or Rutgers student organization where the minors participating in the program are supervised by Rutgers Authorized Adults and Direct Contact Positions or Job Titles.  Additionally, section III B of our policy states that students who are at minimum 18-years-old and are participating in the program as either employees or volunteers may supervise minor participants, subject to the same background checks, reporting obligations and minimum standard of conduct provided herein.

All students hosting minors on campus that serve in a supervisory capacity should complete the Protection of Minors training, which explains that they have a duty to report suspected abuse or neglect of minors, and undergo a background check.

Student organizations that volunteer at locations off-campus should also be registered with the participants at a minimum completing our training course on how to report abuse/neglect and how to work effectively with minors.  If the community partner requires background checks through some other means other than a university human resources obtained check, then the program will have to let us know in advance so that we may apply a background check exemption to the program.  We do not wish to have student organizations pay multiple times for separate background check requirements.

As a reminder, under the provisions of the policy, Program Directors for all university-sponsored programs and non-university programs using Rutgers facilities involving minors[1] must comply with the following at least 3-4 weeks before their program begins:

  • Register programs involving minors with the University.
  • Ensure all staff, volunteers, and service providers complete the required 30-minute online training course.
  • Obtain tri-annual criminal background checks for all staff or volunteers who exercise responsibility over minors, as defined by the policy.
  • Adhere to all reporting obligations as required by the policy if abuse or neglect of a minor is suspected.

To assist Program Directors and Student Organizations with management of their programs and compliance with the above policy requirements, a new Protection of Minors (POM) Database has been created. Program Directors and Student Organization leaders may log-in to the database (using their net-ID and password) to complete the program registration, register their employees and volunteers for training, and initiate background checks.

 

Non-university programs must have a sponsoring department affiliated with the university to obtain access to university facilities and will need to contact the POM Steering Committee at pom@aps.rutgers.edu for access to the database.

 

Please be sure to designate one person per program to complete the program registration to prevent duplication of registrations and to avoid dual fees associated with initiating multiple background checks for the same person.

 

This policy applies to all administrators, staff, students and volunteers involved with minors on campus. It also applies to all university-sponsored programs including one-on-one mentoring scenarios; programs taking place at Rutgers; and programs under the direction and authority of the university at off-campus locations.

 

Each member of our community has a responsibility to support the protection of minors. Understanding your role and adhering to the policy requirements mentioned above is paramount toward providing the best possible experiences for children at Rutgers University.

 

For more information, visit protectminors.rutgers.edu.