I help lead a large co-op that consistently runs into issues of parents allowing their children to play outdoors, unsupervised during non-class time (lunch, socials, etc.). In our handbook, and as soon as they join, we ask parents to always monitor their kids, but many send their children outside to play while eating lunch. Our location doesn’t have a closed campus; it is next to a busy road.
We’ve asked the parents to sign an additional waiver releasing our leaders and the host church from liability, but many parents didn’t want to do that. What’s the best way to manage this situation?
Good for you to be concerned about keeping children safe during co-op and for being aware of the potential liability for your co-op and your host facility!
The word “ask” jumped right out at me. Ask means they have a choice. I’ll push back a little here. If it is really about the safety of children, risk management, and liability, should you really give them a choice? I wouldn’t! You already have apolicy in place, but parents are treating it as optional. As long as you allow them to do that, this will continue to be a problem. You’ll need to make some changes.
Why You Need to Enforce Your Policy
Take a deep breath. Sometimes leaders avoid strict enforcement of policies because it appears authoritarian. Sometimes co-op members will argue with leaders or refuse to comply. That really increases the level of conflict and discomfort for leaders. The problem is that not enforcing the policy has these potential big consequences:
- Children are at risk. If an injury occurs and children are not supervised, there could be a delay in treatment which could make the injury worse. Children, especially younger children, are notorious for becoming distracted. They may wander or pay less attention to their surroundings.
- The facility may be at risk for damages. If there is an injury, the family’s health insurance provider will usually ask where the injury occured and will seek to have the claim covered by the church’s insurance policy. Could this put you at risk for losing your facility? It might.
- Your co-op may be at risk. The family’s health insurance provider may also ask why the child was at the facility and then seek to have your co-op’s insurance company cover the claim.
- If your co-op has liability insurance, they may ask what your policies are regarding child safety. If you’re not enforcing the policy, that might impact whether they’ll pay the claim or not.
- If your co-op doesn’t have liability insurance, the insurance provider may pursue your co-op for reimbursement of the claim. Yikes!
Once your leaders understand this, it’s likely they’ll all agree that the discomfort of enforcing the policy is worth it. Having to potentially deal with any of these consequences is scarier than enforcing a policy!
Next Steps
Once your leaders are in agreement, you’ll need to decide how to proceed. I suggest you seek support from your host facility, speak to your insurance company, and then revise your policy to include what happens if parents don’t comply. It is especially important to have consequences and be prepared to enforce those. Since enforcing the policy is a major change, expect people to forget or maybe even test the policy.
Seek Support From Your Host Facility
Ask your host facility if they have any requirements about children being supervised when outdoors. They may be assuming that the children are already adequately supervised. If they have requirements about supervision, this will lend some weight to your decision to enforce your policy. Parents will have no choice but to supervise their children or the children remain indoors. No exceptions, no compromise, because it is a facility requirement. You could ask the facility to provide you with a letter that outlines their child supervision policy, requirements, or expectations. If they provide one, attach it to the policy you’re revising so everyone is clear about the expectations.
Speak to Your Insurance Company
You may want to speak to your insurance company (or an insurance professional if you don’t have liability insurance) to find out if your co-op would be at increased risk for a claim if the child playing outdoors was unsupervised. Your insurance company may require and be able to provide you with a waiver for parents to sign, if that is an alternative. Make complying with your supervision policy and/or signing the waiver a requirement for participating in your co-op.
Revise Your Policy and Communicate It
Your obligation, as leaders, is to set policies that will protect the co-op from liability. Enforcing this policy is a change from what you’re doing. Make sure your revised policy defines what happens if parents do not comply. Establish a system to enforce that. Be clear about the consequences. Will the family be terminated from the co-op? While that may sound harsh, it is worth considering if their non-compliance will put your co-op at increased risk for either a claim or for losing your host facility. How will you monitor whether parents are supervising their children outdoors? How will you let parents know that they have violated the policy? How will you commmunicate the consequences?
Once your policy is finalized, have an in-person conversation with all of parents. Be clear about what the policy is, why it exists, and why it will now be strictly enforced. If you share the information you have about how lack of supervision puts many at risk, you may find that parents have few objections.
Be clear that complying with this policy isn’t optional. Make sure to get an acknowledgement from each parent that they have been told about the policy and they understand it. The choice available to the parent is whether or not they choose to continue in the co-op.
Communicate frequently about this policy, especially when the policy is new and also when new families are joining. Make sure to include it in your policy handbook, if you have one.
Enforce Your Policy
This is the challenging part. Make sure to be consistent. Remember that this enforcing this policy helps keep everyone safe by reducing risk. It helps keep the children, your facility, and your co op safe.
If a family will not comply with your policies, they should find a different co-op.