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Office of the Provost

Programs Involving Minors

Early exposure to higher education, athletics, and university environments benefits participating Minors* while supporting the university's mission to serve the community. In all such programs where Minors are in the care and custody of the university, ensuring the safety of Minors is a priority.

*Minors are persons under the age of eighteen (18) who are not enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the university.

University members interacting with Minors must follow UNIV 4.00 [pdf] to protect Minors, the university, and university personnel. Program staff must pass a criminal background check and be appropriately trained in working with Minors. Programs must have approved procedures for safe practices and for detecting, preventing, and reporting suspected child abuse, injuries, and adverse events involving Minors. 

Program Registration

Every university program must register using the registration form. No program may begin, and no individuals may work with Minors before the registration is approved and the requirements outlined in the documents below have been met:

Youth and Teen Pre-University Programs Office

The Youth and Teen Pre-University Programs unit provides fee-based end-to-end services for events or camps involving Minors. Contact pups@mailbox.sc.edu to see if their services can meet your needs.

Required Background Checks

Before interacting with Minors, program staff and volunteers including students, faculty, staff and non-USC personnel must successfully pass a background check in accordance with HR 1.90 [pdf]. Related forms are available on the HR website. Contact background@sc.edu with any questions about the process, timeline and associated costs, and to check whether a background check is on file for any member of the program staff. Program Directors are responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy.

Training

Program Directors are responsible for delivering and documenting appropriate training to all program personnel particularly regarding expected behaviors with Minors, behavior management, safety and reporting practices.

Required Forms

Programs must ensure that campers complete and submit the following forms before the start of the program. While the program specific information on the forms, such as name, dates, nature of the program, contact information, may be changed, all other required elements of the forms must remain unchanged.

Additional Approvals

Emergency Plan

All programs must have an emergency plan including medical or environmental emergencies. Programs may choose to use and customize a Template [pdf], or contact University Law Enforcement & Safety for assistance.

Documentation

All documentation related to Minors must be kept securely on file for seven (7) years after program completion. All medical documentation must be maintained following HIPAA requirements.

Reporting

Injury: Any injuries that occur during the Program/Activity should be reported immediately by phone to 803-528-8191 or online using the Injury Report Form [pdf] or contact the EH&S department for guidance. 

Suspected Child Abuse: Any Program/Activity Staff or other individual who has reasonable cause to suspect child abuse, or simply has an idea or uneasy feeling about a possible abuse situation, should immediately report the situation to the following:

  1. Call 911 for emergencies;
  2. Call the USC police Dispatch at 803-777-4215;
  3. Report via email minors@email.sc.edu;
  4. Contact the Program/Activity Administrator.

By doing so, you are not necessarily making an accusation; you are merely reporting facts for trained professionals to evaluate and investigate. For more information on Reporting of Child Abuse, see the Department of Social Services' website.

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