Documentation

Documentation is necessary to ensure safety of children participating in the program and to provide Cooperative Extension staff and volunteers with the information it will use when reporting abuse or being accused of abuse. Documentation can protect you, a volunteer, or Cooperative Extension from false accusations of neglect and abuse and can provide information to officials investigating a report.

Incident Report Forms-Completion of incident report forms should be done any time an accident occurs during a Cooperative Extension activity. Accidents do occur and children sent home with cuts and bruises could raise questions in a parent’s mind leading to reporting of staff and volunteers at the Extension event. These reports should be kept on file at the Extension Office for three years. If there is a serious accident during an Extension event, phone calls should be made to the Regional Director, Penn State Risk Management, and P. W. Wood and Son (if volunteers are involved with the program) and the incident report form should be filed with the appropriate offices. The incident report form should be mailed to:

1. P. W. Wood and Son, Penn State Risk Management, and YPCC if the incident occurs during an Extension event run by volunteers.
2. Penn State Risk Management and YPCC if the incident occurs during an Extension event run by Extension staff.

Addresses for these offices may be found in part 7 of the policy section of the 4-H Youth Development Policy and Resource Manual.