Article 3 – March 2021

What is a Squire?

The historical definition of squire is a young nobleman acting as an attendant to a knight before becoming a knight himself.  In honor of our Knights, and all of the squires attending our youth programs here at UCF, we honor you by naming our new Youth Protection Program registration system Squire.

With the implementation of this new registration system, we wanted to provide an update to our previous article from the March 2019 edition of the IntegrityStar.

Program Registration

Activities or programs subject to the Youth Protection Policy are now required to register with University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk using the new Squire registration system.

As part of the registration process, the program sponsor will be required to submit the following information at least 45 days prior to the start date of the program/activity:

1. 1. Program title, description, length of session, and location, and university facilities being utilized if applicable.
   2. Overnight stay details, if applicable.
   3. Program sponsor’s contact information (and a primary contact for the program if different from the program sponsor).
   4. A COVID-19 Operational Plan.
   5. Information on all program staff, including name, phone number, email address, employee or volunteer status with UCF or the third-party organization, and the number of hours the staff member will be working with the minors. This must be completed at least five business days prior to the program start date.
   6. A list of all participating minors must be uploaded to the program registration in Squire within five days after the program start date.

Once the registration has been submitted, University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk will review the information and communicate back to the program sponsor or campus liaison. COVID-19 Operational Plans for athletic programs will be forwarded by University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk to EICRT for approval prior to the program start date. Program sponsors will receive an email notification once the review has been completed.

The following types of programs are not required to register:

1. 1. Events open to the public where guardians or chaperones are invited or expected to accompany and supervise minors;
   2. Field trips or visits supervised by a minor’s school or organization;
   3. Patient-care activities relating to minors;
   4. Recruited student-athlete “official visits” involving minors;
   5. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved research involving minors;
   6. Licensed childcare facilities on campus; or
   7. Activities involving a minor(s) who is enrolled, dually enrolled, or accepted for enrollment at the university, or who is employed by the university.

Campus Liaisons for Third-party Organizations

Third-party organizations and other non-UCF affiliated groups are required to obtain a campus liaison to register the activity/program with the university on behalf of the third party.  The campus liaison must be either a UCF or DSO employee. The following areas are able to provide this service:

• • Programs reserving space through the university’s Recreation and Wellness Center – please contact the Facilities Scheduler.
  • Programs reserving space through the UCF Athletics Association – please contact the office of Facility & Event Management at events@athletics.ucf.edu.
  • All other programs – please contact UCF Continuing Education at ceevents@ucf.edu.

For questions on how to log in and complete the registration process please use the Squire Registration Help Guide for Program Sponsors or contact University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk at 407-823-6263 or by email at complianceandethics@ucf.edu.

Background Checks

The program sponsor and all program staff will need to be cleared of a State of Florida Level 2 background check before the program starts. These individuals will need to be screened once every five years to stay in compliance with state statutes if they continue to work in programs supervising minors. A Level 2 background check includes fingerprinting for a statewide criminal history record check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and a national criminal record check through the FBI. It will also include a local criminal record check through the UCF Police Department and an annual check through the National Sex Offenders Registry. The only exception to the background check requirement is for program staff who work with minors less than 10 hours per month. However, a person who meets the screening requirements must always accompany the exempted staff member while supervising minors. More information on background check requirements can be found in UCF Policy 3-011 Background Checks. Once a registration has been submitted within Squire and the status has been changed to “Reviewed” UCF Central HR Backgrounds will automatically be notified to begin the background check process. They will contact the program sponsor and/or staff that require a check to be conducted.

Training

The UCF Youth Protection Training was developed to protect all individuals working with minors, as well as the minors themselves, by providing education on UCF policies and federal and state reporting requirements when working with minors. All youth program staff, either UCF affiliated or third party, are required to complete this training within Squire, with a score of 90 percent or higher on the post-test, at least five days prior to the program start date.  The training course is required every two years to remain compliant with federal and state laws.

Program sponsors, program primary contacts, and program staff will be provided instructions via an email from Squire on how to access and complete the training.

In addition to completing the training, program sponsors are also responsible for ensuring that all program staff certify within Squire to their understanding of the Program Staff Code of Conduct.

Mandatory Reporting

In Florida every individual has a duty to report child abuse and neglect. If you directly witness this type of abuse, dial 911 first and then report it to the Florida Department of Children and Families hotline and the UCF IntegrityLine. At UCF, we are proud to host such a wide variety of youth programs, and this newly created Youth Protection Program will support these activities ensuring they comply with the appropriate laws and regulations to keep our minors safe.

For more information about the UCF Youth Protection Program and Squire, access our website or contact University Compliance, Ethics, and Risk at complianceandethics@ucf.edu.