New Year’s Resolution: Review Your Policies and Records

The beginning of a new year is a traditional time to think about starting new projects. For youth organizations, it is a good time to take a close look at your policies and records to determine which ones to keep going forward. Not only will the process make your program more efficient, but (for reasons dear to my litigator’s heart) it will help you avoid, or at least mitigate, future problems. 

Each program is unique, but be sure that your review covers the following areas:

Locate old insurance policies

With more and more states extending statutes of limitation, you need to find as much information as you can about your old insurance policies. Gather whatever records you have, even if it’s only a record of paying the premium, into a handy location. If you get hit with a claim from many years ago, you will need this information, and the best time to find it is before you have an emergency.

Audit your records

Make certain that you have all of the information that your licensing agency or accrediting association requires in your client and staff files. Then, compare your records to your policies. For example, if your internal policies require higher credentials or more experience for your staff than what your licensing agency requires, make sure that those records reflect those credentials. If you are hiring people without those qualifications, then go to the next step and consider whether you need to change your policies. Whether you need to improve your record-keeping or move to more realistic policies, above all you need to be sure that your records match your aspirations.

Review your internal policies

The next step, or a part of your records audit, is to measure how well you are following your internal policies. One pitfall that I see with my clients is that they follow their good intentions into setting unrealistic standards. For example, if licensing rules or other general practice in the area requires 3 references for staff applications, an organization may decide to require 3 work references and 2 personal references. Unfortunately, the administration may find that the day-to-day pressures of running the organization don’t leave enough time for 5 references, and they fall back to the required 3. Yet, the written policy remains the same. Then when a problem occurs, the organization is held to the higher standard of their own good intentions.

So you need to consistently review your internal policies to be sure that your organization is following them. If the standards are not negotiable, such as mandated reporting or criminal background checks, then figure out what you need to change in order to meet them. If your standards are aspirational, figure out whether you need to pare them back to a realistic goal given the strict limits of time, budget, and manpower.

Review your advertising

Finally, take a good look at your advertising. It can be tempting to promise parents whatever they want to hear. The problem comes when your advertising creates promises that can come back to haunt you. Do your employees, for example, meet the “highest standards” or only state licensing requirements? Is safety your “highest priority” or do you run an adventure camp where children learn to manage risk as safely as possible?  As with your internal policies, compare your advertising to your actual performance and change whatever needs to be changed so that the two align.

Take some time at least once a year to review all of your policies and audit your records.  Whether you do that at the beginning of the year or later, be sure to do it before you are dealing with an emergency or after a serious claim.