Facility Policies

CODE OF CONDUCT

The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all staff members and volunteers, as well as our members and program participants. To promote safety and comfort for all, staff members and volunteers are expected to act appropriately at all times while working or volunteering in Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA facilities and programs. All staff members and volunteers are expected to behave at all times in a mature and responsible way in accordance with all applicable laws
and regulations and the policies and procedures of the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA, and with adherence to the core values of the YMCA and the YWCA.

Failure to comply with the expectations as defined within this Code of Conduct will lead to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. It would be impossible for the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA to outline every “do” and “don’t”, but rather, the policies represented here are intended to cover general requirements that are essential for the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA’s operations.

Abuse or Mistreatment of One Consumer by Another Consumer

The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA has zero tolerance for abuse, mistreatment, or sexual activity among consumers within the organization. This organization is committed to providing all consumers with a safe environment and will not tolerate the mistreatment or abuse of one consumer by another consumer. Conduct by consumers that rises to the level of abuse, mistreatment, or sexual activity will result in intervention or disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal from the program. 

In addition, our organization will not tolerate any behavior that is classified under the definition of bullying, and to the extent that such actions are disruptive, the organization will take the necessary steps to eliminate such behavior.

Gift-Giving and Gift Acceptance Policy

Gifts to Consumers

The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA discourages employees and volunteers from exchanging gifts with consumers. However, gifts to consumers may be given under the following circumstances:

1.         Gift requests must be submitted to a supervisor and/or a designated administrator prior to being purchased;  Department Directors have the authority to make this decision.

2.         The supervisor and/or designated administrator will determine a cost limit regarding how much can be spent on the gift; and,

3.         Parents/guardians of the consumers must be notified about the gift item and why the consumers are receiving the gift.

4.               Employees and volunteers are prohibited from giving gifts to individual consumers except when the gift is authorized by a supervisor or designated administrator and given to all consumers (i.e., celebration of special events/holidays or group recognition).

5.               Require employees and volunteers to communicate that the gift is given on behalf of the organization not the individual employee or volunteer. 

Note:  If the employee already has a personal relationship with the consumer, then he/she may discuss this with his/her supervisor and future approval may not be required.

Gifts from Consumers

In order to be respectful of consumers and their families, the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA makes reasonable allowances for acts of gratitude involving small gifts of appreciation from consumers and/or their families that have a monetary value not exceeding $50.00. Employees and volunteers must disclose all such gifts to their immediate supervisor and/or a designated administrator. Under no circumstances can money be accepted from consumers or their families as a gift.

This gift acceptance policy should be included within materials given to parents/guardians and consumers; however, if a parent or consumer approaches an employee or volunteer with a gift that exceeds $50.00 the employee or volunteer should politely decline the gift and refer to this particular policy. The employee or volunteer can also encourage the parent or consumer to speak with an immediate supervisor and/or a designated administrator if they have any questions.

Artwork and letters of appreciation written by consumers for employees or volunteers may only be accepted if these items will be displayed in a public area at the organization. Employees and volunteers must get supervisor approval if they wish to take consumer artwork or letters away from the organization whether to their personal homes or any other location.

Harassment

The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA is committed to maintaining an environment in all of its locations and facilities that is free of discrimination. Harassment, including sexual harassment, is contrary to basic standards of conduct between individuals and is prohibited by state and federal law. It is the policy of the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA to expressly forbid any form of harassment of, by, or between Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA staff, members, participants, guests, volunteers, and/or vendors.

Any staff member who engages in any of the acts of behavior defined as follows violates Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA policy, and such misconduct will subject a staff member to corrective action up to and including immediate discharge. For non-staff members, violation of this policy may result in exclusion or dismissal from Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA facilities and programs. Individual supervisors and staff members may be subject to personal liability for any acts of harassment they commit.
Definition of harassment – Unwelcome verbal, physical or visual conduct that affects tangible job benefits, interferes unreasonably with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. This includes unwelcome behaviors and intimidating acts directed at a person or persons based on their racial, ethnic or other protected status. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Hostile, derogatory or otherwise unwelcome jokes, kidding, teasing or practical jokes.

• Hostile, derogatory or otherwise unwelcome written materials or graphic depictions circulated

or posted within the workplace.

• Epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, refusing to communicate with someone (giving them

the “silent treatment”), and intimidating acts.

Definition of sexual harassment – Unwelcome sexual advances or visual, verbal or physical conduct based

on sex constitutes sexual harassment when:

• Submission to the conduct is an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment.

• Submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for an employment decision.

• The conduct has the purpose of effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work

performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

This definition encompasses many forms of offensive behavior, including gender-based harassment of a

person of the opposite sex as the harasser. Examples of prohibited sexual harassment include:

• Unwelcome sexual flirtation or advances.

• Offering employment, promotions or other benefits in exchange for sexual favors.

• Making or threatening reprisals for refusing sexual advances.

• Visual conduct such as leering; making sexual gestures; displaying sexually suggestive objects

or pictures; cartoons or posters; suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations.

• Verbal conduct such as derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, sexual innuendo, sexual jokes,

graphic verbal commentaries about the individual’s body, and sexually degrading words used

to describe an individual.

• Physical conduct such as patting, pinching or brushing against another person’s body.

Retaliation – The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA forbids retaliation against anyone for:

• Reporting harassment

• Assisting in making a harassment complaint

• Cooperating in a harassment investigation.

Procedure – Staff members who feel they have been discriminated against or in any other manner harassed should immediately report such incidents to their supervisor, the human resources representative, or the Chief Executive Officer. All complaints will be investigated promptly, impartially, and discreetly.

Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent permitted by the circumstances. 
Public Displays of Affection – All public displays of affection should be made with the understanding that such displays may violate policy. Individual behavior must be modified if necessary, to fit within the parameters of the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA policy.
Relations between participants – Hand holding and other forms of “appropriate touch” by participants,
as defined by this handbook, are acceptable when they do not disrupt program-related activities. Sexual
touching or other forms of “inappropriate touch” by participants, as defined by this handbook, are not
acceptable.

Staff members observing inappropriate behaviors by participants should:

• Immediately report the incident to the Program Director, and when appropriate,

• Talk to the participants involved.

Relations between staff or volunteers, and participants – Forms of appropriate touch between Marshalltown

YMCA-YWCA staff or volunteers, and participants are acceptable when they do not disrupt program-related

activities. Inappropriate touch, including sexual touching or other sexually motivated behavior, by a staff member of a participant is absolutely prohibited. If sexual touching, sexually motivated behavior or other forms of inappropriate touching take place between a participant and a staff member, the staff member may be subject to immediate disciplinary actions up to and including termination.

Relations between staff and/or volunteers – Relations between staff members and/or volunteers center  on discretion. Behavior by staff and/or volunteers around participants should at all times remain professional.

At no time should the behavior of staff and/or volunteers indicate or convey that the staff/volunteers are romantically or sexually involved with each other. Behavior around other staff and volunteers should be such that no one is made uncomfortable. Any and all behavior in a program setting must allow for the perceptions and concerns of others.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Touching

Appropriate touch – Appropriate touch is defined as physical contact whose purpose is solely for the nurturing of the one touched. It is given to convey affection, approval, reassurance, or trust. It always takes into account the touched one’s comfort level. Appropriate touch can complement the  Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA’s value system and culture. In Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA programs, touch that is nurturing can occur, and touch and feelings can be discussed.

Examples of appropriate touch are (remembering that appropriate touch, by definition, takes into account

the touched one’s comfort level)

• Gestures of welcome, hello, good-bye, thanks

• Pats on the back, a touch on the shoulder

• Handshakes, high five’s

• Physically demonstrating technique, such as swimming

Inappropriate touch – Inappropriate touch is any physical contact that violates the touched one’s comfort

level. It is touch that is achieved through the use of power on the part of the one who touches. It is touch

that is given or forced on one for the purpose of satisfying the one who touches, not the touched one.

Examples of inappropriate touch include:

• Sexual touching or sexually motivated behavior with a participant

• Physical force, hitting, arm twisting, pinching, and/or biting

• Sexual touching or sexually motivated behavior include: intercourse, sexual contact, prostitution, exploitation for sexual purposes, narrative account of sexual activities, viewing another’s or exposing one’s own genitals oral sex, sexual innuendoes and comments about one’s body, showing photographs or drawings or writing of sexual activities, or other acts conducted for the purpose of sexual gratification.

Zero tolerance – It is the policy of the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA that neglect, physical, sexual, or psychological abuse and other inappropriate behavior, including the inappropriate or abusive touching of any participant or other staff person by any Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA staff member or volunteer, will result in immediate disciplinary actions up to and including discharge. Staff members are expected to model appropriate touch to participants. This includes prevention of both verbal and physical abuse, not only to participants but to other staff as well. Program policy and responsible program procedures prohibit any inappropriate touch, abuse or public display of affection – either same or different gender.

Appropriate and Inappropriate Verbal Interactions

Employees and volunteers are prohibited from speaking to consumers in a way that is, or could be construed by any observer, as harsh, coercive, threatening, intimidating, shaming, derogatory, demeaning, or humiliating. 

Employees and volunteers must not initiate sexually oriented conversations with consumers. Employees and volunteers are not permitted to discuss their own sexual activities with consumers. 

Our organization’s policies for appropriate and inappropriate verbal interactions include but are not limited to:

Appropriate Verbal Interactions          

•           Positive reinforcement

•           Appropriate jokes

•           Encouragement

•           Praise

•           Strength-based conversations

•                  Self-disclosure as a supervised therapeutic tool by licensed clinicians, medical professionals, and pastoral counseling           

Inappropriate Verbal Interactions

•           Name-calling

•                  Discussing sexual encounters or in any way involving consumers in the personal problems or issues of employees and volunteers

•           Secrets

•           Cursing

•           Off-color or sexual jokes

•           Shaming, belittling

•           Oversharing personal history

•           Derogatory remarks

•           Harsh language that may frighten, threaten or humiliate consumers

•           Derogatory remarks about the consumer or their family

•           Compliments relating to physique or body development

Code of Conduct with Youth

The Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA provides our youths with the highest quality services available. We are committed to creating an environment for youths that is safe, nurturing, empowering, and that promotes growth and success. All staff working with children is required to complete child abuse prevention training on the subject as instructed by management.

Some of the basic guidelines for employees are as follows:

•                  At no time during a Y program may a staff person be alone with a single child where he or she cannot be observed by others.

•                  A child may not be left unsupervised.

•                  Staff should not abuse or mistreat children in any way, including physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse or neglect.

•                  Staff members may not transport children in their own vehicles.

•                  Profanity, inappropriate jokes, displays of intimate affection, sharing intimate details of one’s personal life, and any kind of harassment in the presence of children, parents, volunteers, or other staff is prohibited.

•                  Outside the Y, staff members may not be alone with children whom they meet in the Y programs.

•                  This includes babysitting, sleepovers, driving or riding in cars, and inviting children to their homes.

•                  Staff members may not single out children for favored attention and may not give gifts to youth or their parents.

•                  Staff members may not date program participants who are under the age of 18.

•                  Staff members are to follow training protocol for restrooms use.

•                  Under no circumstances should staff members release children to anyone other than the authorized parent, guardian, or other authorized by the parent of guardian (authorization on file).

•                  Staff members are to report to their supervisor or next level of supervision anyone who violates any of these child abuse rules.

•                  Staff members are required to fully cooperate with any investigation by the Y, any law enforcement agency or any other authorized outside agency. Failure to do so is considered misconduct and will result in termination.

No form of abuse will be tolerated, and confirmed abuse will result in immediate dismissal from our organization.

All reports of suspicious or inappropriate behavior with youths or allegation of abuse will be taken seriously. The Marshalltown Y will fully cooperate with authorities if allegations of abuse are made that require investigation.