Risk Management / Safety

Program Implementation

DREAM's safe implementation rests largely within its program design. DREAM maintains a high ratio of adults to children in all of its activities. The group nature of the program also provides constant support for mentors. Experienced mentors model behavior for novice mentors, and friends in the program become invaluable resources for answering questions and providing guidance.

DREAM also recognizes the importance of screening new mentors, training mentors in areas such as identifying signs of child abuse, providing boundaries for mentor behavior during DREAM activities, and establishing policies for transporting DREAMers. The following links lead to documentation of DREAM's policies in these areas.

• Screening procedures outlines DREAM's screening procedures for new mentors
• DREAM’s Mentor Boundaries, Transportation Guidelines, and Child Abuse Information and Reporting Procedures (Vermont)
• DREAM’s Mentor Boundaries, Transportation Guidelines, and Child Abuse Information and Reporting Procedures (Greater Boston Area)
• First aid kit contents a co-chair from each program carries these supplies
• Sample lost card this card is provided to each child who goes on a DREAM trip
• Emergency Action Plan this is most pertinent for High Adventure Trips, but provides general guidelines for all DREAM activities in the case of emergencies

DREAM has a number of forms to collect information and consent from mentors, children, and parents. For example, DREAM collects a health history for each child in the program and parents sign release waivers for their children's participation in the program. To see samples of these forms, please visit the DREAMer resource section .

Checks and Balances

Built into the program design are also a number of checks and balances to ensure safe and effective implementation.

The connection that is built between mentors and parents plays a central role in DREAM's checks and balances. For example, Local Advisory Boards (LABs), consisting of both mentors and parents, meet on a bi-weekly basis to discuss issues in and plans for the program and the community. The LABs also maintain concern logs and safety logs. The concern log is for use by parents to record any concerns that they have about DREAM. This log helps to head off incidents before they happen. The safety log is an account of any accidents or injuries that occur in DREAM. Through this log, each incident is thoroughly documented and DREAM is able to detect patterns over time or across programs that may help in preventing future occurrences.

• Safety log introduction
• Concern log introduction

DREAM's Central Office also plays a large role in monitoring each program and heading off issues before they arise. When local programs face particularly challenging times, the Central Office is there to provide an extra level of support and guidance.

Additionally, the housing authority staffs and college administrations have a vested interest in safe and effective program implementation, and they notify DREAM with news, good or bad, when it comes to their attention.

Insurance

As part of its risk management strategy, DREAM also carries insurance policies. It is impossible for any organization to guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen, so these policies serve to protect the organization, its volunteers, and the other organizations with which DREAM works. DREAM currently carries three forms of program insurance:

• General Liability Insurance - DREAM carries a general liability insurance policy with a total coverage of one million dollars per incident, two million dollars aggregate. The coverage is through the Burlington Insurance Company of Burlington, North Carolina. Certain outside organizations with which DREAM works closely, such as housing authorities and colleges, are named as additional insureds on the policy. DREAM works with Kinney Pike Insurance to identify and maintain cost effective and appropriate insurance coverage.

• Accident Insurance - For the high adventure program and other DREAM activities such as athletics and trips, DREAM carries accident insurance through Mutual of Omaha. This policy provides full excess coverage for expenses that are not recoverable from any other insurance policy.

• Volunteer Insurance - DREAM carries insurance coverage through The CIMA Companies to protect its volunteers beyond any outside insurance coverage that they maintain. Through CIMA, DREAM carries one million dollars in personal liability insurance to cover each volunteer's liability for bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury for which they are found responsible. CIMA also provides five hundred thousand dollars in excess automobile insurance coverage for volunteers who drive as part of their activities with DREAM.

Parent Quotes

Above and beyond anything else, it is DREAM's parents that keep us honest. The parents in each Local Program work together and know each other well, and they communicate with DREAM's mentors and staff both as a group and as individuals. DREAM has many formal mechanisms for encouraging parent input, but often their opinions and insights are delivered on a more informal basis. Below are examples of comments that parents have about DREAM:

I don't know if it's like this for every parent here, but I have a really good relationship with my kids' mentors. I mean, if they came to my house and asked to borrow my TV and I was watching the Super Bowl, I would give them my TV.
- Parent of children in the Elm Street DREAM program, talking to a group of mentors and parents in the program

When DREAM first began, I looked at it as an opportunity for the boys to have male role models. Much more than that even, Charlie and Jesse became family. Nick and Aaron began to look at Charlie and Jesse as brothers, not mentors. Although Jesse has graduated, and is no longer Aaron's DREAM mentor, he is a member of our family now. Jesse's girlfriend, Beth, and his brother Mike have also become members of our family, attending family events with us, and just always being there for us.
- Parent of children in the Templeton DREAM program, in DREAM's 2002 Annual Report

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 9:39 PM
Subject: Good Luck DREAM!

We want to wish you all the best of luck with your exams. Thanks so
much for making the time for us and the kids during this VERY crazy,
stressful time. We hope that your exams are all much easier than
expected and that you all find a few free minutes of peace for
yourselves in between everything!


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 8:46 PM
Subject: (no subject)

Thanks so much for the fun filled evening on Wednesday. The kids are
still talking about it! Dinner was great and the company was even better!
You guys are going above and beyond for the kids. Thanks see you on
Friday!