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MakeHaven Youth Safety Policies

Category
Safety

MakeHaven Youth Safety Policies

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Applies To: All visits, programs, events, workshops, partnerships, or activities involving minors at MakeHaven.

1. Purpose & Foundations

MakeHaven is a community-based makerspace and shared workshop designed primarily for independent adult use. Programs involving minors require additional safeguards because the facility contains tools, equipment, fabrication processes, and shared community access not typically present in traditional classroom environments.

These policies are intended to:

  • Protect participating minors.
  • Establish clear custodial responsibilities.
  • Reduce isolated interactions between adults and minors.
  • Support safe educational and creative experiences.
  • Align with nonprofit and insurer-recommended youth safety practices.

For purposes of these policies, a “minor” is any individual under 18 years of age. These policies apply to MakeHaven staff, instructors, volunteers, partner organizations, program chaperones, and parents or guardians visiting with minors.

2. Nature of MakeHaven

  • Not a Custodial Facility: MakeHaven is not a school, childcare provider, or custodial facility.
  • Shared Environment: MakeHaven operates as an open community workspace in which independent adult members, guests, instructors, volunteers, and staff may be present concurrently with youth activities.
  • Vetting Notice: General contractors, volunteers, members, and visitors present within the facility are not background-checked by MakeHaven unless specifically identified as primary youth program instructional staff.

3. Parents & Guardians Visiting with Minors

Parents, guardians and designated supervising adults may bring minors to MakeHaven only under the conditions described below. MakeHaven does not provide childcare and does not assume custodial responsibility for minors.

  • Direct Supervision Requirement: Minors must remain under the direct, continuous supervision of their parent or legal guardian at all times. The supervising adult must remain on-site and within line-of-sight of the minor. Parents or guardians are solely responsible for the minor’s behavior, safety, and compliance with MakeHaven rules.
  • Required Minor Waiver: All minors visiting MakeHaven with a parent or legal guardian must have a completed Individual Minor Waiver on file (https://www.makehaven.org/waiver-minor). If a minor is supervised by an individual other than a parent or legal guardian, MakeHaven must have written authorization from the parent or legal guardian identifying the authorized supervising adult.
  • Tool Use by Minors: Minors may not independently use tools that require badges (safety orientations) unless explicitly permitted under an approved youth program in writing from the MakeHaven Safety Officer or in program contract. Parents or guardians may not authorize tool use beyond what MakeHaven policies allow for the minor’s age. All tool access by minors is at MakeHaven’s sole discretion.
  • Restrooms & Common Areas: Parents or guardians must escort minors to restrooms and common areas. MakeHaven staff do not provide restroom supervision for minors.

4. Supervision & Environmental Controls

  • Rule of Three (Enclosed Spaces): No MakeHaven staff member, volunteer, member, contractor, or MakeHaven-designated instructor may be alone with a single minor in an enclosed or private space (e.g., recording booth, laser room, lab). At least three individuals total should generally be present in enclosed instructional spaces. The three individuals may include minors (e.g., one adult and two minors, or two adults and one minor).
  • This restriction does not apply to:
  • a parent or legal guardian supervising their own minor child;
  • an individual specifically authorized by a parent or legal guardian to supervise a minor outside of a formal program context; or
  • an authorized representative, mentor, counselor, teacher, coach, or chaperone provided by a participating partner organization, provided the partner organization retains custodial responsibility for the minor.
  • Visual Transparency (Open Areas): One-on-one technical instruction (e.g., welding, sewing, electronics) is permitted only in open, high-visibility areas, or in rooms with doors fully propped open to ensure public visibility.
  • Interruptible Distance Standard: All interactions involving minors should occur within “interruptible distance,” meaning close enough that another adult can readily see or hear the interaction and intervene if needed whenever reasonably feasible.

5. Staff, Instructor & Volunteer Vetting

  • Mandatory Background Checks: MakeHaven requires criminal background checks for individuals who have substantial, recurring, or significant interaction with minors as part of MakeHaven programs or activities. This includes lead program coordinators, recurring instructors, recurring youth program volunteers, and individuals designated by the MakeHaven Safety Officer. MakeHaven will utilize a qualified third-party background screening vendor for this purpose. Individuals providing limited, incidental, or short-duration instructional demonstrations under the supervision of approved program staff or partner chaperones may be exempted from background screening.
  • Abuse Prevention Training: All youth-facing lead instructors/coordinators, managing staff, and recurring volunteers must complete youth safety or abuse prevention training appropriate to organizations serving minors prior to programming. At a minimum, personnel participating in short-term or seasonal youth programming are required to complete training as identified by MakeHaven.
  • Partner Vetting Certification: Partner organizations must certify that all staff, volunteers, instructors, and chaperones they supply have completed appropriate criminal background checks and youth safety training.

6. Partner & Custodial Requirements

  • Custodial Responsibility: Partner organizations retain sole and absolute custodial responsibility for participating minors at all times during transportation, participation in activities, and presence on MakeHaven property. Nothing in any agreement, activity, or interaction shall be construed as transferring supervision, care, custody, or control of minors to MakeHaven, its staff, instructors, volunteers, members, or guests.
  • Program Waivers: All youth programs conducted in partnership with MakeHaven must ensure that required program waivers are completed by a parent or guardian prior to participation (https://www.makehaven.org/program-waiver).
  • Insurance Requirements: Partner organizations are required to provide proof of liability insurance via a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming MakeHaven, Inc. as an Additional Insured. Partners must maintain liability coverage appropriate to the nature of the program, including Sexual Abuse and Molestation (SAM) coverage with limits of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence.
  • Open Facility Acknowledgment: Partner organizations must acknowledge in writing that MakeHaven is a shared community workspace and that independent adult members and guests who have not been background-checked may be present during youth programming activities.

7. Age-Based Participation Restrictions

  • Ages 15–17 (High School): This is the primary age group for youth programming. Participants may use designated tools and equipment only as explicitly approved by MakeHaven, under direct supervision, and in accordance with approved program syllabi and safety requirements.
  • Ages 12–14 (Middle School): Limited programming permitted. Activities are generally restricted to hand tools, digital fabrication, computers, and low-risk supervised activities, unless otherwise approved in writing by MakeHaven.
  • Under Age 12: No scheduled youth programs are currently permitted. Minors under 12 may only attend under the direct, continuous supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

8. Incident Reporting & Crisis Response

  • Immediate Reporting: All safety concerns, injuries, boundary violations, or suspected misconduct involving minors must be reported immediately to MakeHaven leadership.
  • Crisis Management Alignment: All allegations or incidents involving minors shall be handled in accordance with the MakeHaven Crisis Management Plan (https://www.makehaven.org/crisis).

9. Policy Governance

These policies are incorporated by reference into MakeHaven agreements, contracts, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), waivers, and facility use arrangements with youth-serving partners. These policies may be updated periodically to reflect operational needs, insurer requirements, or legal obligations . The version in effect at the time of participation governs. Current version available at:

www.makehaven.org/youth

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