Foundations of Professionalism
This core professional value requires youth workers to act honestly, ethically, and consistently.
A. Confidentiality
B. Integrity
C. Authority
D. Accountability
What is integrity?
The first step in preventing physical injury in a youth program.
A. Writing reports
B. Identifying hazards
C. Enforcing consequences
D. Calling parents
What is identifying hazards?
Being alert to what is happening around you in the moment is called this.
A. Multitasking
B. Observation
C. Situational awareness
D. Supervision
What is situational awareness?
A youth refuses to wear safety gear. What should you do?
A. Allow them to participate anyway
B. Give a warning and continue
C. Stop the activity until safety rules are followed
D. Let peers handle it
What is stop the activity until safety rules are followed?
During an after-school activity, a student runs into the hallway and pulls the school fire alarm as a joke while your group is still active.
what you should do is stop the activity, follow fire evacuation procedures, ensure all students are safe and accounted for, and report the incident immediately to administration.
Maintaining appropriate emotional and physical distance with youth is known as this professional standard.
A. Discipline
B. Supervision
C. Professional boundaries
D. Youth engagement
What are professional boundaries?
This should always be checked before a physical activity or game begins.
A. Attendance list
B. Youth behavior
C. Environment (space, equipment, weather)
D. Time schedule
What is the environment (space, equipment, weather)?
A sudden change in youth behavior may signal this type of safety concern.
A. Normal development
B. Boredom
C. A potential risk or escalation
D. Disrespect
What is a potential risk or escalation?
Two youth start pushing during free play. Your best immediate response?
A. Yell at them
B. Separate them and de-escalate calmly
C. Ignore it
D. Send them home
What is separate them and de-escalate calmly?
A student jokingly tells a staff member they are going to bring a weapon to school. The staff member does not report it. Later, another student reports the comment to administration.
What went wrong is failure to report a potential threat; what you should do is treat all weapon comments seriously, report immediately to administration, document the statement, and follow safety protocols.
This principle means treating all youth fairly, regardless of background or personal bias.
A. Equality
B. Inclusion
C. Equity (fairness)
D. Compliance
What is equity (or fairness)?
If a youth is injured, this action should happen before completing paperwork.
A. Calling a supervisor
B. Writing an incident report
C. Ensuring the youth’s immediate safety
D. Taking photos
What is ensuring the youth’s immediate safety?
This strategy involves positioning yourself to see and hear all youth.
A. Monitoring
B. Active supervision
C. Rule enforcement
D. Crowd control
What is active supervision?
You notice a broken piece of equipment mid-activity.
A. Finish the game
B. Warn youth to be careful
C. Stop use and remove the hazard
D. Fix it later
What is stop use and remove the hazard?
During snack time, a student begins showing signs of an allergic reaction, including swelling and difficulty breathing, and staff are unsure what caused it.
What went wrong is delayed emergency response and lack of medical preparedness; what you should do is call for medical help immediately, follow the student’s medical action plan, use an EpiPen if trained, and notify administration and guardians.
When a youth worker notices burnout or frustration, professionalism requires them to do this.
A. Ignore it and push through
B. Take it out on youth
C. Seek support, supervision, or self-care
D. Quit immediately
What is seek support, supervision, or self-care?
This is an example of proactive physical safety.
A. Responding after an injury
B. Ignoring small risks
C. Setting clear rules before activities begin
D. Allowing youth to decide safety rules
What is setting clear rules before activities begin?
You notice rising tension during a game. What should you do first?
A. Ignore it
B. Let youth work it out
C. Intervene early or pause the activity
D. End the program
What is intervene early or pause the activity?
A youth discloses they feel unsafe around another youth.
A. Tell them to avoid the person
B. Promise to keep it secret
C. Take it seriously and report according to policy
D. Ask other youth about it
What is take it seriously and report according to policy?
Two youth start pushing during free play. Your best immediate response?
What is separate them and de-escalate calmly?
This document typically outlines expectations for conduct, safety, and ethics in youth work.
A. Lesson plan
B. Incident report
C. Code of conduct (Handbook)
D. Staff schedule
What is a code of conduct? (Handbook)
Allowing unsafe horseplay because “kids will be kids” violates this safety responsibility.
A. Youth choice
B. Flexibility
C. Duty of care
D. Teamwork
What is duty of care?
Ignoring small unsafe behaviors often leads to this bigger problem.
A. Youth boredom
B. Loss of trust
C. Serious injury or loss of control
D. Rule breaking
What is serious injury or loss of control?
During an outdoor activity, weather suddenly changes for the worse.
A. Continue as planned
B. Wait and see
C. Modify or cancel the activity for safety
D. Ask youth what they want to do
What is modify or cancel the activity for safety?
You witness a coworker respond physically to a student’s behavior, leaving a mark, and the coworker tells you, “It’s not a big deal.”
What went wrong is minimizing a serious safety and legal issue; what you should do is report the incident immediately, document facts only, follow mandated reporter laws, and prioritize student safety over staff loyalty.