The Board of Directors and staff of Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat are committed to the safety and well-being of our campers and guests. We follow the guidelines established by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and implement practices designed to protect campers from injury, illness, and inappropriate conduct.
Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat operates as a youth camp under DSHS guidelines. These requirements apply to youth camping and retreat programs and help ensure that appropriate safety practices are in place for all groups using our facilities.
These are:
Child Abuse Prevention Training – All adults age 18 and older who will be supervising children during a camp or retreat, in any capacity, are required to complete a DSHS approved child safety awareness training before arrival. The trainings are usually good for 2 years. Groups may use the training provider of their choice, as long as it has been approved by DSHS. If your organization does not currently have a training provider, LBCR can recommend an option. The training must be completed prior to arrival, and each adult must provide their certificate of completion to their group leader. Group leaders are responsible for providing the completed certificates to LBCR.
Note: Any adult not completing the course prior to arrival must take the training onsite prior to any contact with campers per DSHS regulations.
Background Check – All adults age 18 and older who will be supervising children during a camp or retreat, in any capacity, are required to complete a background check prior to arrival. Each organization is responsible for completing the required checks for its adult participants. If your organization does not have a process for completing background checks, please contact LBCR for assistance. Certain convictions or deferred adjudications may prevent an individual from participating in a youth camp, in accordance with current Texas Department of State Health Services requirements.
Camp Administrator upon arrival – Each group must provide LBCR with a complete roster of all adults who will be on campus during their camp or retreat. The roster must include each adult’s full name and confirm that the required background check has been passed, and the required child safety training has been completed. The group leader must have proof that each adult has passed the required background check and a certificate showing completion of the required training readily accessible during the retreat. These documents may be kept securely by the sponsoring organization but must be available for review if requested by the State inspector.
On Site Camp Health Officer – A physician, registered nurse, EMT, licensed vocational nurse, or a person with an American Red Cross Emergency Response certificate, must be on site during summer camps and on call at all times. Each group is required to provide a Camp Health Officer for the duration of their stay. If needed, LBCR will provide a Camp Health Officer for an additional charge.
Prescription Medications – All prescription medications must be in their original container and must be surrendered to the Camp Health Officer upon arrival. All prescription medications are to be held in a lockable cabinet or other secure area not accessible to campers. The Camp Health Officer must make him/herself available as needed to dispense prescription medications. Note: Asthma inhalers or Epi-pens for severe allergic reactions may be kept by campers, but must be in their possession at all times.
Our first aid station stocks a wide variety of over-the-counter medications for headaches, stomach aches, insect bites/stings, rash, eye irritation, cough/congestion, etc. It is recommended that campers do not bring OTC medications to camp.