Safesport

USSSA is passionate about raising awareness of the SafeSport initiative and providing our athletes unparalleled development and competitive opportunity in a safe environment.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on preventing physical, emotional and sexual abuse in sport. The Center, initially chartered by the U.S. Olympic Committee, is an independent organization with a nine-member board of directors, including subject-matter experts in abuse prevention, child abuse and sexual assault investigation, ethics compliance and sport administration.

In 2018, the “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act of 2017” became Federal law. The mission of the U.S. Center for Safesport is to make the athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation’s sports culture. All athletes deserve to participate in sports free from bullying, hazing, sexual misconduct, or any form of emotional or physical abuse. Education and awareness are the most critical components to creating safe and respectful sporting environments, free of abuse and harassment.

USSSA has always strived to create a safe and healthy environment for all participants and their families. There are certain requirements from the SafeSport Act that USSSA and all local USSSA programs must adhere to.

  • Reporting of Sexual Abuse involving a minor to the proper authorities
    • All volunteers of a local league are now mandated reporters and could face criminal charges if the league chooses to ignore, or not report to the proper authorities, any witnessed act of child abuse, including sexual abuse, within 24 hours.
    • Local programs must be aware of the proper procedures to report sexual abuse in their state. Please report using the above 
      “Report Abuse” Button.
  • Local programs must adopt a policy that prohibits retaliation on “good faith” reports of child abuse.
  • Local programs are highly encouraged to complete the Abuse Awareness training once the training is established & communicated to the entire association.

For more information or any questions please email safesport@usssa.org 

 

 

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS

Why does USSSA now need to do a criminal background check on me?

All adults participating in a USSSA youth program/sport who have contact with minor athletes are required to undergo a criminal background check that searches both the National Criminal Database and the National Sex Offender Registry, among other sources. These searches are due in part to insurance requirements.

Who is required to undergo a criminal background check?

All participating adults that have contact with minor athletes, at minimum, will undergo a background check that searches both the National Criminal Database and the National Sex Offender Registry due to the ramifications of Senate Bill 534 (SafeSport Act) which does include insurance requirements.

  • All adult coaches and managers working with youth athletes and appear on the roster.
  • All adult umpires.

Who should be on the field of play or in the dugout?

Only adult coaches that appear on the roster should perform practice or be in the dugout for a game or Tournament. If all the Adult coaches on the roster are not present your child should not participate in the activity.

Who performs the criminal background check?

USSSA’s partner performing criminal background checks is JDP, one of the leading background check companies in the country for youth sports.

If I already have been background checked by another organization for employment or other volunteer purposes, can USSSA accept the results of that background check?

Unfortunately, USSSA cannot accept background check results from another organization. Even though there might be significant duplication of effort when it comes to the same sort of criminal background check required by various entities, separate organizations are not permitted to share background check reports on individuals. In addition, different entities use different criteria to judge someone’s suitability for employment, membership or service. There are no standard criteria by which search reports by various organizations are evaluated.

What searches does the criminal background check include?

  • SSN ID Search
  • JDP National Criminal Search + Developed Names – All Hits Confirmed at County Level Included
  • JDP National Sex Offender Records Search
  • County Criminal Records Search – Current County of Residence – Provided Name

What information will I be asked to provide to initiate the criminal background?

Required information:

  • First and Last Name
  • Home Address, City, State, ZIP Code
  • Date of Birth
  • Social Security Number
  • Email Address

Note: Neither USSSA nor JDP is permitted to share any of the above information with any entity other than the subject of the report or as required by law.

What is the cost of a criminal background check?

For 2023 season, all coaches submitting the USSSA background check will be $13.50.

How long does it take to complete the background check process?

The entire background check process should take 2-5 business days but for some areas of the Country that do not have all of the criminal records on a computer file could take up to 2 weeks but that is a very small percentage of the Country.

When does my criminal background check expire?

The results of your USSSA criminal background check are good through the end of the season for the sport your team plays. (August 1 of each year starts a new Season)

SAFESPORT GENERAL INFORMATION

What is SafeSport?

SafeSport is shorthand for the SafeSport Act or, more formally, “The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and SafeSport Authorization Act of 2017” (S. 534). The overriding goal of this federal legislation, which was signed into law on Feb. 14, 2018, is the protection of young athletes.

The SafeSport Act requires amateur athletics governing bodies to report their awareness of any case of abuse immediately to local or federal law enforcement or to a child-welfare agency designated by the U.S. Justice Department. It also requires education and training for all adults who are in direct contact with athletes who are minors.

Though USSSA is not a governing body, the implications of the SafeSport Act extend to our organization and its members, and we at USSSA are committed to full compliance with this new law. We know its requirements will ultimately help protect our athletes.

What is the U.S. Center for SafeSport? What is its jurisdiction and how is the center empowered?

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is essentially the physical embodiment of the SafeSport Act, which itself amended the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978. The SafeSport Act led to the creation of the U.S. Center for SafeSport as an independent, national safe sport organization responsible for developing policies and procedures aimed at preventing the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of amateur athletes.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport, operating under the auspices of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, is an independent entity charged with (i) providing education and outreach concerning athlete abuse, and (ii) investigating and resolving reports of sexual misconduct. Its mission to recognize, reduce and respond to misconduct in sport focuses on six categories: bullying, harassment, hazing, emotional misconduct, physical misconduct, and sexual misconduct, including child sexual abuse.

The center’s jurisdiction is exclusive as it relates to allegations of sexual misconduct and it retains discretionary jurisdiction over nonsexual misconduct allegations, i.e., those involving bullying, harassment, or physical or emotional misconduct.

Under SafeSport, what are the USSSA reporting requirements where abuse or misconduct is involved?

All USSSA members, as well as participants in USSSA-sanctioned events, must report incidents of (a) sexual misconduct, (b) misconduct that is reasonably related to the underlying allegation of sexual misconduct, or (c) retaliation related to an allegation of sexual misconduct. A report must be made within 24 hours of learning about the alleged misconduct. The report should be made via the webpage USSSA.com/SafeSport, using the “Report Abuse” tab on that page. Individuals filing a report should not investigate or attempt to evaluate the credibility or validity of allegations involving sexual misconduct.

What happens if I do not report abuse or misconduct that I am required to report?

The failure to report is a crime under federal law and it is punishable as a criminal offense. In addition, it could result in a sanction by USSSA against the individual who failed to report.

What if someone intentionally makes a false accusation?

Someone who maliciously abuses the reporting process or falsifies information is subject to sanctions by USSSA.