On February 14, 2018, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act was signed into law. It is aimed at protecting amateur athletes* from sexual abuse. The law has two parts:
Title – I: Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse - Mandatory Reporting requirements which are outlined on the Mass Youth Soccer Mandatory Reporting webpage: https://www.mayouthsoccer.org/mandatory-reporting/.
Title – II: Safe Sport Act - Which is outlined below.
TITLE II- UNITED STATES CENTER FOR SAFE SPORT AUTHORIZATION
What are the requirements for NGB’s and NGB-Affiliated?
SafeSport Policy Statement: Per the SafeSport Act under Title II, each Organization Member that is an “Applicable Entity” or otherwise has adult members (adult participants) who are in regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors, must maintain, as part of that risk management program, an athlete and participant safety program that includes the six components listed below.
- Prohibited Conduct Policy
- Appropriate Background Screening
- Education & Training
- Reporting
- Limiting One-on-One Interactions (Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP))
- Enforcement
All required policies listed above are covered in detail in the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Associations' Athlete and Participant Safety Policy; you will also find additional resources located at the bottom of this policy. In addition, this policy must be adopted by all Mass Youth Soccer Member Organizations.
To gain a better understanding of this law read the above policy and review the links below which are different then the additional resources noted above.
US YOUTH SOCCER COMMUNICATIONS
Please click on the links below to view US Youth Soccer communications regarding the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017.
May 16th 2018 Member Update