SafeSport Act Mandatory Training (Effective January 1, 2022)
The 2017 SafeSport Act has expanded Mandated Reporters to include adults authorized to interact with children. Due to this expansion, that includes AYSO and it requires training on child abuse and mandated reporting.
Effective, January 1, 2022, U.S. Soccer will no longer allow equivalent training* and has mandated SafeSport training.
What does this mean for AYSO?
AYSO will comply with the federal SafeSport training requirement and we will integrate with the U.S. Soccer Education and Learning Center as well as their Player Health and Safety Courses.
The training is the full course in the first year, which is 90 minutes, and repeated every three years, followed by annual updates in the in-between years, which are 30 minutes.
How will it work?
You will be able to access the SafeSport training by following these instructions:
- Login to your Sports Connect account where you registered as a volunteer.
- Click on the volunteer tab on the left-hand side of the screen
- Click on SafeSport box
- Click on Renew and Update
- A screen will pop up where you will click on the “click HERE” link or copy and paste the URL into your browser to begin training
Note: Youth Volunteers (anyone under the age of majority in your state) are not required to take this training.
SafeSport Mandatory Training
The default integration uses the U.S. Center for Safesport, as seen above. Once you take the course, the USSF results will update the AYSO Association Platform and be sent to Safesport for their records.
If you have already taken it, those historic statuses will be brought over on January 1, 2022 and will reflect this information as a separate line item on the compliance.
*Please Note:
- AYSO Volunteers will still need to take AYSO’s Safe Haven course as well.
- SafeSport is now a required certificate in the Association platform. In order to activate teams and print out official rosters your team admins will need to complete SafeSport.
If you have any questions on the process, please email CVPA@ayso.org.
We have created a template message you can use to customize to send to your volunteers. Please click here to download the template.
FAQs
I follow the instructions and I don’t see the SafeSport option in the Sports Connect screen, what do I do?
Please send an email to aysosupport@stacksports.com with your Region number and let them know that you do not see the SafeSports link in your account.
Where can Region admins Verify that SafeSport was completed?
We have added SafeSport to the Compliance widget on your Dashboard in the Association platform where you will be able to see which Volunteers have completed the SafeSport requirement.
If you click on the magnifying glass, you will be able to filter and see who has incomplete or complete SafeSport training.
In addition, if you go to a volunteer’s record in the Association platform, you will see the certificate and the SafeSport Verified in the Administrator Info Screen.
A volunteer will be able to see the SafeSport verification on the eligibility screen on their Sports Connect account.
Why can’t I activate my team in the Association Platform?
SafeSport is now a required certificate in the Association platform. In order to activate teams and print out official rosters, your team admins will need to complete SafeSport.
How long does it take for my training to show up in the Association platform?
The certificate and verification should upload to the Association platform within two hours of completion. During the busy season it might take longer than that. If your certification takes longer than a day to upload please send an email to aysosupport@sportsconnect.com
Is the new required SafeSport Training replacing the AYSO Safe Haven Training?
AYSO’s Safe Haven is designed to be the one course on AYSO that every volunteer takes as an orientation to AYSO, to put everyone on the same page, and so we can all work together to create a safe haven for our participants. It includes AYSO’s Vision, Six Philosophies, Player Programs, Role Model Behaviors for a safe learning environment (Kids Zone, Stewards of the Game, P.I.E.), Supervision Protocols, AYSO’s Risk Management requirements (No Bouncy Houses, hayrides; Goalpost and Golf Cart safety;) and yes, a review of AYSO’s Approved Activities and mandated reporting – but it is only a brief review of AYSO’s procedures.
The section on Emergency Medical Conditions and environmental safety is the section we hope to migrate to US Soccer’s physician-led and reviewed materials as the best resource for our programs. We believe AYSO’s Safe Haven is essential for creating the uniquely AYSO experience and Safe Haven we strive for in order to fulfill the vision of enriching children’s lives.
My SafeSport course keeps freezing or is not showing as completed, what do I do?
Unfortunately, the AYSO Office are not able to troubleshoot technical issues regarding SafeSport. Volunteers will need to reach out directly to SafeSport.
Here is the contact information for the SafeSport Tech Support team:
Phone: (720) 676-6417
Create a support ticket: https://safesport.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/4/group/9/create/32
