THOMAS JOHNSON AREA YOUTH ("TJAY") SOCCER CLUB

SAFESPORT PROGRAM

What is the Safesport Program?

US Youth Soccer is a National Affiliate member of the national governing body for the sport of soccer in the United States, the U.S. Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer). U.S. Soccer has developed the Safe Soccer Framework as a foundation from which all participants in the soccer community, be they athletes, coaches, referees, administrators or volunteers, play an active role in creating an environment free from emotional, physical or sexual abuse. The Safe Soccer Framework is a comprehensive program of policies and process, screening, education and training, reporting, monitoring and enforcement designed to help participants detect and report abuse, respond to it, and prevent future occurrences.

TJAY Soccer has adopted a program which requires all coaches and administrators to agree to be subject to a legally sensitive background check before the program’s operations. Persons wishing to apply for a position of coach or administrator within the TJAY Soccer Club must complete a undergo a background check every five (5) years.  When background checks yield problems areas additional information is collected and a decision made on retention of the individual. Any person applying for employment/volunteer position within TJAY Soccer that is found with a legally documented history of child molestation is immediately released.

For information on the Sportsport program, please visit US Youth Soccer at https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/safesport/

The following constitute the policies of the Thomas Johnson Area Youth (“TJAY”) Soccer Club with regard to awareness and prevention of abuse within our organization.

• TJAY Soccer Club is committed to provide a safe environment and to prevent child abuse and sexual misconduct.

• TJAY Soccer Club will make every reasonable effort to ensure that every person involved in coaching/training a sport activity in our organization will abide by the Safesport guidelines.
• TJAY Soccer Club will make every reasonable effort to exclude any adult with a legally documented history of  child abuse/molestation or any other conviction or record that would bring unnecessary risk to the health and safety of the participants of this organization.
• TJAY Soccer Club will perform a criminal background check on every person applying for a position at our organization.
• TJAY Soccer Club will take appropriate action on all allegations of child abuse and/or sexual misconduct. All allegations will be reported immediately to the authorities for investigation and will cooperate fully with any such investigation.

The following represent the preventive measures of our organization with regard to abuse:

• Physical, mental, and verbal abuse of any of the participants, coaches, managers, employees, volunteers involved in our sponsored activities is not permitted.
• Inappropriate touching of any kind is forbidden.
• We agree to provide more than one adult working at or overseeing every activity. If a child needs special attention (one -on-one training or an individual meeting), it will be handled with the assistance or presence of another adult.
• Coaches/trainers should not socialize with the participants outside of the sponsored activities of the organization.
• Coaches/trainers should never ride alone with a child or participant in the car. Procedures will be established for coaches to follow in the event a participant is stranded at an activity. Parents are encouraged to attend sponsored activities