SafeSport Information
Reporting Concerns
Creating a safe environment for all participants begins with reporting concerns promptly and appropriately.
- If you become aware of suspected abuse, contact local law enforcement immediately.
- Allegations involving sexual misconduct must also be reported to the U.S. Center for SafeSport in addition to law enforcement.
- Individuals should also familiarize themselves with their state’s mandatory reporting laws and the reporting requirements established by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Knowingly submitting a false or malicious report is inconsistent with USA Volleyball’s Code of Conduct and may result in disciplinary action.
SafeSport Training Requirements
SafeSport training is required on a four-year certification cycle.
- Year 1: Complete the Core SafeSport Training.
- Years 2–4: Complete the required Refresher Training each year.
- At the conclusion of the four-year cycle, members must complete the Core Training again to renew their certification.
Training must be completed before an athlete turns 18 or immediately upon reaching their 18th birthday. Athletes who are 18 years of age without a current SafeSport certification are not eligible to participate until the requirement has been fulfilled.
To avoid interruptions during the season, athletes who are 17 years old are strongly encouraged to complete the training before the season begins.
Team managers who are under the age of 18 in the NCVA Region are not required to complete SafeSport training. Once a manager turns 18, they must successfully complete both a background screening and SafeSport certification within 30 calendar days.
Completing Your Certification
After purchasing a USA Volleyball membership through SportsEngine, members will receive a confirmation email with instructions for accessing the required SafeSport training.
Junior athletes who are already 18, or who will turn 18 during the season, should be sure to select the appropriate membership category during registration to ensure they receive access to the required training.
Please keep the following in mind:
- Certification updates may take up to 24 hours to appear in your member profile after training is completed.
- Do not wait until the last minute to complete your certification.
- At the conclusion of the course, download and save your Certificate of Completion for your records.
- Certification is granted only after all required training modules have been completed. Partial completion does not satisfy the SafeSport requirement.
The NCVA Region fully supports and enforces the SafeSport policies established by USA Volleyball and the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Any disciplinary action, suspension, or sanction imposed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, USA Volleyball, or the USA Volleyball Ethics & Eligibility Committee will be recognized and enforced by the NCVA Region.
NCVA SafeSport Contact
Kylie Woodruff
[email protected]
If you do not have a membership, you will not see this option.
- Login at My.SportsEngine.com
- On the left-hand side of the page, click the Household tab.
- Select the user profile that will be completing their SafeSport certification.
- On the right side of the page, under the membership, click View Details.
- Click on the name of the membership.
- Next to SafeSport Certification, click Complete Certification/Training.
- NOTE: SafeSport certification button will read based upon the actual credential needed (ex. Complete Core Training)
- NOTE: SafeSport certification button will read based upon the actual credential needed (ex. Complete Core Training)
- Complete the needed SafeSport Certification.
Resources
Resources from USAV: In addition to specific information for athletes, parents, coaches and regions, here are other materials that can assist any interested person in helping to create healthy settings for sport. Misconduct has the potential to not only affect your performance but also cause physical or emotional harm. Spotting inappropriate behavior depends on understanding what’s acceptable as you encounter new and different situations. These recommendations can help you steer clear of potentially harmful interactions.
USAV SafeSport Team Travel policy: Model Policy For Junior Club Volleyball Programs.
USA Volleyball junior clubs are now required to implement a team travel policy. This download is a model team travel policy and is provided to assist USA Volleyball member clubs with developing their own policies. If a club chooses not to, or is unable to, create a written travel policy, the following model policy will become the default policy for that club. Once a customized set of policies is developed and approved by the club, the default policy will no longer apply.
Each member club has the responsibility for approval and implementation of its own set of travel policies, and to provide these policies to all players, parents, coaches and other adults who will be traveling with a team. It is strongly recommended that a signature by each adult acknowledging receipt of and agreeing to the travel policy be obtained by each club.
USAV SafeSport Policy: Social Media and Electronic Communications: Model Policy For Junior Club Volleyball Programs.
USA Volleyball junior clubs are now required to implement an electronic communication policy. The policy must be reviewed with and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and other adults affiliated with the club. This download is a model policy for appropriate electronic communications between adults and athletes, and is provided to assist USA Volleyball member clubs with developing their own policies.
If a club chooses not to, or is unable to, create a written electronic communication policy, the following model policy will become the default electronic communication policy for that club. Once a customized set of policies is developed and approved by the club, the default policy will no longer apply. Each member club has the responsibility for approval and implementation of its own electronic communication policy.
USAV SafeSport NGB and HPMO Athlete Safety Policy: The purpose of this policy is to establish clear conformance, communication and coordination requirements for the national governing bodies (“NGBs”) and high-performance management organizations (“HPMOs”) regarding matters of athlete safety.
How to report abuse or misconduct.
Parent’s Guide to Misconduct in Sport: Designed for the parents of athletes of all ages, this course explains the issues of misconduct in sport and helps parents ensure their children have a positive and safe sport experience.
Understanding Bullying: Article From the Huffington Post
Six Stages of Grooming: Documentation to help identify grooming.
MomsTeam: A premier online youth sports information gateway for the 90 million youth sports parents seeking advice, community and product information from a world-class team of expert psychologists, nutritionists, athletes, medical doctors, journalists coaches, referees and parents dedicated to one mission: to make sure that youth sports is safe for all children ages 3 to 23.
Stop It Now!: A leading expert on building awareness of the scope of sexual abuse, developing and widely distributing prevention tools for adults and families, and advocating for both compassion and accountability.
Peer to Peer Incidents: A Resource Guide: This guide is designed to assist USA Volleyball clubs when peer-to-peer incidents or inappropriate sexual expression/curiosity occur. It will provide information to assist coaches, boards of directors and other club personnel in promoting and maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all participants. This guide may not cover every situation, but it is designed to provide direction.
Best Practices Guidelines: The following Best Practice Guidelines are strongly recommended for all USA Volleyball members.
Understanding Bullying: Article From the Huffington Post.
Make the Commitment: Stop Abuse in Sports: By Cecile Reynaud, originally published in Coaching Volleyball, Dec. 2013-Jan. 2014 issue.
Tough Love or Abuse: Article from the Washington Post.
