Child Protection Program
The safety and well-being of all participants in the Little League® program is paramount. Little League promotes a playercentric program where young people grow up happy, healthy, and, above all, safe. Little League strives to create an environment that is as safe as possible both on and off the field. Little League does not tolerate any type of abuse against a minor, including, but not limited to, sexual, physical, mental, and emotional (as well as any type of bullying, hazing, or harassment). Little League’s goal is to prevent child abuse from occurring through required screenings, training and education, awareness, and mandated reporting of abuse.
Local League and Child Protection Requirements
All chartered Little League programs must adhere to the following requirements to remain affiliated with Little League Baseball and Softball:
- Complete Background Checks
Utilize the Little League volunteer application form to conduct annual background checks on volunteers and prohibit anyone with any offenses that would disqualify them as a participant in any Little League activity. - Mandatory Training & Continuing Education
Annually require all volunteers to complete an Abuse Awareness Training provided by USA Baseball or a comparable training. - Mandatory Reporting Requirements
Report Child Abuse, including sexual abuse involving a minor, to the proper authorities with 24 hours. - Non-Retaliation for Reporting
Adopt a policy that prohibits retaliation against “good faith” reports of child abuse. - Prohibit One-on-One Interactions
Adopt a policy that limits one-on-one contact with minors without being in an observable and interruptible distance from another adult.
Blountville Little League Links:
1 - Complete Background Checks- Any Person who has regular access to the league and/or has access to minors
- Utilize the Little League Volunteer Application
- Three (3) Reference Checks
- Offenses that Prohibit Participation
- Pending charge, conviction, guilty plea, no contest pleas, admission to any crime involving a minor
3 - Mandatory Reporting Requirements- Allegation of Child Abuse Against a Volunteer in a League
- Report within 24 hours to proper authority
- Each State may have different procedures
- LittleLeague.org/StateLaws
- Report to League President, District Administrator, and Little League International
- League does not conduct own investigation
- Suspension/Termination
- Individual must be suspended while charges pending or investigation
- Individual must be terminated from ever volunteering if substantiated
- Communications from the League
- LittleLeague.org /CrisisCommunications
| 2 - Mandatory Training & Continuing Education
TRAINING - Annually require all volunteers to complete Abuse Awareness Training before assuming any duties
- Keeps information fresh in volunteer’s mind
- Benefits the league
- Completed on or after October 1
- USA Baseball Abuse Awareness Training for Adults
- “regarding and preventing child abuse”
- Leagues have discretion to choose how training conducted or other
- Each league is responsible to verify that each volunteer has completed the training
CONTINUING EDUCATION
- ASAP
- Participate in Little League’s A Safety Awareness Program (ASAP)
- Reduction in accident insurance cost (15%)
- Resources
- SafeSport.org
- SafetoCompete.org
- USABaseball.com
- MissingKids.org
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4 - Non-Retaliation for Reporting- Leagues may not retaliate against any individual who makes a good faith report of suspected abuse
- Leagues should not tolerate any member retaliating against another member
- Leagues should encourage all individuals to be vigilant and observant
- Protection begins at the local league level
- Every league must place the protection and well being of players above all else
- Many states provide immunity to those who report suspected child abuse in good faith
- LittleLeague.org/StateLaw
| 5 - Prohibit One-On-One Interactions
Leagues must adopt a one-on-one policy relating to interactions between a player and any adult volunteer during the league’s programs and activities - At a minimum the policy should include:
- Volunteers are prohibited from being alone with a minor player during local league programs and events
- All volunteer actions must be observable and interpretable by another adult
- Volunteers are discouraged from interacting one-on-one with a player outside local league programs
- Physical contact should be very limited (such as high fives; fist bumps).
- Resources
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