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Risk Management


Risk Management Program

The Program:

           Guidelines:

Child Abuse:

Disclosure Statement & e-KidSafe Registration

Purpose
As our society increases its awareness of the problems associated with child abuse, organizations involved with America’s youth must work diligently to provide them with a safe environment and to help our member clubs deal with the issue of child abuse. In August of 1994, the USYSA approved the KidSafe Risk Management Program and charged each state with the responsibility of developing a formal, written program to help prevent child abuse and molestation and to help all of us to become more aware of the warning signs of child abuse.

Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Position
The Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association and its members will not knowingly allow any person convicted of a crime of violence, physical abuse, sale of illegal substances, or has any other convictions that would indicate a pattern of behavior that would have a detrimental effect on children to be placed in a position that would involve direct contact with children.

Applicability
This policy shall apply to any of the following who have regular contact with children:

  1. Coaches

  2. Assistant Coaches

  3. Administrators - including employees of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association and its affiliates

  4. Other Volunteers

The Program
The program will consist of the following parts:

  1. Establishing Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Guidelines for Appropriate Behavior.

  2. Providing a means to gather information about those people who come in contact with our children.

  3. Establishing written guidelines for the handling of this information.

  4. Helping our members to identify and deal with child abuse.

Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Guidelines for Appropriate Behavior

Relationships Between Youths and Adults
Generally speaking, adults are those persons in the role of coach, assistant coach, administrator, board member, game official, or adult volunteer. Typically, there is a relationship where the adult has authority over the player. As such, there is a need to offer special protection to the players to make sure that adults in positions of authority do not misuse their authority to the detriment of the player.

While most of us think that the roles of adults and players or children are straight forward, there are situations where a team could have a 14 year old assistant coach. This assistant coach may be viewed as an adult as an authority figure or as a child or player with regard to his relationship with an older head coach. People in positions of authority must make sure not to abuse their authority to the detriment of others. By establishing formal guidelines for behavior, everyone will know what behavior is acceptable and what behavior is not. Our goal for establishing codes of conduct to help to provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for our members and their families.

Guidelines
The physical and emotional well being of our members and their families must be protected. These guidelines will provide a formal standard that will eliminate any possible misconception about the expected behavior as established by the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association.

   I.   Physical Contact

  1. Adults and others in positions of authority must be aware that physical contact can be misinterpreted. Physical contact should be limited to that necessary to teach a skill, treat an injury, or console or congratulate the player. Physical intimidation, physical punishment, or threatening a player with physical harm are not appropriate behaviors and will not be tolerated. However, reasonably requiring players to do push-ups or running for misbehavior would not likely be considered inappropriate.

  2. Sexual contact of any kind between adults and players is prohibited whether or not the contact is consensual.

  3. Hazing or any type of initiation to a club or a team is prohibited.

  4. Corporal punishment is prohibited.

  1. Social Contact

  1. Adults should not spend time or socialize alone with players. Pulling a player to the side for additional instruction in plain view of the remainder of the team would be an exception to this rule. However, an adult in a one-on one situation with a child is generally considered inappropriate and should be avoided. Another exception would be if a child was the last one waiting for a ride home from practice, the coach should not leave the child until the child’s parent or ride home has arrived.

  2. Adults should respect the privacy of players. If showering or changing room facilities are available, schedules should be made such that adults and children have separate use. Adults should not allow others to use these types of facilities without the expressed wishes of the player involved.

  1. Health and Well-Being

  1. Adults share the responsibility for the player’s health while at practices, scrimmages and games. Adults should have a player’s medical release forms and medical kits with them at all times. Coaches should have an emergency plan in place so that, if someone is hurt in a practice or a game, the coach knows who to call, where emergency personnel might take the injured party and how to contact family members.

  2. Any head injuries resulting in disorientation should result in a player remaining out of the game.

  3. Any bleeding that occurs must be administered to with latex gloves, and properly sterilized bandages. All bleeding must be stopped prior to re-entering the game. Any bandages, uniforms or other items that have come in contact with the blood must be properly disposed of.

  4. Adults transporting players must model safe driving techniques and enforce seat belt use for all vehicle occupants.

  5. The conditions of the field and goals must be conducive to safe play. Weather conditions must also be reasonably safe from lightning, or extreme temperatures.

  6. Adults should be aware of the signs of neglect and abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) of the players. Signs of this should be reported to the local law enforcement agency.

  1. Language

  1. Offensive or vulgar language by adults or children is unacceptable. Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association events including games and practices should be family oriented events. Adults should model good communication skills.

  2. Language that is denigrating in nature, content, or tone or refers to one’s gender, race, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or religion is not acceptable.

  3. Inappropriate language or threatening language used toward an official, coach, player, or parent may be grounds for removal from a game or the premises or both.

  1. Violations

  1. Violations will be handled in accordance with existing Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association policy. Sanctions can include fines, suspensions or release by the affiliated club or the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association.

  2. The appropriate legal authorities will be notified based upon the nature of the violation.

  3. Any person witnessing a violation of these guidelines should report the incident to the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association office, the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association President, their Club President, or the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Risk Manager.

Gathering Information Concerning Volunteers

Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Disclosure Statement Procedures
Every volunteer is required to complete Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association’s online eKidsafe Disclosure Statement for all club members that have regular contact with children including, but not necessarily limited to the following:

  1. Coaches

  2. Assistant Coaches

  3. Administrators – including employees of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association and its affiliates

  4. Other Volunteers

All eKidsafe Disclosure Statements are kept on file electronically at the state office of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association. The Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association will complete a State of Wisconsin criminal background check on all volunteer applicants. If any of the criminal background checks shows a conviction or convictions that displays a pattern of behavior that may have a detrimental effect on children, that person will be advised that he or she is not eligible to begin their role or continue in their role with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association or its affiliate member.

Since criminal histories are a matter of public record, and the fact that the person involved may be asked to step down from their role with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association or its affiliate member, the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association will not guarantee that this type of information, once discovered, will be kept confidential.

The information gathered will be reviewed by the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association Vice President, Executive Director and Club President.   The final decision on what is an acceptable or unacceptable criminal history will be made by the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association President.

US Youth Soccer maintains a list of those individuals who have been disqualified from activities with member state associations.  The “Disciplinary Action Report” (DAR) is compiled monthly based on information provided by state associations, including WYSA.  The most current (monthly) DAR is available for review at:  http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/aboutus/DownloadCenter.asp in the section entitled “Disciplinary Policies & Forms.”  This information is provided for the benefit of our membership. This list is provided for informational purposes only. Questions regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this file should be forwarded to the respective state association.

 

Child Abuse

Definition
Child abuse can generally be divided into four different types. The four types are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.

Physical abuse is any non-accidental injury to a child. It is often caused by an action or omission of a care giver. Injuries include bruises, welts, cuts, fractures, burns or internal injuries. Physical abuse can be one or two isolated incidents or it can occur over a prolonged period of time.

Emotional abuse includes all acts that result in the child's sense of "self" being seriously impaired. This type of behavior can include demeaning remarks, rejecting the child, ignoring or isolating the child, name calling, or telling the child that he is not a good person or athlete.

Neglect occurs when a caregiver fails to provide basic needs such as adequate food, sleep, safety, supervision, clothing, or medical treatment.

Sexual abuse is any sexual activity between a child and an adult, or between children when there exists an unequal distribution of power, such as when one is significantly older or physically larger than the other.

Signs of Abuse
Each type of abuse has its own distinct signs. People dealing with children should be aware of the signs of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Below is a description of the signs of abuse for each of the four categories of abuse. Each category has its own behavioral indicators as well as physical indicators.

In the case of physical abuse, you should look for the following behavioral indicators:

  • Wary of adults

  • Cannot recall or consistently explain how injuries occurred

  • May cringe if touched accidentally

  • Extremely aggressive or extremely withdrawn

In the case of physical abuse, you should look for the following physical indicators:

  • Injuries inconsistent with the explanation

  • Presence of several injuries in various stages of healing

  • Facial injuries

In the case of emotional abuse, you should look for the following behavioral indicators:

  • Severe depression

  • Extreme withdrawal or aggressiveness

  • Overly compliant, too mannered, too neat and clean

  • Extreme attention seeking

  • Displays extreme inhibition in play

In the case of emotional abuse, you should look for the following physical indicators:

  • Frequent psychosomatic complaints such as headaches, nausea, abdominal pains

In the case of neglect, you should look for the following behavioral indicators:

  • Frequent absence from school or practice

  • Inappropriate or dirty clothing

  • Engaged in delinquent acts such as alcohol or drug abuse

  • Pale, listless, unkempt

  • Frequently forgets proper equipment, water, etc.

In the case of neglect, you should look for the following physical indicators:

  • Poor hygiene

  • Unattended physical problems or medical needs

  • Consistent lack of supervision

In the case of sexual abuse, you should look for the following behavioral indicators:

  • Age inappropriate sexual play or displaying sexual acts

  • Sexually explicit drawing or descriptions

  • Bizarre, sophisticated, or unusual sexual knowledge

  • Seductive behaviors

In the case of sexual abuse, you should look for the following physical indicators:

  • Unusual or excessive itching in the genital area

  • Torn, stained or bloody underwear

  • Injuries to the vaginal or anal areas

Reporting Instances of Child Abuse

Suspected instances of child abuse are extremely sensitive in nature. A great deal of care should be exercised in reporting suspected cases of child abuse. Because of the serious consequences of child abuse it is the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association policy to report child abuse if it is suspected. Since child abuse can be difficult to spot without the proper training, please do not discuss a case of abuse or suspected abuse with anyone except the proper authorities. If you are uncertain about whether to report abuse, please contact the Risk Manager at the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association office.

If a child confides in you that he or she has been the victim of abuse, do not panic or overreact if the child confides in you. Do not criticize the child for confiding in you. Finally, respect the child’s privacy.

If the child is in imminent danger, and you feel that you need to offer immediate assistance, you should contact the local police department. The police departments have the expertise to handle an emergency or crisis situation involving children.

If the child does not appear to be in any immediate danger, you should call the Department of Social Services for your county. The Department of Social Services can assign a social worker to review the case and determine what course of action is in the best interests of the child.