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American Youth Soccer Organization Providing world class youth soccer programs that enrich children's lives.

East Providence - American Youth Soccer Organization (Region 715)

Safe Haven

About Safe Haven ®

We take the safety of our athletes seriously. Precautions are taken on the field to prevent physical injuries, and precautions are taken off the field to ensure children and volunteers are safe in their interactions with each other.

AYSO’s Safe Haven program has been put in place to protect AYSO players and the volunteers who serve them. It requires that each AYSO volunteer complete and eSign a volunteer application each and every year, agreeing to background checks and to abide by the philosophies and policies of AYSO. 

 Every AYSO volunteer must apply and be accepted as a volunteer. Volunteers are also asked to complete Safe Haven and job specific training in order to become trained and certified. AYSO in-person or online training focuses on the best ways to work with children and important safety protocols. Becoming Safe Haven certified takes some time, but AYSO volunteers know it’s worth it.

 Also, did you know that every AYSO Region is required to designate a volunteer to act as the Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA)? A CVPA helps implement Safe Haven policies at the local level. Next time you see your local CVPA, stop and say hello! 

 AYSO is so proud of our Safe Haven program – it was the first of its kind in youth sports, most notably in soccer. It creates a safe environment for players and volunteers to have a happy and healthy soccer experience. 

 It takes a lot of dedicated people to make AYSO possible, and volunteers are always needed.

For more information, visit www.ayso.org





Keeping AYSO

Players & Volunteers

Safe

How It Works

Making AYSO A True Safe Haven ®

"Do I really have to fill out this entire form in order to help out an AYSO team? It's such a hassle, and it's all just to devote a few hours a week to a cause that should be happy to have me as a volunteer, right?" 

The best way for you to respond to this type of question is simply: 

"They're your children. How safe do you want us to be with them?" 

Yes, we are thrilled that family, friends and others are willing and able to assist with our young team members in AYSO; but we have a duty to protect both the volunteer as well as the children in their charge. 

Since 1998, AYSO's Safe Haven has been the premier child and volunteer protection program that was the first of its kind in youth sports. It includes proactive steps which provide a medium for positive, healthy child development. 

The child protection aspect is intended to stop child abuse by screening out predators before they get into the program as well as taking the necessary steps to protect children in the program. This is accomplished, among other things, through our background checking system, the AYSO supervision ratio and through the awareness education component of our Safe Haven training. 

Every volunteer who completes and esigns a volunteer application is subject to a national sex offender registry check and a national criminal background check. AYSO's Criminal Background Check Policy identifies volunteer restrictions based on potential risks associated with criminal convictions found in these background reports. 

We can only provide these services when we have a completed form on file for each and every volunteer. And while there is no way to ever weed out any and all potential child abusers; it is entirely impossible to do so without properly collected information. 

So the next time that you get a question from a potential volunteer about the necessity of the volunteer form, remember that AYSO is all about a safe experience in soccer for our children.

Safe Haven for Volunteers

Volunteers are the lifeblood of AYSO. To ensure the safety of both children and volunteers, each volunteer is required to take a short in-person or online training session called Safe Haven®. It focuses on safety and appropriate behavior with children as well as other on-field issues. Agreeing to a background check is also required for each volunteer. 

Becoming Safe Haven® certified may take a little time, but AYSO families know their children's safety is worth it. 

Safe Haven® is both a child and volunteer protection program. It was the first of its kind in youth sports. 

The child protection aspect is intended to prevent child abuse, promote education and awareness, enforce policies and screen and train volunteers. It includes proactive steps that promote a positive, healthy environment for children.

Volunteer protection is the result of volunteer training, certification and continuing education. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified and act in accordance with a written job description and AYSO's policies and guidelines. 

For more information about Volunteer protection under the AYSO Safe Haven program, visit www.ayso.org/For_Volunteers

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Contact Us

AYSO Region 715 (East Providence, RI)

AYSO - Region 715, PO Box 15132
Riverside, Rhode Island 02915

Email Us: [email protected]
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