> prevent >> zero tolerance >>> report
Ensuring member and participant safety is a role Iowa Soccer takes seriously. Our number one focus, as yours should be, is to provide a safe environment for youth players - and with that comes a lot of heavy lifting for club coaches and personnel in the form of required training and education, passing a background check, and tracking/ensuring compliance. As much as these steps help ensure the player is free from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, they also serve to better equip and manage risk for those working with youth players.
Prevention (i.e. Managing Risk)
Risk management is a method for identifying risks, and developing and implementing a plan to protect an organization with the goal of preventing/minimizing loss. One of the single-most important operations for Iowa Soccer and for your organization is managing risk. Through policies, recommendations, education and checklists, Iowa Soccer is committed to helping all participants have a safe soccer experience.
- Iowa Soccer's Safe Soccer Policy
- Risk Management Coordinator: each member club is required to identify to Iowa Soccer its Risk Management Coordinator (RMC). This person will be the point of contact for Iowa Soccer to provide information, updates, resources, etc...
Zero Tolerance for Abuse
One of the most important aspects of creating an awareness program with regard to abuse is to establish set procedures and specific contact people for reporting incidents of abuse or alleged abuse. In addition to identifying your club's Risk Management Coordinator, it should adopt a Zero Tolerance Policy and post this publicly for its members.