7.2.B. PRSR 12-12-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Standard #3 Training and Accountability Adults involved with youth sports must receive training and important information about the program and must be held accountable for their behavior. Background: Sports participation can lead to physical and emotional harm if those responsible have no training. In many cases, adults involved with youth sports organizations have not received formal training. Adults are an essential component of organized sports programs, whose own motives, morals and beliefs can influence how programs are conducted and their outcomes. Rationale: To ensure that everyone involved strives to make the youth sports program safe, positive and fun for all children, all administrators, coaches and parents must receive information about the program's philosophy, policies and procedures, as well as specific knowledge required for each position. By holding everyone accountable for their behaviors, high quality programming can be ensured. Implementation: 1. Parents, coaches and volunteers should be provided written information that outlines the program's purpose, as well as policies and procedures. 2. Coaches and staff should be trained in the following areas: the emotional needs of children; safety, injury prevention and first aid; conditioning; hydration and nutrition; teaching proper sport techniques; including all children; child abuse prevention; and drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention. 3. Coaches should be encouraged to continually gain general and sport-specific coaching skills. 4. Leagues are encouraged to provide additional educational resources for coaches and parents to assist them in providing the best possible youth sports experience for each child. 5. Adults involved should be provided information about the types of child abuse, recognizing symptoms of child abuse and neglect and understand reporting procedures. 6. Leagues should adopt a positive coaching recruitment policy that encourages the recruitment and selection of qualified women and men regardless of race, creed, sex or economic status. 7. All volunteers should be required annually to sign a code of conduct pledging their commitment to provide enjoyable, healthful youth sports experiences. 8. Leagues should establish an accountability procedure and disciplinary process to remove anyone who does not abide by its policies and procedures. 9. Coaches and parents should encourage and apply proper principles of conditioning. \lb I National Standards for Youth Sports Copyright©2008 by NAYS