Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy |
Purpose of the Policy:
The purpose of the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) is to describe the preventative and protective policies when interacting with minor athletes. As a member of SafeSport, USA Rugby provides required minimum policy requirements that every minor club must include. Required policies are written broadly because they apply to the many possible structures that youth clubs have implemented throughout the United States. As you read through the policy, you may find that some do not seem to apply to Jacksonville Youth Rugby. However, we are including all policy requirements in compliance with Safe Sport and USA Rugby.
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I. One-on-One Interactions
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a. Application:
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Observable and Interruptible:
i. One-on-One Interactions between a minor athlete and an applicable adult (who is not the minor’s legal guardian) at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction are permitted if they occur at an observable and interruptible distance by another adult.
ii. One-on-One Interactions between minor athletes and an Applicable Adult (who is not the minor’s legal guardian) at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction are prohibited except in the circumstances described in subpart d and under emergency circumstances. |
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c. Meetings:
i. Meetings between Applicable Adults and minor athletes at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction may only occur if another adult is present, except under emergency circumstances. Such meetings must occur where interactions can be easily observed and at an interruptible distance from another adult.
ii. If a one-on-one meeting takes place in an office at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction, the door to the office must remain unlocked and open. If available, it will occur in an office that has windows, with the windows, blinds and/or curtains remaining open during the meeting.
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d. Meetings with Mental Health Care Professionals and Health Care Providers:
i. If a mental health care professional and/or Health Care Provider meets with minor athletes at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction, a closed-door meeting may be permitted to protect patient privacy provided that all of the following occur:
1. The door remains unlocked
2. Another adult is present at the facility
3. The other adult is advised that the closed-door meeting is occurring
4. Written legal guardian consent is obtained in advance by the mental health care professional and/or health care provider, with a copy provided to our organization.
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e. Individual Training Sessions:
i. Individual training sessions between Applicable Adults and minor athletes are permitted at a facility partially or fully under our jurisdiction if the training session is observable and interruptible by another adult. It is the responsibility of the Applicable Adult to obtain the written permission of the minor’s legal guardian in advance of the individual training session if the individual training session is not observable and interruptible by another adult. Permission for individual training sessions must be obtained at least every six months. Parents, guardians, and other caretakers must be allowed to observe the training session.
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f. Monitoring One-on-One Interactions:
i. When one-on-one interactions between Applicable Adults and minor athletes occur at a facility partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club, Applicable Adults will monitor such interactions. Monitoring includes the following:
1. Knowing that the one-on-one interaction is occurring and/or is planned.
2. Knowing the approximate planned duration of the interaction
3. Randomly dropping in on the one-on-one interaction
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g. Out-of-Program Contacts:
i. Applicable Adults are prohibited from interacting one-on-one with unrelated minor athletes in settings outside of the program that are not observable and interruptible (including, but not limited to, one’s home and individual transportation), unless parent/legal guardian consent is provided for each out-of-program contact. Such arrangements are strongly discouraged and should be avoided.
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II. Massages and Rubdowns/Athletic Training Modules
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a. Application
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Massage or Rubdown/Athletic Training Modality:
i. Any massage or rubdown/athletic training modality performed at a facility or a training or competition venue must be conducted in an open and interruptible location. Any massage of a minor athlete must be done with at least one other adult present and must never be done with only the minor athlete and the person performing the massage or rubdown/athletic training modality in the room. |
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c. Written Consent:
i. Written consent by a legal guardian must be provided before providing each massage or rubdown/athletic training modality on a minor athlete. Parents must be permitted to be in the room as an observer. |
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III. Locker Rooms and Changing Areas:
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a. Application:
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Non-exclusive facility:
i. If our organization uses a facility not fully under our jurisdiction for training, competition or similar events and the facility is used by multiple constituents, all Applicable Adults are nonetheless required to adhere to the rules set forth herein. |
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c. Use of Recording Devices:
i. Use of any device’s (including a cell phone’s) recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras and video cameras in locker rooms, changing areas or similar spaces at a facility under our organization’s jurisdiction is prohibited. |
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d. Undress:
i. Under no circumstances shall an unrelated Applicable Adult at a facility under our organization’s jurisdiction intentionally expose his or her breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals to a minor athlete. |
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e. One-on-One Interactions:
i. Except for athletes on the same team, at no time are unrelated Applicable Adults permitted to be alone with a minor athlete in a locker room or changing area when at a facility under our partial or full jurisdiction, except under emergency circumstances.
ii. If our organization is using a facility that only has a single locker room or changing area, we will designate separate times for use by Applicable Adults, if any. |
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f. Monitoring:
i. Our Organization regularly and randomly monitors the use of locker rooms and changing areas at facilities under our jurisdiction to ensure compliance with these policies.
ii. To minimize the risk of bullying and hazing, our organization may employ the use of locker room monitors to ensure that minor athletes are not left unsupervised in locker rooms and changing areas.
iii. Applicable Adults make every effort to recognize when a minor athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition and, if they do not return in a timely fashion, will check on the minor’s whereabouts.
iv. We discourage parents from entering locker rooms and changing areas unless it is absolutely necessary. In those instances, it should be a same-sex parent when other minor athletes are changing in the same locker room or changing area. If this is necessary, parents should let a coach or administrator know about this in advance. |
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IV. Social Media and Electronic Communications
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a. Application:
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Content:
i. All electronic communication originating from Applicable Adults to minor athletes must be professional in nature. |
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c. Open and Transparent:
i. Absent emergency circumstances, if an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes needs to communicate directly with a minor athlete via electronic communications (including social media), another Applicable Adult and the minor’s legal guardian will be copied.
ii. If a minor athlete communicates to the Applicable Adult (with authority over the minor athlete) privately first, said Applicable Adult should respond to the minor athlete with a copy to another Applicable Athlete and/or the minor’s legal guardian.
iii. When an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes communicates electronically to the entire team, said Applicable Adult will copy another adult.
iv. Minor athletes may “friend: the organization’s official page. |
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d. Requests to Discontinue:
i. Legal guardians may request in writing that their minor athlete not be contacted through any form of electronic communication by the organization or by the Applicable Adults subject to this policy. The organization will abide by any such request that their minor athlete not be contacted via electronic communication, absent emergency circumstances. |
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e. Hours:
i. Electronic communication will generally only be sent between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, unless emergency circumstances exist, or while traveling internationally or during competition travel. |
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f. Monitoring:
i. The organization monitors its social media pages and removes any posts that violate the organizations policies and practices for appropriate behavior.
ii. The organization will inform the legal guardian of a minor athlete of any prohibited posts as well as the organization’s administrator. |
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g. Prohibited Electronic Communications:
i. Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes are not permitted to maintain private social media connections with unrelated minor athletes and such Applicable Adults are not permitted to accept new personal page requests on social media platforms from amateur athletes who are minors, unless the Applicable Adult has a fan page, or the contact is deemed as celebrity contact vs. regular contact. Existing social media connections on personal pages with minor athletes shall be discontinued. |
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V. Local Travel
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a. Application:
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Shared or Carpool Travel Arrangement:
i. We encourage parents/legal guardians to pick up their minor athlete first and drop off their minor athlete last in any shared or carpool travel arrangement.
ii. Parents/legal guardians receive education concerning child abuse prevention before providing consent for their minor athlete to travel alone with an Applicable Adult who is subject to these policies. |
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VI. Team/Competition Travel
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a. Application:
i. This policy shall apply to the following:
1. Adult members partially or fully under the jurisdiction of Jacksonville Youth Rugby Club who have regular contact with minor athletes, who are authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete and Adult Staff and Board members. Collectively referred to as an ‘Applicable Adult’ for the purposes of this policy. |
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b. Team/Competition Travel:
i. When only one Applicable Adult and one minor athlete travel to a competition, the minor athlete must have his/her legal guardian’s written permission in advance and for each competition to travel alone with said Applicable Adult.
ii. Team travel policies must be signed and agreed to by all minor athletes, parents and Applicable Adults traveling with the organization.
iii. Applicable Adults who travel with the organization must successfully pass a criminal background check and other screening requirements consistent with the organization’s policies.
iv. Parents/legal guardians receive education concerning child abuse prevention before providing consent for their minor athlete to travel alone with an Applicable Adult who is subject to these policies. |
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c. Hotel Rooms:
i. Applicable Adults shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with a minor athlete (unless the Applicable Adult is the legal guardian, sibling or is otherwise related to the minor athlete). However, a parent/legal guardian may consent to such an arrangement in advance and in writing. Furthermore, a parent/legal guardian may consent in advance and in writing to the minor athlete sharing a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with an adult athlete. |
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d. Meetings:
i. Meetings shall be conducted consistent with the organization’s policy for one-on-one interactions.
ii. During team travel, when doing room checks, attending team meetings, and/or other activities, two-deep leadership (two Applicable Adults should be present) and observable and interruptible environments should be maintained.
iii. Meetings should not be conducted in a hotel room. |
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