Position Statement
The NYSWYSA has modeled its Risk Management program after the US Youth Soccer KIDSAFE program, which is designed to promote the welfare of youth players and to protect volunteer coaches, program administrators and the organization. The NYSWYSA will make every reasonable effort, through its Risk Management program, to exclude from program responsibilities (not to be confused with parental responsibilities affecting their own child) any adult with a legally documented history of child molestation or other record that would bring a material risk to the health and safety of the program’s participants.

Policy

1. Any complaint of child abuse against a person currently involved in a NYSWYSA sanctioned, sponsored or approved event/activity or program must be reported immediately to the Executive Director.
2. All coaches, assistant coaches, managers, referees, administrators, and volunteers MUST fill out a NYSWYSA Disclosure Statement at least once every two years. The NYSWYSA considers an administrator to be a person who is a duly elected/appointed official of a member club/league or of the State Association, and a volunteer to be a person who volunteers time to a member club/league or NYSWYSA and who is not a coach, assistant coach, manager, administrator, or certified referee. All statements that are properly filled out and sent to the State Office will remain in effect for the entire seasonal year, in which they are received and the next, and they will expire on August 31 of the next seasonal year. (In the way of an example, forms received in September 2003 and April 2004 will both be valid for the seasonal years 2003-04 and 2004-05 and expire on August 31, 2005).
3. All Disclosure Statements and Risk Management search results are to be handled with the highest possible level of confidentiality and are to be stored at the State Office in a locked confidential file.
4. To read the New York State West Risk Management Policy in full, please follow this link.

Procedure
 

1. Complaints of child abuse are to be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested to the Operations Manager.
2. All disclosure statements must first be sent to a club/league official or program administrator (such as the ODP Administrator). This official or program administrator makes sure that the forms are properly completed – including the club/league or program information at the bottom of the forms. Following that, the club/league official or program director must enter the data into RosterPro. The NYSWYSA will do a background search on ALL applicants based on SSN for all coaches, assistant coaches and managers plus a search based on the Driver’s License Number. The club/league official or program administrator sends all properly completed forms (along with proper payment) to the State Office in care of the Operations Manager. There is a set fee for all coaches, assistant coaches and managers, who will all be issued passes (either new, renewal, or replacement passes) following satisfactory completion of the background search process. Administrators and volunteers, for whom a club/league or program has requested a background check are subject to the same fee, but will not be issued passes. All passes and final results of background searches will be mailed to the club/league official or program administrator. It is the responsibility of this official or administrator to keep track of who have submitted forms, who have received passes and when these passes expire. If a pass is lost, stolen or misplaced, a new disclosure form must be filled out and processed as outlined above in order to obtain a replacement pass.
3. Only the Operations Manager and his/her assistant(s) shall have access to background search results and the Risk Management papers either forwarded to the State Office or on file in the State Office.