U.S. Center for SafeSport - Keeping Young Athletes Safe FY24

The Center's charge is to provide an independent place for reports of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse and misconduct, provide a response and resolution process, develop training, education, policies and procedures to prevent abuse, and to establish a compliance and audit program for National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the USOPC. Since its inception, the Center has received 28,787 reports of abuse and 5,652,257 all-time online SafeSport training course completions, with 3,901,951 individuals completing a course. The Center’s work benefits athletes, coaches, administrators, volunteers, parents, and NGB and USPOC staff.

The Center proposes a multi-pronged strategy to meet the requirements of the Keep Young Athletes Safe 2024 grant program, building upon its current education, policy, investigations, and compliance work to address abuse in youth athletic programs. The Center will deliver additional education and training, focusing on reaching beyond the NGBs into local clubs, affiliates, and other adult participants. It will continue to develop, revise, and implement policies to prevent abuse in youth sports, incorporating survivor voices at all levels of its work, and continue its audit and compliance work, supporting NGBs and the USOPC to prevent and respond to the abuse of minor athletes. Deliverables include new policies, educational offerings, program evaluation, technical assistance, increased communication strategies, and partnerships with survivor, child abuse experts, advocacy organizations, coaches, administrators, parents, and others. The Center will also continue to adhere to local, state, and federal law as it pertains to reporting child abuse.