Keeping Athletes Safe in Swimming - Parent Information
Montana Swimming's and USA Swimming's top priority continues to be keeping our athletes safe. No form of abuse, including child sexual abuse, has a place in our sport. Montana Swimming and USA Swimming are committed to reducing the risk of abuse in swimming and increasing awareness of red flag behavior through its Safe Sport program. All adults working with athletes are responsible for creating an abuse-free environment.
Instructions for How Parents Access the Parent Version of Athlete Protection Training
Safe Sport is very important to our organization and is an incredibly powerful tool to protect your children in other environments as well. Being a Safe Sport certified team is something we feel very strongly about.
1. Follow this link or (https://www.usaswimming.org/swimmers-parents/parents/safe-sport-for-parents) to login to USA Swimming. It will prompt you to either login (with your parent account) or create an account.
*When creating an account, most of this is self-explanatory but be sure and enter Montana Swimming under LSC (Local Swimming Committee) and select your swim team so that your account and completion is connected to your team!
2. One you have logged in, click "Education”, then "Course Catalog" then select the "Safe Sport" tab in the left column. Choose the course titled "Parent's Guide to Misconduct in Sport
3. Click on the course, scroll down and "Go to Course"
4. A new window will open with the course and you're ready to hit "Start." You don't have to complete the course all in one sitting, as the program saves your progress as you go.
*To get back to the course if you stop, you'll need to log back into USA Swimming (step 1), login and click on Education. You can click through to your courses in progress.
Click here to go to the USA Swimming Safe Sport for parents webpage.
Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy 2.0 -- in effect September 1, 2021
Full Policy PDF
General Requirements PDF
Adult Participants PDF
Adult Athletes PDF
Electronic Communication PDF
Locker Rooms and Changing Areas PDF
In-Program Travel and Lodging PDF
Meetings and Individual Training Sessions PDF
One-on-One Interactions PDF
Massages and Rubdowns PDF
Report a Concern to the US Center for Safe Sport:
If you need to report a concern, begin the process here. Report here if you have experienced abuse or misconduct—or if you have reasonable suspicion of abuse or misconduct inflicted on, or by, someone in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Also, this link directs you to a secure form at safesport-i.sight.com/portal.
You may also call to report at 1-833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) available Monday - Friday from 9:00 - 5:00.
Resources:
Training and Educational Services -- US Center for Safe Sport webpage On this webpage you can access several safe sport training courses and additional information.
5 Tips for Parents - Safe Sport Cards PDF
Parent Toolkit for Pre-school Children PDF
Parent Toolkit for School Aged Children PDF
Parent Toolkit for Middle School Youth PDF
Parent Toolkit for High School Adolescents PDF
Parent Toolkit for All Ages PDF
US Center for Safe Sport:
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent 501c(3) non-profit organization focused on ending all forms of abuse in sport. We endeavor to make athlete well-being the centerpiece of the nation’s sports culture through abuse prevention, education, and accountability. Learn more here.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent nonprofit committed to building a sport community where participants can work and learn together free of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and misconduct. Explore our site for training resources, help and best practices for coaches, parents, athletes, youth and amateur sports organizations in creating your SafeSport environment.
The Center opened its doors in Denver, Colorado, in March 2017, and soon after became federally authorized under the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 (which became Public Law No: 115-126 on February 14, 2018). Under this law, we develop resources and policies to safeguard athletes from bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct. The law entrusts the Center as the exclusive authority to respond to reports of allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and their recognized National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
The Center is a trusted educational resource for all sport entities at all levels of sport from grassroots amateur sports organizations to professional leagues.
