AYSO Safe Haven
child & volunteer protection

Safe Haven is a child and volunteer protection program that was the first of its kind in youth sports.

The child protection aspect is intended to stop child abuse, educate or remove its perpetrators, and screen out predators before they get into the program. It includes proactive steps which provide a medium for positive, healthy child development, precluding the outbreak of child abuse in a weak, unfocused, nonempowering environment.

Volunteer protection comes in to play as a result of volunteer training, certification and continuing education. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1993 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified, and act in accordance with a written job description. Safe Haven has these three elements, giving volunteers the highest degree of protection available under the law.

Safe Haven for All
Because AYSO was the first youth sports organization to create a formal program to comply with the Child Protection Act and the Volunteer Protection Act, we offer assistance to other youth sports organizations interested in developing their own Safe Haven programs. Our program can be tailored to other sports and other organizational structures. Call us at (800) USA-AYSO or e-mail safehaven@ayso.org to learn more.