Connecticut Safe Sport Policy: Child Abuse Prevention
Youth play sports for a variety of reasons. It encourages a healthy lifestyle, builds self-confidence, and teaches essential life lessons about teamwork and discipline. Athletes learn goal-setting, teamwork, and time management skills; they are less likely to use cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol; they have higher graduation rates and are more likely to attend college.
Unfortunately, youth sports can also be a high-risk environment for misconduct, including child physical and sexual abuse.
Misconduct may damage an athlete’s psychological well-being. Athletes who have been mistreated often experience social embarrassment, emotional turmoil, psychological scars, loss of self-esteem. This trauma negatively impacts their relationships with family, friends, and sports.
This is a project of the Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children in Connecticut (GTF) in response to An Act Concerning the Provision of Information Concerning Child Sexual Abuse. The GTF working group compiled resources from national organizations that support adult survivors and address child sexual abuse awareness including, the Zero Abuse Project, the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse -- The Norma J. Morris Center, The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), Stop It Now. This guideline was developed through the collaborative work of staff from the CT Children’s Alliance, the Office of the Child Advocate, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, and The Village for Families & Children, Inc. This guideline was modified by the Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. It is closely patterned after the USA Football Youth Model Safe Sport Policy - 2-20-2015 and adapted from the US Olympic Committee “SafeSport” program, a guide to prevent misconduct in sport. United States Olympic Committee, Recognizing, Reducing, and Responding to Misconduct in Sport: Creating Your Strategy.
Important Resources:
Connecticut Safe Sport Policy: Child Abuse Prevention
Connecticut Grooming Info Sheet
Camp Counselors Tip Sheet (Draft)