Questions You Can Ask Your Sport Organization about Participant Safety. You and your sport organization are partners in athlete safety; everybody is responsible for keeping athletes safe. Below are some questions you might ask your club so you know what their safety strategy is.

1. Tips for Parents
Verify the Plan
Questions You Can Ask Your Sport Organization about Participant
Safety
You and your sport organization are partners in athlete safety; everybody
is responsible for keeping athletes safe. Below are some questions you might ask your club so
you know what their safety strategy is.
#1 - Is a copy of your Participant Safety Handbook (or equivalent safety policy document)
available?
#2 - What are the components of your participant safety strategy?
#3 - What kind of applicant screening and criminal background checks do you require of
adult coaches, staff and volunteers before they work with your club?
#4 - Is your club a member of your national governing body, if one exists? Why or why not?
#5 - Are your coaches members of your national governing body, if one exists? Why or why
not?
#6 - Do your coaches, and other staff, receive training and education about child sexual
abuse and other misconduct in sport? If not, why?
#7 - What is your club’s reporting policy for child sexual abuse and other misconduct?
#8 - How does your club handle misconduct by adults who provide services for your club?
#9 - How does your club handle misconduct by its athletes?

2. Questions You Can Ask Your Sport Organization to Find a Good Fit for
Your Athlete
It can be tough to find the right sport organization for you and your athlete.
To make sure that everyone understands what the sport organization
expects from athletes, parents and other participants, consider asking a few
of the following questions before picking a club.
#1 - What are the club’s goals for its athletes and teams? For example, is the goal for the
athletes to have fun? Or does the club train its participants to become competitive or
elite athletes?
#2 - What’s the club’s coaching philosophy?
#3 - Does every athlete get to play?
#4 - What kind of time commitment do you ask from your athletes for training?
#5 - When do athletes train?
#6 - Are parents allowed to observe practice? If not, why?
#7 - When do your teams and/or athletes compete?
#8 - Where are the competitions held? Are competitions local or do they require a lot of
travel?
#9 - For away competitions, does the team travel together or are the athletes expected to
arrange for their own travel?
#10 - How does your club expect parents to treat and talk to athletes and participants during
practice and competition?