The safety of its participants is of paramount importance to USA Hockey. USA Hockey Safe Sport is the organization's program related to off-ice safety. As the national governing body for ice hockey, USA Hockey is required to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the “Center”), including the SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement (the “SafeSport Code”) and the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (the “MAAPP”) adopted by the Center.

USA Hockey has long had systems in place to protect its participants from physical abuse, sexual abuse and other types of abuse and misconduct that can be harmful to youth hockey players and other participants. These include without limitation Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Screening, Locker Room Supervision and Hazing Policies, in addition to Codes of Conduct applicable to administrators, coaches, officials, parents, players and spectators. The USA Hockey Safe Sport Handbook is intended to update and collect USA Hockey’s various policies to protect its participants from all types of misconduct and abuse.The SafeSport Code primarily covers prohibited conduct and the Center’s response and resolution process, while the MAAPP covers training requirements and preventive policies around locker rooms, travel, electronic communications, and other areas where prohibited one-on-one interactions may occur.

The Center has revised the SafeSport Code and the MAAPP, and these changes must become effective for USA Hockey by January 1, 2025. USA Hockey has incorporated the revisions to the Code and MAAPP into USA Hockey’s Safe Sport Program Handbook.

The Safe Sport core training and refresher training are each valid for one season.

The Safe Sport training is three courses; a certificate is issued after each course with a final certificate indicating the participant is Safe Sport Trained. Not all training needs to be completed in one session, you may exit the session and the platform will bookmark your place. Once a person completes the core training, a new Safe Sport refresher course has been added to the platform. The refresher course is an abbreviated version intended for individuals who have previously completed the three core Safe Sport courses and need to recertify. Users completing the Safe Sport refresher course will be recertified for an additional season.

The training course is available at no charge for USA Hockey members. The Safe Sport training is three courses; a certificate is issued after each course with a final certificate indicating the participant is Safe Sport Trained. Once trained it is valid for one season.

USA Hockey members should always access the training through www.usahockey.com/safesporttraining. If you are asked to pay a fee or prompted for an access code, you are not in the USA Hockey Safe Sport Training.

It is not necessary to take the training all at once. You may exit the platform and return at any time and pick up where you left off.

PLEASE NOTE: you will need your own USA Hockey Registration Confirmation Number and your own email address to access the training.

New playing seasons mean new volunteers & vendors - New board members, association vendors and volunteers with regular, routine or frequent access to or supervision over minor participants need to complete USA Hockey Safe Sport training and screening.

Safe Sport before team activities - Coaches, managers, locker room monitors and other association volunteers need to complete Safe Sport training prior to participating in any activities (on-ice or off-ice) with their youth hockey team. These are available now to get a jump on the season.

All players seventeen (17) years of age or older on or before December 31, that play on a team in a classification that allows minor age players, are required to complete U.S. Center for Safe Sport online training before being added to the team and prior to participation (on-ice or off-ice). This requirement applies to all teams in the Youth, Girls, High School, Junior Hockey, Flex Hockey and Disabled Hockey program classifications that allow both minor age and adult age players. Players required to take the training must complete the Core Center for Safe Sport Training prior to being added to the team.

Parent Module now available - The United States Olympic Committee has a Safe Sport Parent module. It takes approximately 30 minutes. Be aware this module does not meet the requirements for coaches, officials or volunteers.

Subject to parental consent, USA Hockey is required to "offer and give" training to minor athletes. The USCSS will provide age-specific training that will be made available on the Center for Safe Sport's website. Parents of participants will be made aware of the availability of Safe Sport training for minor participants and will be given an opportunity to consent and access the training for the minor participant.

Safe Sport Coordinator
(910) 322-6862
safesportcaha@gmail.com

Safe Sport, USA Hockey's safety program and prevention strategy initiative is aimed at improving the safety of athletes. Background screening is only one aspect of Safe Sport and requires volunteers or employees serving in the following positions to be screened prior to having regular, routine or frequent access to or supervision over minor participants:

• Affiliate Board of Directors
• Member Association Administrators
• Coaches
• Team Managers
• Officials
• Locker Room Monitors
• Team Drivers
• Travel Chaperones
• Anyone with regular, routine or frequent access to or supervision over minor participants.

For the purposes of this policy, Member Association Administrators shall include the Member Association's Board of Directors, all support staff, volunteers or employees and such other persons as the Board of Directors may designate from time to time with regular, routine or frequent access to or supervision over minor participants.

All officials must complete a background screening in accordance with the Southeastern District Officiating Program's Screening Policy.

Member Association's must monitor and supervise their programs to ensure that all screening is completed before any volunteer or employee as access to youth participants.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport offers training courses for parents of USA Hockey players and young athletes. These courses are free and available online, featuring age-specific content tailored to the learner.

For parents, the training offers an introduction to the importance of fostering positive and welcoming environments in sports to minimize opportunities for misconduct or abuse. It also provides guidance on where to report abuse, should it occur, along with a downloadable guide containing age-appropriate material.

• Parent’s Guide to Misconduct in Sport (30 minutes)
• SafeSport for Volunteers: Abuse Awareness and Prevention Essentials

The youth athlete training courses are designed for kids and young athletes, broken down by age ranges, and serve as an introduction for them and their parents or caregivers to understand the significance of creating safe environments in sports, where misconduct such as bullying or abuse is less likely to happen. The courses also offer information on reporting procedures if needed.

• SafeSport for Kids, Ages 5-12 (15 minutes)
• SafeSport for Youth Athletes, Ages 13-17 (15 minutes)

To access the child and youth athlete training, a parent or legal guardian must create an account to give consent for their child. Once the account is created, parents can select the course that best suits their child’s actual or developmental age.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport has also developed interactive educational resources to foster a culture of safety and respect in any sports program. These specialized training programs are also offered to address specific topics such as mandatory reporting, health professionals, and diverse athlete needs.

• Abuse Prevention for Adult Athletes (30 minutes)
• Health Professionals: Your Role in Preventing Abuse in Sport (90 minutes)
• Creating Safe and Inclusive Environments for Athletes with Disabilities (60 minutes)
• Understanding Mandatory Reporting (90 minutes)

A PDF certificate is available after each training session. These courses are not mandatory but can be found as a resource at: athletesafety.org. Additional information about the training can be found in the Center for SafeSport Online Training Catalog.

NOTE: USA Hockey does not record or track a person’s completion of any supplemental courses. These courses are not a substitute for any required training for adult participants who are required to complete the Core course and/or Refreshers with regular contact with or authority over minor athletes and hockey players who are 17 years of age prior to December 31 of the applicable registration year.