In addition to an annual criminal background check, we require all coaches to complete an online child abuse prevention training course. This course is FREE for all coaches when they register using the ASA organization name and registration code provided in the instructions below.

What do I need to do if I’m an ASA coach or plan to coach?

All registered coaches—both head and assistant coaches—must complete the 90-minute online training course before being approved to coach for the upcoming season. This training does not expire. Once a coach has completed the course through ASA’s registration process, the coach will not be required to take it again.

Important: To receive credit for completing the training, coaches must register using ALLEN SPORTS ASSOCIATION as the organization name and enter the ASA registration code ASAATX. Using this information connects the coach’s training record to ASA’s administrative database so we can verify completion.

Certificates from accounts that are not connected to the ASA database will not be accepted as proof of completion. Please follow the instructions below carefully to ensure that the course is provided at no cost and that you receive credit for completing it.

Coaches will not be placed on a team roster until their training completion has been verified in the ASA database.

Exceptions:

• Current ASA Soccer coaches must complete U.S. Center for SafeSport child abuse prevention training and are not required to complete the Safeguard From Abuse training.

• Tackle football coaches from the previous fall season who completed the USA Football tackle certification training—which includes U.S. Center for SafeSport child abuse prevention training—are not required to complete the Safeguard From Abuse training.

*ASA keeps training records for all coaches and will notify coaches each season by email if they are required to complete the training.

How to complete the training and receive ASA credit

Access Safeguard From Abuse training at https://safeguardfromabuse.digitalchalk.com.

1. Select CREATE ACCOUNT.

2. Complete the sign-up form.

3. Enter ALLEN SPORTS ASSOCIATION as the name of your organization.

4. Enter the registration code ASAATX.

5. Click the course play button to begin the training.

Following these steps ensures that the course is free and that your completion is recorded in ASA’s administrative database.

Why is Child Abuse Prevention Training important?

Many people believe child sexual abuse cannot happen in their organization or that no one they know could be an abuser. This illusion of safety is often found in schools, camps and many other child-serving organizations.

This illusion is dangerous to both the organization and the children it serves. Sexual abusers seek places where protective barriers are lowest, people are more trusting and fewer safeguards exist between volunteers or staff members and children.

Barriers to entry tend to be lower in child-serving organizations. We want to raise the bar, and the first step is to better understand the problem. When volunteers and staff members learn the facts, they are better able to protect the children in their care.

Child Abuse Prevention Training equips staff members and volunteers to better understand the risk of child sexual abuse. Our beliefs are often shaped by our personal experiences, the experiences of friends and family, and the media. For most of us, the sexual abuse of children is not a reality we want to confront, so many people remain uninformed. Media coverage is incomplete and can leave us with an inaccurate picture of the scope and nature of child sexual abuse.

To better protect children in our programs, we must recognize that the problem is significant and that abusers have no single visual profile. We must learn to recognize concerning behaviors. Child Abuse Prevention Training equips employees and volunteers with the “eyes to see” the grooming process of an abuser and recognize key indicators of child sexual abuse.

Why are children at risk in youth sports?

Young athletes are taught to trust their coaches—adults in positions of authority. The right coach can have an incredibly positive impact on a child’s life by teaching and modeling sportsmanship, healthy competition and teamwork. The wrong coach can cause serious harm.

Unfortunately, sexual predators may use youth sports to gain access to children.

This training is one of the most important steps an organization can take to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. When staff members and volunteers are equipped with the “eyes to see” the grooming process of an abuser and recognize key indicators of child sexual abuse, we are better able to protect the children in our care.