PA Child Protection Laws & Clearances
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In 2013-14, Pennsylvania passed over 20 new child protection laws [www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov].
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All EUFC volunteers who have "direct contact" with players must follow these laws. "Direct contact" means caring for, supervising, guiding, or controlling children, or having regular and repeated contact with them as part of your volunteer role.
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If your clearances were obtained in Pennsylvania after 2016, they are still valid. Older clearances need to be renewed. Clearances obtained for work can also be used for volunteering.
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If you are arrested or convicted of an offense that would disqualify you from volunteering, you must inform the EYSA Risk Management Officer within 72 hours.
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As part of a new registration system by the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA), all EUFC volunteers must upload proof of compliance during registration.
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Instructions and links for completing each required clearance check are provided below. If you need help with clearances, required courses, or uploading documents, contact our Compliance Officer, Erin Donovan, at compliance@exeterunitedfc.com.
- Free of charge for volunteers, as long as you check the 'New Record Check (Volunteers Only)' button.
- You must create an account to obtain this clearance, also free of charge once every 57 months for volunteers.
- NOT REQUIRED if you have lived in the state of Pennsylvania for 10 years or more.
- This form must be printed, signed, and dated by you and a witness. Once completed, upload it to your GotSport profile.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly, in 2012, passed the Safety in Youth Sports Act to help prevent the growing number of concussions and severe brain injuries among student athletes.
Under this law, all coaches are required to complete a concussion management certification training course every year if they wish to continue coaching.
This course can be accessed through your GotSport profile. You can also launch the online course by clicking on the CDC 'Heads Up: Concussion In Youth Sports' image. It should take no more than 30 minutes to complete.
Following completion of the 'Heads Up: Concussion In Youth Sports' course, you will be provided with a personalized and dated certificate, which must be uploaded to your GotSport profile.
Concussion Training
SafeSport Act
The SafeSport Act, passed in 2017, creates a “standard of care” for all youth sport organizations. This act is aimed at the prevention of sexual, emotional and physical abuse in youth sports through prevention training, prevention policies and mandatory reporting.
Under this policy, all coaches are required to complete SafeSport training. After the initial training, a refresher course must be completed annually. This course and its refresher can be accessed through your GotSport profile. You will need to create a profile or log-in to the SafeSport website. You can also access this course by simply clicking on the SafeSport image.
This online course is integrated within the coach’s registration process. The SafeSport Trained certificate earned upon completion will automatically be added to your volunteer profile when completed through US Soccer Connect.
This training will take approximately 2 hours to complete.
*All coaches should review the EUFC Coaches Manual prior to the initial coaches meeting. You can find the manual in PDF format on our 'Coaching Resources' page of this website or by clicking HERE.
