USA Swimming today announced the release of its first-ever Safe Sport Handbook which is designed to help USA Swimming members implement safe sport practices at the local level.
The Safe Sport Handbook includes detailed information on USA Swimming policies, guidelines, best practices, strategies and tools. It will be an invaluable tool for all USA Swimming members and clubs and will be available online. The handbook will also be mailed to each of USA Swimming’s 2,790 member clubs.
Susan Woessner, Director of Safe Sport at USA Swimming
“Over the past two year, we’ve been committed to growing awareness around the issue of safe sport,” said Susan Woessner, USA Swimming’s Director of Safe Sport. “The addition of the USA Swimming Safe Sport Handbook is just another way for us to reach all of our members and clubs and help them implement safe sport programming at the local level.”
The handbook is a product of the USA Swimming Safe Sport Committee, an 11-member volunteer body charged with review of athlete protection policies, guidelines, educational programs, reporting and adjudication procedures.
The handbook debuted at the recent USA Swimming Safe Sport Leadership Conference. The three-day conference, held at the end of January, brought together more than 165 attendees to discuss abuse prevention in sports, including representatives from 35 Local Swim Committees around the U.S., 20 National Governing Bodies, the United States Olympic Committee and other youth serving organizations.
USA Swimming is committed to fostering a fun, healthy and safe sport environment for all its members. The USA Swimming Safe Sport Program raises awareness about misconduct in sport, promotes open dialogue, and provides training and resources. For more information about the program, visit www.usaswimming.org/protect.
About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 300,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.
This is an unedited press release.
On behalf of the FCEF the emphasis on safety either around a pool or an open body of water is paramount. We hope all coaches, parents, and athletes- even the casual swimmer pay attention to this program. Pete Crippen