SYBSA Concussion Awareness & Management Program
Concussion awareness and education is an important part of playing any sport. The SYBSA concussion awareness and management program is designed to promote the importance of understanding, recognizing, learning and prevention of concussions.
- All coaches are required to complete the online CDC Heads Up concussions training course each calendar year and certify completion when they sign up to volunteer as a coach
- All parents are required to complete the online CDC Heads Up concussions training course each calendar year and certify completion when they register a participant
- If a concussion is suspected Coaches will remove a participant from a game or practice immediately and notify a parent/guardian
SYBSA has incorporated the CDC micro-website specific to baseball/softball into our website under the safety information tab where additional information can be found.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Child Protection Program
To All Volunteers:
The safety and well-being of all participants in the Little League® program is paramount. As adults, we want to ensure that the young people playing in the Little League program are able to grow up happy, healthy and, above all, safe. Whether they are our children, or the children of others, each of us has a responsibility to protect them.
All local Little Leagues are required to conduct background checks on managers, coaches, the board of directors’ members and any other persons, volunteers or hired workers, who provide regular services to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams.
In order to conduct these checks, Little League International has contracted with JDP to provide local leagues with a special Internet site that allows members to search a criminal records database of more than 450 million criminal records – instantly.
Additionally, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, any entity or organization primarily engaged in providing activities or programs to children 18 years of age or less shall obtain “all available criminal offender record information” from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) prior to accepting any person as an employee, volunteer, vendor or contractor.
To begin the process: Please complete the online Volunteer Coaching registration for baseball or softball HERE. Print, complete and scan the CORI Form and send it to our Safety Officer ( [email protected]) to begin the process of your background check. The SYBSA CORI Policy can be found HERE.
Until both SORI and CORI checks are complete, results have been reviewed and the individual is cleared by the Safety Officer, no volunteer will commence activities for SYBSA.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Guidelines on Reporting Abuse
The “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Act of 2017” mandates that all amateur sports organizations, which participate in an interstate or international amateur athletic competition and whose membership includes any adult who is in regular contact with an amateur athlete who is a minor must report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, within 24 hours to law enforcement.
Additional resource information is available from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) (www.childwelfare.gov), as well as links below. Note, however, that countries and states/provinces frequently amend their laws.
Reporting laws reflect parents’ and volunteers’ paramount obligation to protect children from maltreatment. We encourage volunteers to take immediate action if they believe the health or welfare of a child is at stake. If there are questions concerning reporting, we encourage you to consult with an attorney.
We also encourage parents and volunteers to read more about abuse and neglect, familiarize themselves with the resources available to report abuse and learn about the counseling and referral services that are available.
Additional Resources
A Parent’s Guide to the Little League Child Protection Program
To read more about mandatory reporting, with a summary of state reporting laws, visit: http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/manda.cfm
For state (toll-free) child abuse reporting numbers, visit: https://www.childwelfare.gov/contact/
To search the definitions of child maltreatment by state, visit: http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/
For crisis assistance, counseling, and referral services:
Childhelp is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453), or visit
http://www.childhelp.org/.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Automated External Defibrillator
If you are wondering what an AED is – and why they seem to be in most offices and public buildings, you're not alone. In fact, because these devices are now commonly available, more people than ever before are curious about them. So – just what is an AED?
An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It is a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, more than 350,000 people will suffer a cardiac arrest this year. Currently, the only way to restore a regular heart rhythm during cardiac arrest is to use an AED.
At both Deb Sampson and Ames Street snack shacks, there are Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available.