4 Pitfalls to Avoid in MAAP & Safe Sport Policies
By the USEF Safe Sport Department
Situations may arise in daily equestrian life that raise the risk of running about the USEF Safe Sport Policy or the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Polices (MAAP). It’s important to be aware of those common pitfalls to ensure you are abiding by safeguarding policies and taking, appropriate strides to keeping young athletes safe.
Comments Made on Social Media
Social media is often a place where people make comments or say things that they would not normally say in everyday life. It is also a place where the comments can be viewed widely, including by the person whom the comment is about — even if that person isn’t included in the post or comments. You should be conscious of and cautious about what you’re posting to social media and how it may make somebody feel. It is safer to assume that the subject of your comment(s) will see the post, even if they are not included on the post or the post is made to another individual’s page.
Even when your individual comment is seemingly innocuous, it may not be perceived that way by the subject of the comment. Your comment may also be another element of “piling on” to that person, if there is a series of negative comments about an individual. Cyberbullying, harassment, and other similar misconduct are prohibited under the USEF Safe Sport Policy and the Code of Conduct. Engaging in behavior on social media that could be perceived as derogatory towards another individual may result in disciplinary action.
Texting/Calling a Minor Athlete
With limited exceptions, all one-on-one electronic communications between an adult participant and a minor athlete must be “open and transparent.” This requires an adult participant to include another adult or parent/guardian on any electronic communication (i.e., text, direct messages, telephone call, etc.) with a minor athlete.
Adult participants may unwittingly violate this provision of the MAAP Policies, so it is important to be aware of these scenarios that could easily arise but which would require including a second adult participant or parent/guardian:
- Minor rider texts their trainer to ask what time their lesson is that day. Trainer would need to include parent/guardian or another adult participant on the response.
- At a competition, a trainer needs to locate a minor rider to help prepare for an upcoming class. If the trainer is going to call the minor rider’s phone, they would need to have another adult participant present on the phone call. This could be accomplished by having another adult standing next to the trainer while the call is made using speaker phone.
Hotels, Lodging, and/or Transportation
With limited exceptions, an adult participant cannot transport a minor athlete one-on-one during in-program travel. Similarly, an adult participant cannot share a hotel room or otherwise sleep in the same room with a minor athlete or athletes. Recognizing the unique situations faced in training and competing in equestrian sport, such as a trainer traveling with a student for a competition when a parent is unable to do so, USEF has set out strict parameters to permit these scenarios while remaining compliant with the MAAP Policies. Before engaging in any sort of travel or lodging involving minor athletes, be sure to consult the MAAP Policies and make sure you have taken the appropriate steps to comply with the prohibitions or limited exceptions.
For transportation, one of the available exceptions permits the minor athlete’s parent/guardian to provide advance, written consent to transport the minor athlete one-on-one. This advance, written consent must be obtained at least annually, and the parent/guardian may withdraw their consent at any time.
For hotel rooms and other sleeping arrangements, one of the available exceptions requires a dual relationship to exist and for the parent/guardian of the minor athlete to provide advance, written consent for the lodging arrangement if the adult participant and minor athlete will be sleeping in the same room. Another potential issue exists when an adult participant will be performing “room checks” or otherwise monitoring minor athletes during in-program lodging. In this situation, the adult participant must make sure to avoid one-on-one interactions and must have a second adult present for the room check.
SafeSport Training Expiration
USEF requires all senior active (competing) members, along with many other specified individuals, to undergo annual SafeSport training. This includes the SafeSport Trained Core course every four years and the refresher course in the other three years. Training lasts for 365 days and must be renewed prior to expiration. If your SafeSport training expires, you will not be permitted to compete or participate in any USEF-licensed competitions in any capacity other than as a spectator.
Make sure to be aware of when your training will expire and make sure to renew before the expiration date. It’s a good practice to double-check that your SafeSport training will not expire prior to the end of any competitions for which you are registering. You can find the date of expiration on your USEF member dashboard and on your USEF membership card. You also will receive reminder emails to the email address you have on file with your USEF membership. These reminder emails are a courtesy; it remains your responsibility to ensure you are up to date on your training.
USEF Safe Sport Policy and MAAP Policies can be found here: usef.org/safe-sport