Reporting a concern: Go to U.S. Center for SafeSport reporting page which has a link to a 24/7 crisis intervention hotline. Call to make a report: 720-531-0340 (M-F, 9-5 Mountain Time. For information about SafeSport, visit U.S. Center for SafeSport. AERC members should first contact local authorities if you have reasonable suspicion sexual abuse, neglect or abuse of a minor or adult has occurred. Other forms of misconduct should be reported to the AERC Office and will be referred to the Protest and Grievance Committee if indicated.

The Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 was created to address abuse found in various youth sports organizations across the United States. Perhaps the most well-known situation to the general public involved USA Gymnastics and has resulted in not only numerous guilty verdicts for the prosecution, but ongoing litigation involving the organization’s liability.

If there is a suspicion of child abuse, it needs to be reported to local law enforcement. Here is a Guide on Mandatory Reporting Requirements per State and on mandatory reporting requirements per S.534, The Protecting Young Victims from Child Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017.

One of the primary purposes of the SafeSport Act is to expand existing mandated reporting laws to all youth sport organizations that participate in interstate sporting events, mandating that AERC adopt those sections of SafeSport which apply to our organization. First and foremost is to protect our membership, but also through this process we are protecting our organization.

At the 2019 midyear meeting, the AERC Board of Directors approved a motion to require:

Each AERC ride in the U.S. must have a designated SafeSport ride management representative who has passed the SafeSport online training prior to the ride. The SafeSport representative must be in camp during the ride and available if necessary, not riding the ride. The AERC office must have proof of SafeSport training before the ride occurs. (Reimbursement is available for one management team representative per ride.)

Link to AERC’s SafeSport policy

AERC members in the U.S. (age 18 or older) are invited to take the 90-minute online SafeSport training course, which may be taken at once or in segments. Cost is $20. (USEF Members: You may take this course through the USEF website.)

Refresher Course. AERC members who completed the Safe Sport training prior to the current season may enroll in the Safe Sport Refresher Course. Cost is $10. AERC will reimburse the refresher course cost if the enrollee is serving as a Safe Sport ride representative during the current ride season.

START HERE: Link to AERC’s SafeSport Registration Page

If you experience any technical difficulties while taking the training, please contact the Help Desk at help.desk@safesport.org or call 720-676-6417. The Help Desk hours are: M-F 8am-9pm EST; Sat-Sun 12pm-5pm EST.

Remember to download and save your SafeSportTrained certificate upon completion of the course.

Once you have passed the course, fill out this “Completed SafeSport Online Training Program” form. Thank you for becoming SafeSport certified!

Link to list of AERC members who have completed SafeSport training

For more about SafeSport, visit: U.S. Center for SafeSport.