Athlete
Protection Policies, Reporting Procedure Top
Agenda
at USA Swimming
and Child Welfare League of America
Meeting
COLORADO SPRINGS,
Colo. – Building on the national partnership announced
a week ago, USA Swimming and the Child Welfare League of America
held a joint working
session in Colorado Springs today. At the meeting, the groups
reviewed proposed policies and guidelines to govern coach-athlete
relationships, discussed key education topics and audiences and
reviewed potential improvements to the complaint reporting system
and background screening requirements.
The points will be
shared with the USA Swimming Board of Directors tomorrow, at which
time the volunteer leadership will be invited to provide input on
each topic.
“Today
we had the opportunity to take the abundance of thoughtful input
that we’ve received from our membership, and, with the help
of the experts at CWLA, discuss what actions and decisions will be
the most effective in working to build the safest environment
possible for our athletes,” said Chuck
Wielgus.
“Working
closely with USA Swimming provides us the opportunity to provide
in-depth knowledge and expertise in child welfare.” said
Linda Spears, Vice President of Policy for CWLA.
”Ultimately our goal is to help USA Swimming put in place
policies, guidelines and programming that are both consistent with
industry best practices and effective in the youth sports
environment.”
“It’s
important to remember that this is going to be an ongoing process.
While we recognize the urgency of the subject, we are absolutely
committed to doing this the right way,”
said Jim Wood, USA Swimming President.
“This process is going to take time and hard work, but at the
end of the day, we will have built a strong and effective program
that works within our sport.”
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.
About
CWLA
CWLA
is a powerful coalition of hundreds of private and public agencies
serving vulnerable children and families since 1920. Through its
programs, publications, research, conferences, professional
development, and consultation, CWLA speaks with authority and
candor about the status and the needs of American children, young
people, and families. As the nationally recognized standard-setter
for child welfare services, CWLA provides direct support to
agencies that serve children and families, improving the quality of
the services they provide to more than nine million children every
year. www.cwla.org
