Volunteers – Background Checks & Training

Thanks for looking into helping with SMLL!

We have a handful of requirements for everyone who spends time with our players. These are mandated by the state or the federal government.

Volunteer Checklist

  1. Sign up as a Volunteer in Sports Connect
  2. (Coming soon: Fill out the JDP background check that will be emailed to you)
  3. Take abuse awareness training or document a current one from another sport
  4. Upload your SafeSport cert to your Volunteer page in Sports Connect

Coach Checklist

  1. Sign up as a Head or Assistant Coach in Sports Connect
  2. (Coming soon: Fill out the JDP background check that will be emailed to you)
  3. Take the SafeSport abuse awareness training or document a current one from another sport
  4. Take the HEADS UP concussion training
  5. Take Sudden Cardiac Awareness (SCA) training (good for 2 years)
  6. Upload all 3 certs or screenshots to the Volunteer page in Sports Connect.
  7. Review the CDC concussion information sheet for coaches (linked here for reference; volunteers are required to check that they’ve read it during signup).
  8. Review the sudden cardiac arrest information sheet for coaches (linked here for reference; volunteers are required to check that they’ve read it during signup).
  9. (Coming soon: Submit a Live Scan fingerprinting application)

Requirement Details

Sign Up: Sports Connect

See the Volunteer section in Sports Connect and sign up for a position there.

That page has a place to upload your ID and some other clearances, like a certificate from SafeSport and a few others. When you have those done, you’ll need to return to the Volunteer page to upload those files or images so we can check them.

Background Check: JDP

Any volunteer who provides “regular service to the league or repetitive access to children” must go through the background check process.

WORK IN PROGRESS! We’ll be sending these out to all registered volunteers ASAP, but it’s not ready yet. With our move to MY Club, we’re still figuring out how to do these through the new org.

This includes helping with hitting and catching during practice, coaching a base or being in the dugout during games, even working in the snack bar or being a team parent. It’s for anybody who spends more than 16 hours per month or 32 per year with our youth.

Compliance Notice

We are required to provide notice like the following.

In order to be in compliance with California’s Business & Professions Code § 18900, SMLL submits all volunteers to a background check and provides them with CA AB 506-compliant abuse training annually. This is required of all volunteers, regardless of whether an individual is new to the program or returning.

A background check is performed at the beginning of each season, with enhanced screening at J.D. Palatine (JDP). This includes:

the JDP National Criminal Search, plus Developed names, and collects data from more than 685 million criminal records, sex offender registries in 50 states, OFAC, FBI Terrorist List, Proprietary Offender Data, Department of Public Safety, Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Corrections, Federal/State/Local wanted fugitive lists, as well as searches of the SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database and Little League International Ineligible/Suspended List.

More information about JD Palatine’s youth sports products can be viewed at the following locations:

Abuse Awareness

To meet California requirement from AB 506, complete any complaint abuse awareness training program:

If you’ve already completed AB 506-compliant abuse awareness training program for another sport or league and your certificate is still current, you can use it for MY Club, too. For example, US Soccer’s SafeSport program is adequate for our needs. Just upload the certificate to your Sports Connect volunteer page.

Health Training

Concussion

HEADS UP concussion training is required by California law for any coach working in a youth sport.

Cardiac Arrest

Sudden Cardiac Arrest training training is required by California law for coaches in educational sports programs.

The training is good for 2 years (Cal Ed Code § 33479.6).

Coaches of youth sports programs are encouraged to follow the guidelines of the The Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Prevention Act Dept of Ed Article 13 § 33479.8

Other Coaching Courses

Please see the other coaching courses. First aid and fundamental baseball training are Little League requirements.

If you’re interested in more, take a look at Little League’s Diamond Leader Training.

Fingerprinting: Live Scans

A Live Scan must be done specifically for MY Club by each coach or other “regular volunteer”. It does not need to be done annually.

WORK IN PROGRESS! We’ll be requesting these ASAP. With our move to MY Club, we’re still figuring out how to do these through the new org.

Who needs to submit a Live Scan? From California Assembly Bill No. 506:

“Regular volunteer” means a volunteer with the youth service organization who is 18 years of age or older and who has direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours per year.

For us, this includes coaches and assistant coaches – anybody who will regularly help at practices or be on the field during games.

A Live Scan for another organization cannot be used by MY Club.