USA Swimming Athlete Protection Information
We can all help foster safe and positive environments by educating ourselves on the tragic issue of abuse. USA Swimming offers training for all members with specific free training for parents and athletes.
USA Swimming Safe Sport Webpage here
U.S. Center for Safe Sport: The U.S. Center for SafeSport has updated their reporting phone number. Please call 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) to report a concern. To learn more about reporting, including mandatory reporting, please visit our website here.
ATHLETE PROTECTION EDUCATION
This is an important notice for all USA Swimming members who need to renew their Athlete Protection Training.
The Athlete Protection Training (APT) course completion certificate is valid for 1 year from the date you completed the course.
All athlete members ages 18 and over and all non-athlete members must complete the APT course requirements as a condiction of membership in USA Swimming. The times for any adult athlete member achieved at a swim meet when the adult athlete did NOT have a current APT certificate will not be uploaded into the SWIMS times database.
Athlete Protection Training Requirement for Adult Athletes with Cognitive Disabilities
USA swimming issued new guidelines for APT for adult athletes with cognitive disabilities in July 2020. The information is here PDF.
NEW COURSES
USA Swimming uses the LEARN platform, an online learning management system! LEARN stands for Leadership Education and Resource Network. Safe Sport is the first program to host its courses and all APT requirements will be completed on LEARN.
- Go to usaswimming.org and log into your Deck Pass Account.
- Click on the Safe Sport tab or go to www.usaswimming.org/apt or www.usaswimming.org/learn
- Enter your first name, last name, and DOB into the fields and click “SEARCH”
- Click on your name to access the LEARN site.
- You must take the Athlete Protection Core Course to earn 75 points and you must complete the “Safe Sport: Ready, Set, Go” course.
- Once you have completed your courses, your membership record will update with a new APT expiration date within 24 hours.
HOW DO I COME BACK TO LEARN IF I LOGOUT?
As a member, you must always enter LEARN by entering your name and DOB at www.usaswimming.org/apt or www.usaswimming.org/learn. If you make a non-member account on LEARN, you will not receive credit for the courses you take.
WHEN WILL NEW MATERIAL BE AVAILABLE?
In the coming months, new courses will be available for members. Safe Sport is the first program to host is content on the platform, however other programs will soon have courses available. Follow USA Swimming on social media and watch for announcements and newsletters regarding new offerings.
WHAT IF I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
For the quickest response, please send questions to [email protected].
Maggie Vail, MSW | Safe Sport Education Specialist | (719) 866-3552 | (719) 244-0530
usaswimming.org/protect | @SwimSafeSport
USA Swimming Athlete Protection Education webpage
USA Swimming is committed to raising awareness about prevention of abuse in sport. We believe that the first step to creating an empowered team environment is education. We are proud to partner with Praesidium, an industry expert in abuse prevention, to bring the swimming community customized and comprehensive training tools for coaches, athletes, volunteers, and parents.
Our training will help you:
- Understand the scope and effects of abuse in sport
- Recognize the signs of grooming behavior and boundary violations
- Understand how to establish boundaries and protect against false allegations
- Know how to react and report suspected abuse
APT RENEWAL FOR NON-ATHLETE MEMBERS
The APT Renewal is here! All non-athlete members who need to renew their Athlete Protection Training are required to complete this brand-new course. The course is free of charge and should take about 40 minutes to complete.
Please access the course by reading the above material and follow the prompts. .
The Safe Sport Committee has developed the attached fliers which give information about the free parent and athlete on-line training regarding safe sport.
Safe Sport Flyer - Athlete Education flyer
Teams are encouraged to include this information in our meet programs. Please include one or both in empty pages of heat sheets. USA swimming is working on versions of these that would fit into ½ and ¼ page versions. We should also posting them in the results area at our swim meets. We recognize that there are costs associated in doing this, but we hope everyone will recognize the importance of spreading the Safe Sport message within our membership.
I would also like to ask all of us to promote safe sport training in our clubs and with our families. We need to encourage all our parents to have their swimmers participate in this free training. The parents should consider participating in the athlete training as well as the parent training so they know what message is being said to their children. The athlete training was designed for athletes 13 years old and up. I feel it is important for parents and their swimmers under the age of 13, if the parents deem it appropriate to also participate in the safe sport training together so both parties can open up a dialogue about this important topic.
