The well-being of all participants is paramount, and we strive to create an environment as safe as possible on and around the field. To support this vital pillar of our organization, Little League continues to keep up-to-date with all of its safety policies and procedures within the Child Protection Program, including adherence to the youth protection standards of SafeSport and USA Baseball’s Pure Baseball program. As part of those continued efforts, Little League has updated and clarified the Child Protection Program heading into the 2021 season, which focuses on providing clear direction and encouraging volunteers to educate themselves on these important issues through appropriate training.

While the structure of the Little League Child Protection Program has been updated, the core focus of the program remains the same. Children continue to face new challenges in an ever-evolving society, and Little League has broadened its program to focus on all forms of child abuse, including expanding and updating its bullying and emotional wellbeing policies.

The updated Child Protection Policy (LittleLeague.org/ChildProtection) has been launched for the 2021 season and is included in the Operating Policies both in the Little League Official Rulebook and online at LitteLeague.org/Rules. Both documents should be reviewed by the local league board members and should be included in any yearly publications/trainings for official volunteers and parents.

Some key components to the Child Protection Program include:

1. Updates from SafeSport/USA Baseball
2. Emphasis on the Volunteer Selection Process
3. New Regulations on conducting Background Checks
4. Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Guidelines
5. Proper One-on-One Interaction with minors
6. Education and Training for all volunteers
7. Emotional Wellbeing and Bullying prevention for Players

One of the most important updates that local leagues should be aware of is the changes to the background check regulation, Little League Regulation (1c)9:

“The background check must, at a minimum, meet the standard of a nationwide criminal search, a national sex offender registry search, and a review of the U.S. Center for SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database and Little League International Ineligible List. Background checks conducted by JDP for local Little Leagues include all of the required database searches. Local leagues may utilize other background check providers but will need to confirm the provider’s ability to satisfy all of the above requirements for a complete search, which may require contacting the Little League International’s Security Manager to gain access to the Little League International Ineligible List.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: Local leagues that are currently registered with JDP should be aware of the changes to JDP’s National Criminal Database, but do not need to conduct any additional searches. JDP is the only background check provider that has full access to both the U.S. Center for SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database and the Little League Ineligible List. Local leagues that are utilizing an outside background check provider should alert their providers of the changes so they can gain access to the Little League Ineligible list and/or the U.S. Center for SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database. If a background check provider is not able to gain access to the U.S. Center for SafeSport Centralized Disciplinary Database the league is responsible for reviewing the database on the U.S. Center for SafeSport website and the Little League Ineligible list. If an individual is listed on either of the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s Centralized Disciplinary Database and the Little League Ineligible List they are prohibited from participating as a volunteer in any capacity.

Thank you for your support and dedication to providing a welcoming environment for the families in your community.