Risk ManagementUnited Quest Standards of ConductThe following Standards of Conduct are set forth by United Quest to govern the behaviors of players, coaches, and spectators before, during, and after soccer matches. The following will be expected:
No player or coach will be excluded from participation or discriminated against in the club due to race, creed, religion, or national origin. All members will respect one another and the integrity of the game. Principles of Conduct (From USYSA)Protect Yourself from Accusations of Inappropriate Conduct
Reduce the Risk of Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children
Employee/Volunteer Background ChecksGeorgia Youth Soccer Association (GYSA) and the United Quest Soccer Club have adopted the USSF KidSafe program as the foundation for its Risk Management Program. The full details of the United Quest Employee/Volunteer Background Checks Procedure is outlined in section VI below. It is the policy of United Quest that every reasonable effort will be taken under the KidSafe program to exclude from program responsibilities, (not to be confused with parental responsibilities affecting their own children), any individual with a documented history of child molestation or other criminal record, that would bring unnecessary risk to the health and safety of United Quest's program participants. It is the intent of the United Quest to exclude from participation, at a minimum, all persons who have been convicted of crimes against persons. United Quest will comply with all USSF guidelines and procedures. United Quest has placed as a condition of participation, the requirement of all Volunteers to complete a Risk Management Disclosure Form each seasonal year. Only persons who comply with this condition shall be allowed to participate in United Quest affiliated events. In this regard, volunteer is defined as any person who at anytime could be expected, in the performance of their duties, to be alone with any registered player for any length of time. This includes coaches, assistant coaches, and trainers who are appointed or selected in any manner or hired to coach at any level within United Quest. All volunteers shall agree to be subject to a legally sensitive criminal history check, which may require fingerprinting before or during their participation in United Quest programs. Employee/Volunteer Background Checks ProcedureEvery employee or volunteer of United Quest must have on file a completed Volunteer disclosure Statement and agree to be subject to a legally sensitive background search before each season. An employee/volunteer is defined as any person who at anytime could be expected, in the performance of their duties, to be alone with any registered player for any length of time. This includes coaches, assistant coaches, and trainers who are appointed or selected in any manner or hired to coach at any level within United Quest. Every employee of United Quest must have on file with United Quest a completed Volunteer Disclosure Statement as well as an acceptable clearance from United Quest. Every United Quest Board of Director must have on file with United Quest a completed Volunteer Disclosure Statement as well as an acceptable clearance from United Quest. Procedures: Employee/volunteers will be provided blank Volunteer Disclosure Statements. The completed Volunteer Disclosure Statement must be returned to the United Quest office by the employee/volunteer. The completed United Quest Volunteer Disclosure Statement will be given to the local sheriff's office for a comprehensive background check. The Background Records Search will only be given to the Board of Directors designee. All responses, whether positive or negative will be kept in strict confidence. A satisfactory report from the Background Records Search, that is also acceptable to the United Quest designee will result in that individual being eligible to be an employee/volunteer A negative report from the Background Records Search, that is also unacceptable to the United Quest designee will result in that individual being ineligible to be an employee/volunteer. Should any individual refuse to participate or intentionally falsify information the will not be eligible to be an employee/volunteer. Should any individual who has received a negative response wish to appeal the findings, an appeal can be filed in accordance with the following. Employee/Volunteer Background Check Appeal HearingsAppeals arising as the result on an adverse decision from an administrative action or disciplinary hearing by the United Quest designee, in regards to Employee/Volunteer Background Checks. An appeal can only be filed by those parties to the original action, who are adversely impacted by those rules. Filing Procedures: An appeal shall not have the effect of "staying" a previous ruling. Previous decisions remain in force, pending the result of the appeal. An appeal shall be filed with the Appeals Committee within seven (7) calendar days or receipt by the appellant or the prior adverse ruling. An appeal must in writing and include:
Filing fee shall be $100.00 non-refundable Decisions of the Appeals Committee will be final Financial Risk ManagementThe United Quest has a comprehensive Internal Controls Policy which is available upon request from the United Quest office. TeamsTeams must have, at a minimum, a manager and treasurer to manage team affairs. It has been proven valuable for older teams that travel a fair amount to have a Travel Manager/Tournament Coordinator. At the onset of each season, a parent meeting should be held with the coach to determine team expectations in areas such as behavior, attendance, playing time, travel, coach payment, and other anticipated expenses. The team treasurer is responsible for all financial matters relating to the team. He/she should be a signatory on the team account, maintain the checking account records, bill and keep records of player balances and amounts owing. Players should receive a Statement of their account regularly. The Statement should give as much detail as possible to the classification of the charge. It should be noted that bills are due within 3 - 5 days of receipt. Medical Release Forms - A notarized and fully completed medical release form are required for every player. The Team Manager or Coach must be aware of prescription medicines for players. Allergies, chronic illnesses, special requirements such as aspirin, Motrin, Ibuprofen habits need to be communicated to the Coach or Team Manager. Confidentiality - All information regarding players is confidential. No bills are made public and no information should be discussed except with the coach and family of the player. Should a bill become overdue, the situation needs to be discussed with the coach in order to resolve whether or not the player should continue to play without payment. Debts due a team treasury and their collection are the responsibility of the team, not the United Quest. Abusive BehaviorIt is the policy of the United Quest to strive to protect its employees, board members, volunteers coaches, and players from intimidating, demeaning or abusive behavior that is contrary to positive encounters or a healthy environment. As a result, action may be taken for any abusive encounter not conducive to treating people with courtesy, dignity and respect. Those who feel that they have been subjected to any abusive behavior or who witness behavior they are uncomfortable dealing with directly, are requested to report the incident immediately to one of the following:
All incidents will be promptly investigated. Based upon the results, appropriate action may be taken. Anyone interested in anonymously reporting an incident he/she either experienced or witnessed, may leave the following information on the Club voice mail
If anyone experiences abusive behavior from employees, members, or other persons, report the incident directly to one of the persons listed above. Nothing in this policy precludes the employer or employee from taking more serious action if the particular incident warrants such. Harmful, Damaging Behaviors to be Avoided:
Healthy, Productive Behaviors to be Modeled:
United Quest Guidelines for Living through a LawsuitWhat to Do?
What NOT to Do!
Hi! I'm your Attorney! You should receive either a letter from your insurance carrier telling you the name and address of the attorney assigned to your case, or a call from the attorney that you have been assigned to defend you. If you don't hear from your insurance representative or from an attorney appointed by the company within five (5) days prior to the response due date, call your insurance representative and consult with your own attorney about filing an answer/response within the specified time period. This will prevent a default judgment from being entered. I have to do What!? Your defense attorney will eventually call you and ask for any details you have about the incident-giving rise to the complaint. Please take the time necessary to provide the information. He/she is only trying to help. Make sure any employees, coaches, volunteers, players, or others involved in the incident which is the basis of the suit are available to be interviewed. What is Discovery? Discovery is the method by which each party to the lawsuit discovers the other parties' positions and their basis. Discovery includes interrogations, which are written questions, many of which only you can answer. The plaintiff can file written interrogations and your attorney will advise you which questions must be answered. Don't be afraid to ask your attorney if you don't understand what is being asked, or if a request for information or documentation is unclear. Discovery can also include a request to produce documents, which are pertinent to the incident. This process can be very time consuming, but unless your attorney says that you don't need to answer a question or provide documents which are requested, it must be done, and done within a prescribed period of time. Your only consolation is that the plaintiff must do this also. If you fail to provide the answers or documentation, a court can fine you and possibly not allow your attorney to use all your defenses he/she feels necessary. This can jeopardize your insurance coverage. Finally the last type of discovery is a deposition. This is an oral examination, under oath, by the other party's attorney of persons that he/she feels may have pertinent information about the case. You, your coaches, players, volunteers, or employees may be asked by the plaintiff to give a deposition. Your attorney will spend whatever time is necessary to prepare each person to be deposed. A deposition is time consuming and inconvenient, however, it is not optional. Your attorney will be present during the deposition to help guide you through the process. Follow their advice. What Happens Next? The case could be settled without a trial, possibly with mediation. Please remember that the decision to settle may be solely up to the discretion of your insurance carrier. Be sure you understand these terms, up front. If the case isn't settled, it will go trial. Your attorney may ask to have a representative from your association at the defense table during the trial. The presence of a person with your attorney at the defense table lends a human quality to your case. The plaintiff will be there in person. It's possible that his/her attorney will refer to the defendant as a company or a corporation, hoping that the jury will find it easier to render a verdict for his/her "poor client", by taking money from "this large, cold, and impersonal corporation." Your attorney knows that attending a trial will take up a lot of valuable time, but many determine it is necessary. The results in your local paper are not going to say that the plaintiff won a large verdict from your insurance carrier, the results will say they won a large verdict from your club or association. Please do your best to help. What If the Plaintiff did not Follow US Youth Soccer Appeals Procedures? The US Youth Soccer Official Administrative Rulebook, Rule 4020, Section 7 (Penalties) states: a) No national state association, official, club, league, team, coach, referee, or player or their representative team, may invoke the aid of the courts of any State or of the United States without first exhausting all available remedies within the appropriate soccer organizations as set forth in section 5(c) of this rule. b) For violation of this rule, the offending party shall be subject to the sanctions of suspension and fines, and shall be subject be liable to the US Youth Soccer and State Associations for all expenses incurred by US Youth Soccer and its officers, and state associations and their officers, as appropriate, in defending each court action, including but not limited to the following:
c) Reasonable compensation for time spent by US Youth Soccer and State Association Officers and Employees in responding to and defending against allegations in the action, including responses to discovery and court appearance. Guidelines For Bloodborne Pathogens And Injuries Involving BloodThe soccer community is like all other segments of society. Some participants may have infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B (bloodborne pathogens). So you are involved in youth soccer. What do you do when an individual who has AIDS wants to participate in your program? This document sets forth guidelines pertaining to bloodborne diseases-viruses that live in the bloodstream and can be contagious. The first section deals with the rights of the infected individuals and the obligations of the coaches, referees, and administrators to protect those rights. The second section describes precautionary steps to minimize the risks of infection to participants in soccer activities. The third section outlines specific US Youth Soccer recommendations for dealing with injuries involving loss of blood. Rights of Participation Individuals with infectious diseases have the right to participate in youth soccer programs. Efforts to include individuals from participation in your youth soccer program because of infectious diseases are governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") and the Rehabilitation Act. The other legal area of your concern for youth soccer is confidentiality of information. Individuals with infectious diseases have the right to confidentiality. Revealing such confidential information in a nonprofessional setting may qualify as a breach of privacy and opens up the possibility of a civil suit. There is no law governing who should know, nor is there any law protecting the privacy of individuals. Sharing information about an individual with an infectious disease should be governed by that individual and/or the family involved. Let them be your guide in how much they want to be known. Communicable Disease Precautions Treat every person on the field, as in any area of society, with the assumption they are HIV positive. Precautions for reducing the potential for transmission of infectious diseases should include, but are not limited to, the following: Routine use of latex gloves or other precautions to prevent skin and mucous membrane exposure when contact with blood or other body fluids is anticipated. If bleeding is profuse and requires the assistance of a supervising adult, latex gloves should be donned and pressure applied to the wound, keeping the injury above the level of the heart if possible. Medical care should be sought. Immediately wash hands and other skin surfaces if contaminated (in contact) with blood or other body fluids. Wash hands immediately after removing gloves. The bloodied portion of the athlete's uniform must be properly disinfected, or the uniform changed before the athlete may participate. Clean all blood-contaminated surfaces and equipment with a solution made from 1-100 dilution of household bleach or other disinfectant before competition resumes. Use a new mixture for each event, and discard the mixture after each event. Practice proper disposal procedures to prevent injuries caused by needles and other sharp instruments or devices found in the area of the field. Although saliva has not been implicated in HIV transmission, mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, or other ventilation devices should be available for use to minimize the need for emergency direct mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Athletic trainers/coaches with bleeding or oozing skin conditions should refrain from all direct care until the condition resolves. Contaminated towels, dressings, and other articles containing body fluids should be properly disposed of or disinfected. U S Youth Soccer recommends full support of FIFA Circular No. 438 dated 6 July, 1990 which states in part, "The referee should prevent a player who is bleeding profusely from taking any further part in a match until he has been adequately treated and the bleeding has stopped." USYSA Recommended Safety Procedures for Dealing with Injuries involving Blood There are many factors to consider whenever there is an injury on the soccer field. Many people are starting to ask the question, "What do I do when a player gets hurt on the field and is bleeding?" U S Youth Soccer recommends the following guidelines to coaches, trainers, and referees: First concern is always to make sure the player is not seriously injured. Never move a player that has possible internal injuries. If possible to remove the player from the field, move the player to the sidelines away from the spectators. Carry latex gloves at all times in your bag. Carry empty plastic bags, large enough to carry a uniform and shoes. Carry rags to clean surrounding areas, and carry some type of cleaning substance to clean the injured player. Referees should never allow the player back onto the field without a clean jersey, shorts, shoes, etc., whatever has had the blood on it. Therefore, it should be recommended that each player have extra clean shirt, shorts, shoes and socks with them. The field of play should be inspected and cleaned up prior to resuming play. This means cutting out as much as possible of the blood area in grass, and removing it to a proper disposal area. On artificial apply a cleaning agent, one that is safe for the surface. These are just a few things that should be done during the games. There are many more safety procedures that can apply. U S Youth Soccer recommends that all levels within the State Association, including teams, follow these guidelines
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