SEPLL Child Abuse Prevention Policy

SEPLL's Child Abuse Prevention Policy is as follows:

1. Little League Official Volunteer Application

Before assuming their duties for the current season, SEPLL requires that all of the following persons have annually submitted to the president a fully completed Little League Official Volunteer Application by registering as a volunteer at www.sepll.org: managers, coaches, members of the board of directors, and any other persons, volunteers, or hired workers, who provide regular service to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams. The president of SEPLL must maintain the volunteer applications for a minimum of at least two years after the volunteer is no longer with the league. When it comes time to dispose of these records, they should be destroyed as they contain sensitive information.

2. Annual Background Checks

SEPLL conducts annual background checks on all persons that are required to complete a Little League Official Volunteer Application before the applicant assuming their duties for the current season. SEPLL conducts a nationwide background check using First Advantage in accessing background check records for sex offender registry data and other criminal records. 

3. Disqualifying Convictions

SEPLL does not permit any person to participate in any manner whose background check reveals a conviction, guilty plea, no contest plea, or admission to any crime involving or against a minor or minors. SEPLL takes into consideration criminal records when making the determinations whether the individual is unfit to participate in any manner in the league.

4. Compliance with All Laws

SEPLL requires all of its managers, coaches, members of the board of directors, and any other persons, volunteers, or hired workers, who provide regular service to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams to comply with all federal, state, local, and municipal ordinances regarding background checks including, but not limited to, sex offender registry checks, criminal history records or reports, fingerprinting, certifications, or other requirements associated with volunteers, coaches, participants, and/or employees.

5. Persons with Disqualifying Convictions

If SEPLL becomes aware of information, by any means whatsoever, that an individual, including, but not limited to, volunteers, players, or hired workers, has been convicted of, pled guilty, pled no contest, or admitted to any crime involving or against a minor or minors, SEPLL must contact the applicable government agency to confirm the accuracy of the information. Upon confirmation of a conviction for, guilty plea, no contest plea, or admission to a crime involving or against a minor or minors, SEPLL shall not permit the individual to participate in any manner.

6. Confidentiality

SEPLL considers all information gathered for background checks and results confidential and protected from public disclosure, and will not use any such information for any purpose beyond determining volunteer eligibility.

7. Interaction Guidelines

Adults must seek to limit one-on-one interactions with players without being in an observable and interruptible distance from another adult. The preferred method is to avoid one-on-one interactions and have another adult observer present during all interactions with minor players. Always be in view of others and supervise in pairs whenever possible. All physical contact should be appropriate.

Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017

On February 14, 2018, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 was signed into federal law. The Act creates standards for all youth sports organizations, including programs offered by local leagues, churches, schools, camps, and non-profits. It includes requirements for prevention training, prevention policies, and mandatory reporting. Here is a brief overview of the new requirements that all youth sports organizations must take.

1. Mandatory Reporting

The list of mandatory reporters includes any adult who is authorized to interact with a minor or amateur athlete at an amateur sports organization facility or event. For some organizations, the Act also requires all adults to immediately report suspicions of abuse to the U.S. Center for Safe Sport and the appropriate law enforcement agencies, as determined by state and federal law.

2. Prevention Training Requirements

All amateur sports organizations must provide consistent training on prevention and reporting of child abuse to all adult members who are in regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors. There is a fundamental distinction between ‘prevention training’ and ‘abuse indicators’ or ‘abuse recognition’ training: one is proactive, the others are reactive. Abuse indicators and recognition training provide signs, traits, behaviors, and indicators that may reveal a child has been abused. Prevention training provides information related to behaviors and circumstances (i.e., unsupervised one-on-one interaction) that may place a child at risk of abuse. Effective prevention training allows adults to see and recognize problematic behaviors before the child is abused.

3. Prevention Policies Requirements

All amateur sports organizations are now required to establish prevention policies that include reasonable procedures to limit one-on-one interactions between an amateur athlete who is a minor and an adult without being in an observable and interruptible distance from another adult.

For more information visit the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Reporting Child Abuse Under Oregon Law (ORS 419B.005 - ORS 419B.055)

Under Oregon law, certain officials and professionals are required to immediately make an oral report of child abuse to the Department of Human Services by telephone or in person. Mandatory reporters include, among others, coaches, assistant coaches, and trainers of amateur, semiprofessional or professional athletes, if compensated and if the athlete is a child.

 Abuse is defined to include physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

 Click here to access the entire child abuse chapter in the official Oregon Code.

 For valuable information on reporting abuse in Oregon and tools to determine what constitutes abuse, visit the Department of Human Services website at:

 Child abuse and neglect data, publications and reports

 Child Abuse and Neglect

 To report child abuse or neglect, follow the link to contact information for your local office:

Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers

Or call: 1-855-503-7233 (SAFE)