Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate

The Child & Volunteer Protection Advocate (CVPA) is one of the seven required Regional Board positions as specified in the National Bylaws and Standard Regional Policies and Protocols (Section 4). The CVPA serves as the Safe Haven program representative in the local Region, Area, or Section.

CVPA Job Description

The Regional CVPA’s role is to oversee child and volunteer protection in the region, including registering volunteers, performing Regional volunteer screening, and serving as a resource for the Region for good faith reporting of child abuse.

The Regional CVPA plays a vital role in AYSO’s promise to provide a safe, fair, fun, positive family environment for youth soccer. In return, AYSO wants to ensure all its volunteers receive the maximum protection under the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 and therefore requires that all volunteers:

The primary responsibilities of the CVPA include:

• Screening Volunteers at the local level.
• Working with the Regional Board to ensure all approved volunteers are registered and assigned to their specific positions.
• Working with the Regional Coach Administrator, Regional Referee Administrator and Regional Commissioner to ensure that all coaches, referees and volunteers are properly trained and certified and that they receive an annual Safe Haven protocol review.
• Adhere and act within the bylaws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines of AYSO.
• Serving as a contact for child abuse, child protection concerns.
• Working with the Regional Commissioner to ensure mandated reporting of suspected child abuse.

• Providing child and volunteer protection guidelines.

• Promoting safety and injury prevention.
•  To maintain the recommended adult-to-child supervision ratio of 1:8 or less, that is one adult for every eight or fewer children and two adults (one of whom may be the coach and one of whom should be of the same gender as the group) present at all times. For the protection of both the children and the volunteer, no volunteer should permit himself or herself to be alone with any child or group of children (except his or her own child) during AYSO-sponsored activities.

The time commitment will vary depending on Region size and length of playing season(s). For the typical AYSO Region, the CVPA will devote about 5 - 8 hours per week during the playing season and 10 – 15 hours per week before the season.

The Safe Haven program promotes positive role modeling and the need to nurture a “safe haven” environment that encourages age-appropriate child development and positive self-esteem. AYSO features codes of conduct and Kids Zone tenets to promote positive behavior and good sportsmanship among all participants, parents, and spectators.

Education Pathway

All CVPAs must complete and clear an annual background check and have current certifications:

• AYSO Safe Haven
• Safe Sport (per federal law)
• CDC Concussion Awareness (per state law)
• AYSO CVPA Training Webinar
• Dispute Resolution training
• Due Process training
• Various workshops at the annual EXPO including the annual Safe Haven update

California, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington require completion of Sudden Cardiac Arrest training. AYSO recommends that all coaches complete this.

Additional Skills:

• Annually be approved and duly appointed as CVPA by the Regional Commissioner

• Must have discretion as well as strong administrative and organizational skills;

• Understand and implement requirements and recommendations as specific in the Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate training and certification.
  

CVPA FAQ's