The safety of all players, volunteers, and families within the Little League® program is the paramount concern for Little League International. As part of the Little League Child Protection Program, on October 1, 2018, the individual, annual background checks that are available to local Little League® programs was reset, so that all leagues can begin the process for the 2019 season to fulfill this important regulation.
The local league is required to have all board members, managers, coaches, and other volunteers or hired workers who provide regular service to the league and/or who have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams to consent to a background check. A local Little League must conduct a nationwide background check utilizing JDP or another provider that is comparable to JDP in accessing background check records for sex offender registry data and other criminal records. Leagues must also adhere to all state and/or local laws.
Little League Baseball and Softball requires each league to sign an agreement on the charter application that commits the league to comply with Regulation 1 (b) and 1 (c) 8 & 9. Through JDP, the background check process is easier than ever, and protects personal information through JDP’s QuickApp process.
Use of the JDP QuickApp:
• The JDP QuickApp allows potential volunteers to complete their Little League Volunteer Application and background check in one step.
• If using the JDP QuickApp, a paper volunteer application is no longer necessary. The information is stored through JDP, eliminating the need for leagues to keep paper volunteer applications.
• A potential volunteer can complete their application on a secure site and a league official will no longer be able to view a SSN during the background check process.
• The only information that is necessary for the JDP QuickApp process is a potential volunteer’s first and last name and email address.
Background checks are to be completed annually for following volunteers:
• District Administrators
• District Staff
• Local League Board Members
• Coaches
• Managers
• Umpires
• Practice Coaches/Volunteers
• Scorekeepers
• Team Parents
• Anyone that has repetitive access to the players
• What is repetitive access?
Any role or position that provides an adult with multiple opportunities to create a relationship with a player. If your league can not determine if a position falls into the above category, it is always best to run a background check.