Child Protection Policy

The safety of our players is paramount to our mission to provide a safe, positive environment in which players can participate and thrive in an organized baseball league.   To do our part in evaluating our BoD members and coach volunteers we do the following:

-          All Framingham BoD members and coach volunteers have a CORI background check pursuant to MA state law guidelines.  All Framingham BoD members and coach volunteers have a federal background check annually.

-          On February 28th, 2024  Framingham Baseball Inc.  Voted to implement a Child Protection Policy and introduce required abuse training annually for all BoD members and coach volunteers. 

Child Protection Policy and Risk Plan

Purpose:

The safety and well-being of all participants in Framingham Baseball, Inc. is critical.  As adults, we want to ensure that the young people playing in the Framingham baseball program are able to grow up happy, healthy and, above all, safe. Whether they are our children, or the children of others, each of us has a responsibility to protect them.

The purpose of this risk management program is to reduce and/or prevent the occurrences of misconduct in sports as well as to reduce the liability potential for the sports organization.  Misconduct can negatively impact participants, staff members, family, friends, and the sport.

Specifically, our organization will implement policies in the following areas to address all types of misconduct and to set forth boundaries of appropriate and inappropriate conduct: sexual misconduct, including child abuse; grooming behavior; physical misconduct; emotional misconduct; bullying; harassment; hazing; social media and electronic communications; locker rooms and changing areas; travel; reporting misconduct; screening staff; and monitoring for compliance.

This plan will serve as awareness education training for all our volunteers to educate themselves on all forms of misconduct and to refrain from engaging in such misconduct and in violating the policies herein.  It should be posted on the organization website and distributed to all Framingham Baseball, Inc. volunteers.

All Volunteers shall receive the following:

All Framingham Baseball Inc. BoD volunteers and coaches are required to conduct CORI background checks in accordance with State of Massachusetts law, annual federal background checks and annual abuse training. All BoD volunteers and coaches are required to take an annual abuse training. 

In order to implement our policy requirements, Framingham Baseball Inc. has implemented software through our insurance provider Philadelphia Insurance Companies that allows us to track CORI checks, track background checks and conduct and track abuse training.  The process will be administered and fulfillment of requirements tracked by annually designated BoD members and league commissioners (see current Framingham BoD for active memberships).

Framingham Baseball, Inc. has 2 categories of volunteers – Board of Directors and Coaches/head coaches.  

-          BoD members are voted on by current BoD.  Selected members require CORI verification and annual Abuse training completed Coaching candidates are tracked through our sign-up process and select volunteer.

-          Head coaches and assistant coaches sign up to volunteer via our player sign-up process.  All coaches are reviewed by commissioners and BoD annually.  Head coaches and assistant coaches require CORI verification and annual abuse training.  

Until CORI verification, background check and abuse training are complete, results have been reviewed and the individual is cleared by the BoD members tracking requirements, no volunteer will commence activities for Framingham Baseball, Inc.

Guidelines on Reporting Abuse

The “Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Act of 2017” mandates that all amateur sports organizations, which participate in an interstate or international amateur athletic competition and whose membership includes any adult who is in regular contact with an amateur athlete who is a minor must report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, within 24 hours to law enforcement.

To report please:

-          Call local law enforcement immediately

-          Call the Department of Children and Families (DCF) within 24 hours; DCF also requires a written report be submitted within 48 hours of the initial call. 

-          Report to Framingham Baseball, Inc. BoD – report to current president within 24 hours

Framingham Baseball, Inc. Definitions for Child Protection Policy:

Abuse: the following definitions or examples of sexual abuse, misconduct or harassment, may apply to any and/or all the following persons – employees, volunteers or other third-parties.  Sexual abuse or misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

•         Child sexual abuse – any sexual activity, involvement or attempt of sexual contact with a person who is a minor (under 18 years old) where consent is not or cannot be given.

•         Sexual activity with another who is legally incompetent or otherwise unable to give consent.

•         Physical assaults or violence, such as rape, sexual battery, abuse, molestation or any attempt to commit such acts.

•         Unwanted and intentional physical conduct that is sexual in nature, such as touching, pinching, patting, brushing, massaging someone’s neck or shoulders and/or pulling against another’s body or clothes.

•         Material such as pornographic or sexually explicit images, or sexually suggestive images, posters, calendars or objects.

•         Unwelcome and inappropriate sexual activities, advances, comments, innuendoes, bullying, jokes, gestures, electronic communications or messages (e.g. email, text, social media, voicemail), exploitation, exposure, leering, stalking or invasion of sexual privacy.

•         A sexually hostile environment characterized as comments or conduct that unreasonably interferes with one’s work performance or ability to do the job or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

•         Direct or implied threats that submission to sexual advances will be a condition of employment or affiliation with the organization.

Participant: Any athlete or non-athlete participant who participates in any tryouts, practices, drills, instructional sessions, competitions, camps, clinics, tournaments, or non-sport outings including travel, lodging, and health or medical treatment sponsored by the organization.

Child, Children, Minor, and Youth: Anyone under the age of 18. These terms are used interchangeably throughout this program.

Coach: Any adult who has or shares the responsibility for instructing, teaching, schooling, training, or advising athletes of the organization.

Misconduct: Behavior that goes against our abuse policy.  Behavior that results in harm, the potential for harm, or the imminent threat of harm. Age is irrelevant to misconduct. There are six primary types of misconduct in sports: sexual (including grooming behavior), physical, emotional, bullying, harassment, and hazing.

Organization: Framingham Baseball, Inc.

Staff Member: Any paid or unpaid member (volunteer) providing service to the organization including but not limited to officers, directors, administrators, coaches, assistant coaches, trainers, and team parents

RESPONSIBILITY

All Framingham Baseball, Inc. Executive Board members, sport board members, staff, and independent contractors participating in any programs of the Framingham Baseball, Inc.

Under our Child Projection Policy, the following types of misconduct are prohibited by the organization:

Sexual Misconduct, including Child Sexual Abuse

Sexual misconduct is defined as:

•         Any sexual interaction, whether non-touching or touching, that is forced or perpetrated in an exploitative, harassing, aggressive, or threatening manner.

•         Any sexual interaction between a participant and an individual with direct, indirect, or evaluative authority. Such relationships usually involve power imbalance; disparity in age, development, size, or intellectual capabilities; the existence of an aggressor; and are likely to impair judgment or be exploitative.

•         Any conduct or acts defined under state or federal law as sexual abuse or misconduct.

Sexual misconduct can be between adults, between adults and minors, or between minors. Minors don’t have the legal capacity to consent to sexual activity with an adult, and as a result, any sexual interaction between a minor and adult is strictly prohibited.

Types of sexual misconduct include:

•         Sexual assault

•         Sexual harassment

•         Sexual abuse

•         Any other intimacies or physical contact that exploit an athlete

Touching offenses include:

•         Fondling a participant’s breasts or buttocks or any other unwelcomed physical contact;

•         Providing a sports-related reward (ex: playing time, position, lessons, award, praise) inporn

•         exchange for sexual favors;

•         Sexual penetration and sexual touching;

•         Genital contact whether or not either party is clothed

•         Any intimacies or sexual relations between a staff member, volunteer or employee of Framingham Baseball Inc. and participant.

Permissible Physical Contact

Some level of physical contact between a coach and a participant may be appropriate, such as in instruction, celebration, or consolation of a distraught participant who has been injured or after losing a competition. Appropriate physical contact in training and instruction consists of the following elements:

•         The physical contact takes place in public.

•         There is no potential for or actual, physical, or sexual intimacies during the physical contact.

•         The physical contact is for the benefit of the participant and not to meet an emotional or other need of an adult.

•         Physical contact should be appropriate for the development of a sport skills

•         Permission from the player/participant should be sought

•         Player/participants should be congratulated or comforted in public not in an isolated setting

Prohibited forms of physical contact include:

•         Lingering or repeated embrace that goes beyond acceptable physical touch.

•         Tickling, horseplay, or wrestling.

•         Continued physical contact that makes a participant uncomfortable.

Non-touching offenses include:

•         Making innuendos, comments, or jokes of a sexual nature about a participant or other behavior that is sexually harassing.

•         A staff member referencing his or her sexual activities with a participant.

•         Questioning a participant about his or her sexual activities.

•         A staff member requesting or sending a revealing or nude photo to a participant.

•         Exposing participants to pornographic material.

•         Voyeurism

•         Sending participants communications or photos, whether electronic (e.g. sexting) or

•         otherwise, of a sexually suggestive or explicit nature.

•         Intentionally exposing a participant to sexual acts.

•         Intentionally exposing a participant to nudity (exception for shared changing areas or locker rooms).

•         Non-verbal or verbal communication of a sexual nature; physical advances; or sexual solicitation.

The following are not defenses under any circumstances to an allegation of sexual misconduct: the consent of a minor, mistaking the age of a participant, or that the interaction did not occur during a sanctioned event of the organization.

Peer-to-Peer Child Sexual Misconduct

Approximately one-third of all cases of sexual abuse are child peer-to-peer. Whether or not sexual interaction between children constitutes child sexual abuse turns on the existence of an aggressor, the age difference between the children, and/or whether there is an imbalance in power and/or intellectual capabilities. Allegations or suspicions of peer-to-peer child sexual abuse must be reported to the child abuse officer or a board member.

Grooming

Grooming is an intentional strategy that sexual predators use to set up and prepare victims, parents, and staff to gain a position of trust and lower their defenses, which assists in the perpetration of misconduct.

Examples of grooming include the following:

•         Identifying a child and determining his or her vulnerable areas (ex: being misunderstood, lack of attention from parents, lack of spending money, absent parents, etc.)

•         Carefully observing the target, determining their needs to fill what is missing.

•         Filling the needs to create a special bond and to gain their trust. Examples are providing gifts and spending money, helping with homework, providing transportation, special consideration on the team such as more playing time, special attention, sharing secrets, etc.

•         Spending a disproportionate amount of time with the family to gain their trust.

•         Isolating the victim from their peers to create situations where they are alone.

•         Gradually introducing sexual interplay that may start with conversations of a sexual nature (in person, texting, and social media), providing alcohol and drugs to lower inhibitions, watching pornography, sharing nude photos, tickling, horseplay, massages, and other boundary invasions that lead to sexual touching and nudity.

•         Maintaining control and silence to continue and keep the sexual abuse hidden.

•         Using shame or fear as motivating factors to continue the relationship.

Staff and parents who identify any of the foregoing are requiring to notify the Framingham Baseball Inc. BoD per reporting guidelines above. 

One-on-One Interactions

Two-Deep Leadership: Two adults (ex: any combination of coach(es)), volunteer(s), parent(s)) should be present at all times so that a minor cannot be isolated one on one with an unrelated adult. This also helps to protect the staff member from false accusations.

Individual Meetings: An individual meeting to address a participant’s concerns may be necessary on occasion. During such meetings, the following guidelines should be observed:

•         Any individual meeting should occur when others are present and where interactions can be easily observed.

•         Where possible, an individual meeting should take place in a publicly visible and open area, such as in the corner of a building.

•         If the meeting takes place in an office or a locker room, the door should remain unlocked and open.

•         If a closed-door meeting is necessary, the staff member should inform another staff member and ensure the door remains unlocked.

•         Individual Training Sessions: When necessary or requested, parent/guardian written consent should be obtained and a parent/guardian encouraged to attend.

Prohibited One-on-One Interactions: Except as provided above with regard to individual meetings, individual training, or emergency situations, any one-on-one interaction between an adult and a minor participant should be avoided. A possible exception may occur if the minor is stranded and the adult must be present so that the minor will not be left unattended or unsupervised. In such cases, the adult and minor should remain in the open until another adult arrives

Framingham Baseball Inc. Abuse Crisis plan

If alleged sexual assault or misconduct is reported, Framingham Baseball, Inc. will take the following steps immediately:

-          Contact Framingham Police Department.

-          Contact parents or legal guardians of victim

-          Contact the Framingham Baseball, Inc. lawyer.

-          Have emergency BoD meeting to discuss situation and ensure all Framingham Inc. BoD members and volunteers make themselves available to Framingham Police department. 

Automated External Defibrillator

If you are wondering what an AED is – and why they seem to be in most offices and public buildings, you're not alone. In fact, because these devices are now commonly available, more people than ever before are curious about them. So – just what is an AED?

An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It is a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, more than 350,000 people will suffer a cardiac arrest this year. Currently, the only way to restore a regular heart rhythm during cardiac arrest is to use an AED.

At both the snack shack and upper shack , there are Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available.