California Youth Sports Safety Laws: A Guide to Compliance

California’s Key Youth Sports Safety Laws

• Health and Safety Code §124235 – Sets concussion and SCA protocols for all youth sports organizations.
• Assembly Bill 379 (AB 379) – Expands these protocols to include all youth sports organizations, not just school-based ones.
• Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act – Establishes education and emergency preparedness guidelines to prevent SCA in young athletes.
• Assembly Bill 506 (AB 506) – Requires child abuse training, background checks, and written policies for youth service organizations.

AB 379: Concussion and Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Compliance

1. Immediate Removal from Activity

• Athletes showing signs of a concussion or who faint during play must be removed from the activity immediately for the rest of the day.
• Return to play requires written clearance from a licensed healthcare provider.
• If diagnosed with a concussion, the athlete must complete a minimum 7-day, supervised return-to-play protocol.
• If a cardiac issue is suspected, the athlete must remain under medical care until cleared.

2. Parental Notification: If an athlete age 17 or under is removed for concussion or cardiac symptoms, the organization must notify the parent or guardian with:

• Date and time of incident
• Symptoms observed
• Treatment or action taken

3. Annual Information Sheets

• Organizations must distribute annual information sheets on concussion and SCA to parents and athletes.
• These must be signed and returned before participation.
• For children age 6 and under, only the parent or guardian’s signature is required

4. Staff Education and Training

• Organizations must offer annual concussion and SCA education for coaches, administrators, and officials.
• Training must be completed at least once—online or in person—before supervising athletes.
• Approved resources include:
  • CDC HEADS UP Concussion Training
  • Eric Paredes SCA Training

5. Compliance Procedures

• Organizations must have written procedures to verify compliance with AB 379.
• Keep records of:
  • Signed information sheets
  • Training completion certificates
  • Return-to-play clearances

AB 506: Mandatory Child Abuse Training and Background Checks

What Is a “Youth Service Organization”?

• Youth sports leagues
• Camps
• After-school athletic programs
• Church-based sports ministries
• Any third-party contractors working with children

Who Are “Mandated Reporters”?

• Coaches
• Team administrators
• Officials and referees
• Volunteers and employees with direct contact and supervision of minors

• Complete annual child abuse prevention training
• Report suspected abuse within 24 hours to law enforcement or child protective services

Training Requirements

• Must include instructions on:
  • Signs and symptoms of abuse
  • Prevention policies and procedures
  • Legal obligations to report
  • Proper procedures for documenting and filing reports
• Organizations may use the free training at mandatedreporterca.com from the California Department of Social Services, but are not required to do so.
• In my opinion, the suggested child abuse training course by the CA Dept of Social Services is not appropriate to prevent child abuse in a youth sports context. This training course goes way beyond sports, and the intent of the training is for volunteers to detect child abuse in all settings, but primarily in the family setting. With the emphasis on detecting child abuse that has already occurred, only a small amount of content is devoted to preventing child abuse. The Safe Sport Act is far superior in this regard.  The suggested CA online training course took me well over two hours to complete, and perhaps provides so many warning signs of child abuse that the average volunteer could have difficulty in telling the difference between what is and is not a sign of child abuse.
• The training does not require a video.

Live Scan Background Checks

• Employees and regular volunteers must undergo Live Scan fingerprinting through the California DOJ.
• A “regular volunteer” is anyone working directly with children for more than 16 hours per month or 32 hours annually.

Written Child Abuse Prevention Policies

• Implement and distribute written policies outlining acceptable conduct
• Define procedures for supervision, reporting, and responding to incidents
• Review these policies annually

Federal Safe Sport Act: Nationwide Compliance

• Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse within 24 hours not only to the organization, but also to law enforcement authorities, as prescribed by state and local law.
• Prevention training for coaches, volunteers, and adults in supervisory roles
• Policies to limit one-on-one interactions between minors and adults
• Screening and monitoring of staff and volunteers

Additional Risk Management Best Practices

• Heat Illness Prevention: Hydration, acclimatization, and symptom recognition
• Lightning Safety: Suspend play when lightning is within 10 miles
• Emergency Action Plans: AED access, emergency contacts, and response protocols
• COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Protocols: Hygiene, sanitation, and exposure procedures

How Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance Can Help

Included For Current Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance Clients:

• Training resources for concussions, sudden cardiac arrest, child abuse, heat illness, lightning, facilities, equipment, sports injury care, auto safety, and more
• A customizable Risk Management Plan in a single document that:
  • Covers the majority of all legal requirements and important risk management topics
  • Serves as both educational awareness training and policies and procedures
  • Can be distributed to staff and volunteers with the required sign-off as evidence of compliance
  • Helps mitigate liability and reduce risk
  • Document-based training is more efficient than video-based training

Final Thoughts