BACKGROUND CHECKING PROGRAM STARTS JAN. 10TH

In order to maintain their USA Swimming membership in good standing, all non-athlete members must pass a background check through USA Swimming's background check program. 

The background check requirement was put into place for coaches in 2006, and, in 2010, the House of Delegates updated this requirement to include all non-athlete members. USA Swimming has a new background check provider and service for these members. The new background check service will be available for use on January 10, 2011.

Criminal background checking is not intended to serve as a pre-employment screening program. The background checking process is a criminal record search and is not a substitute for a club conducting appropriate pre-employment inquiries of applicants. It is a club’s responsibility to screen potential employees. Clubs should carefully check references and prior employers, and should consider requiring additional information or background screens, for example, for driving records, before making the decision to hire a coach.

Below are the deadlines for specific member groups to complete their background check requirement. Please remember, the below groups should NOT initiate a background screen until on or after January 10, 2011 when the new background checking program is in place.

• All non-athlete members who have not previously completed the USA Swimming background check must successfully complete the new background check program by February 15, 2011
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• All non-athlete members who have previously completed the USA Swimming background check before September 1, 2010, are required to complete the new check prior to April 30, 2011.
  

• Any non-athlete members who completed the USA Swimming background check after September 1, 2010 must complete the new background check prior to December 31, 2011.

More information at USA Swimming here.