Youth Safety Officer (YSO) Certification

The Youth Safety Officer (YSO) Certification equips coaches, program coordinators, and designated safety personnel with the knowledge, authority structures, and response protocols required to serve as the primary responsible safety operator for youth and recreational athletic events.

YSO is Layer 2 of the ProTect Athletics three-layer athlete safety framework — building directly on the foundational awareness of the Sports Safety Essentials (SSE) layer, and establishing the groundwork for the advanced Decision-Authority Structure (DAS) credential. Decision-Authority Structure.

This course builds on the recognition skills established in the SSE layer by adding formal authority, documented protocols, emergency action planning, venue inspection, incident documentation, mental health awareness, child maltreatment recognition, and credentialing. Completers are equipped to hold the YSO role with organizational backing and legal defensibility.