Prevent Child Abuse America in The Washington Post.

Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, Vice President of Research & Programs at Prevent Child Abuse America was quoted this week in The Washington Post article "Is cleaning house the best way for schools to deal with sexual abuse?" Please let us know what you think about the article, and Dr. Rosenzweig's quotes, in the Comments section, and please note that we have published an excerpt from the article below. Thanks.  

“The adults in the building have to be taught that it’s not enough to have good or bad people; you have to maintain a healthy sexual environment. That means every teacher has to define the norms — set a dress code, talk about what kind of language is acceptable, talk about how teachers talk to kids.”

You Can Transform A Life.

There is power in one person making a difference. 

Through simple, everyday connections, you can make a difference in a child's life. You don't have to be a parent, a teacher or a coach to make a difference. By simply making children feel noticed and valued, you become an ally. 

This year,

• Over 85,000 families were reached by the Healthy Families America program;
• Child sexual abuse and peer-to-peer (bullying) abuse prevention strategies have been implemented nationwide, and;
• Hundreds of thousands of pinwheels were planted, raising awareness in neighborhoods just like yours. 

You can make sure this work continues to grow and reach children and families throughout the United States by giving a gift today.

Your gift will help to ensure all children have the great childhood they deserve because our children are our future.

Thank you for your dedication to this mission.

We All Play A Role.

For the past ten years I have been honored to be President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. That role is going to change however, because retirement is in my plans for early next year.

The last ten years have seen the incredible expansion of our Healthy Families America home visiting program, now serving 85,000 families each year. Our bullying prevention and child sexual abuse prevention technical assistance services have enhanced the 350 strategies that our 50 state chapters use to support the belief that every child has the right to a great childhood. Without your commitment to this mission, we could not do this.

This very difficult decision has allowed me to reflect not only how important this mission is but how great our supporters are. You have helped prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children and for that, I thank you. Your kind, encouraging notes gave me the inspiration to do my job better and for that, I am grateful. You have shown what is possible when people care and that has inspired me.

You have made me believe that prevention is really possible; you have made me believe that people want to make child abuse and neglect not only preventable, but unthinkable; you have made me believe that we all play an important role in each child's life who comes in contact with us.

Thank you for helping me believe that I could do my job; I have not felt alone, because I knew you were there. Please never underestimate the influence your support means to individuals like me.

But there is so much more to be done! Please continue to help our mission achieve the next round of successes to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, child abuse and neglect by making a gift today.

Sincerely,

James M. Hmurovich

President & CEO

P.S. By giving a gift today, you will help ensure that all children have the great childhoods they deserve because our children are our future.

Check it out: The current edition of our newsletter is live!

And you can learn more about what's happening with Healthy Families America, our new child sexual abuse prevention infographic and Senior Director of Chapter Services, National Grandparents Day, Kick-Off For Kids 2015 and Connect the Dots here. So please do take a look and don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about any of this. Thanks!

Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, Vice President for Programs & Research for Prevent Child Abuse America talks "TLC’s Breaking the Silence on child sexual abuse" at philly.com. And our new child sexual abuse prevention infographics too.

So please do take a look at what Dr. Rosenzweig has to say here - and please note that we have posted an excerpt below - as well as our new child sexual abuse prevention infographics here. Also, please let us know what you think about both. Thanks! 

"Having viewed the show, I’m having a half-empty/half full moment.

It was wonderful that the message was repeated throughout the show that “stranger danger” is a dangerous misnomer - we know that the overwhelming majority of sexual abuse occurs with strangers victims know.  This bears repeating again and again. 

The focus in the show on Darkness to Light’s 5 Steps to Protecting our Children is both forward thinking and provided a call to action – offering parents and community members entrusted with the safety of children ideas of how to proceed.  For that I am grateful.

It’s also wonderful that Erin Merryn has emerged as a vocal and credible advocate and put an articulate voice to this issue.  Her courage and tenacity have brought hope to survivors, and shed a bright light on a dark and ugly subject many prefer to ignore.  Her advocacy leading to the passage of "Erin’s Law” in 26 states, teaching children to disclose abuse and educators how recognize it is laudable.

        

But here’s the rub: it makes a mistake, crucial to prevention work, by teaching children to ask for help only AFTER they have had a bad experience or worse, confusing this with real prevention."

In the Spotlight this week...

The National Conference for America's Children is quickly approaching! 

With so many great topics and workshops to choose from, we couldn't keep them to ourselves! Check out these sessions -

Spotlight on: Dr. Espelage and the Myths and Facts about Peer Abuse
The effects of bullying can be dramatic and long-term, but we are learning more and more each day about the effectiveness of ecologically-based prevention strategies. Read more...  

Spotlight on: Self-Care for the Caregiver
You work long hours in stressful situations, working hard to help improve the lives of everyone around you. You deserve some time and attention too! Dr. Lori Schlosser has tailored this two-part experiential session toward the needs of home visitors and assessment workers in an effort to help you relax, center and recharge! Read more...

Spotlight on: CHEERS and its Use in Home Visiting
Are you a home visitor who uses the CHEERS framework in your work, or are you someone who is just learning about CHEERS for the first time? Either way, this session from Lisa Sutter is guaranteed to be useful to you! Read more... 

Spotlight on: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
These sessions will feature leaders in the field discussing their approaches and what they have found works and what does not. Sessions are sure to be useful for anyone who is interested in learning more about how they can prevent sexual abuse at all levels! Learn more about the speakers and sessions...

Spotlight on: Engaging Fathers in Home Visiting
You know that engaging fathers in the lives of children is optimal for child development, but do you know the best strategies to engage fathers safely and effectively? This session will provide strategies from all perspectives! Learn more...

Spotlight on: Pinwheels for Prevention
Pinwheels for Prevention is Prevent Child Abuse America's signature messaging campaign, and this session will focus on the ways that different state chapters have been able to use the pinwheel and the associated messaging to increase engagement and awareness throughout their communities. Read more...

Sports. Parental involvement. Self-esteem. Safety. And Dr. Janet Rosenzweig.

We want to share a recent blog post with you in philly.com by Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, Prevent Child Abuse America's national consultant on child sexual abuse prevention programs, titled "Create a winning team for safety in youth sports." We are also interested in your thoughts, so please let us know what you think, how you might use this information in your community, and whether you have any questions. Thanks, and please note, that we have pasted a brief excerpt from the post below as well.

"Parental involvement with kids’ sports has always been beneficial to family relationships and children’s self-esteem. Now we’re reminded that child safety is also enhanced by the presence of a parent or other observant adult at practices and games. A convicted pedophile that I interviewed for The Sex-Wise Parent told me that “nothing makes a child less attractive than having his parent around all the time.” Most of us can’t be around all the time, but we can take steps to ensure that there is always one adult with eyes on your child."

"Most people pay no attention to the sexual climate in the places they spend their time each day until something doesn’t feel right." Healthy children. The "sexual climate" of your children's school. And Prevent Child Abuse America in the news.

Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, Prevent Child Abuse America's national consultant for child sexual abuse prevention, has posted a blog entry today at philly.com titled "How's the sexual climate of your child's school?" We encourage you to take a look - here - and then please let us know what you think, how you might use this information in your family and community, and whether you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below. Thanks.

Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or “social feel". A school’s “culture” would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school “climate” refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Hows-the-sexual-climate-of-your-childs-school.html#XI5Jc885B7tJD86k.99

Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or “social feel". A school’s “culture” would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school “climate” refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Hows-the-sexual-climate-of-your-childs-school.html#XI5Jc885B7tJD86k.99

Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or “social feel". A school’s “culture” would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school “climate” refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Hows-the-sexual-climate-of-your-childs-school.html#XI5Jc885B7tJD86k.99

Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or “social feel". A school’s “culture” would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school “climate” refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Hows-the-sexual-climate-of-your-childs-school.html#XI5Jc885B7tJD86k.99

"Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or 'social feel.' A school’s 'culture' would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school 'climate' refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety."

Kids spend most of their waking hours in school, and schools each have their own climate or “social feel". A school’s “culture” would be its policies, procedures, rules and regulations, while school “climate” refers to how it actually feels to be in a school. This is a difficult concept for people who have spent time in few schools, but the differences can be vast. Researchers use variations in school climate to predict outcomes like academic achievement, rates of bullying, and sexual health and safety.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Hows-the-sexual-climate-of-your-childs-school.html#XI5Jc885B7tJD86k.99

Prevent Child Abuse America's Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, author of The Sex-Wise Parent, talks human sexuality and child sexual abuse prevention on Conversations from Penn State.

What A Year We've Had!

Hello,

The end of the year is quickly approaching and we would like to thank you for your support through the years. Supporters like you are the reason Prevent Child Abuse America is able to continue our work to promote the healthy development of children and their families.

With your help, we have been able to promote over 650 prevention strategies, including the creation of a bullying technical assistance center and a child sexual abuse prevention center.

By speaking with the public and community members, we have been able to address what YOU can do to prevent child abuse and neglect. By taking the time to educate yourself about prevention, volunteering, and raising awareness, you have been keeping the conversation about prevention going in your neighborhood.

With the holiday season upon us, it is important to reflect on the people and experiences that have shaped our lives. By taking this opportunity to make an investment - here - in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the United States, you can help shape the lives of children throughout the nation.

Warmly,

 James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO

Awaken to Change - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention.

Awaken to Change - The National Conference for America's Children

Prevent Child Abuse America's 2012 National Conference

October 12-15 - Jacksonville, Florida

As Prevent Child Abuse America celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2012, it will offer a national conference unlike any other. From October 12-15, 2012, Prevent Child Abuse America will integrate emphases on healthy child development, public policy, what's working in child abuse and neglect prevention, and the latest on messaging and corporate responsibility.

Recognizing that each of us play a role in ensuring the healthy development of our nation's children, the conference will blend hands-on training for professionals who work with families and run non-profit agencies, with broad discussions on the impact our work has on the neighborhoods and communities in which we live, and the future of our country as a whole.

Conference Highlights with a Focus on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention 

• Workshop A04: Integrating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention into Home Visits
• Workshop B04: Early Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Using the Care for Kids Program: The Importance of Education Children and Adults
• Workshop C04: Public & Permanent: How to PREVENT digital problems
• Workshop D02: Mobilizing Case Study II: The ENOUGH Abuse Campaign
• Workshop D04: Determining the Critical Components for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
• Workshop E04: Comprehensive Legislation for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: One State's Story
• Workshop F04: Impact of Pornography on Children, Youth and Culture
• Workshop G04: Understanding Child Sexual Abuse From an Ecological Lens: An Examination of the Impact of Culture on Child Sexual Abuse and Strategies
• Workshop H04: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations: The Power of Combining Knowledge and Stong Policies
• Workshop I04: The National Plan to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Plus much more - 100+ break out sessions, networking, and Jacksonville's family friendly attractions. Find descriptions of all sessions in the Conference Registration Book, which can be downloaded here.  

  Questions? email Robert Allen at rallen@preventchildabuse.org

Hurry and Save! The Early Bird discount has been extended through August 12!

"We as a nation can, and must, prevent this kind of abuse from occurring to future generations, because at the very least all of our children deserve happy and healthy childhoods, free of abuse."

More.

Alliance Seeks to Make Child Sexual Abuse Prevention a National Priority

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC -- June 4th, 2012 – Three national organizations combating child sexual abuse (CSA) are working diligently in an alliance to support and enhance federal government policies and procedures that will make CSA prevention a national priority.
 
Darkness to Light, Stop It Now!, and Prevent Child Abuse America have created the CSA Prevention Alliance (Alliance) to introduce a new national standard for CSA prevention and intervention. The Alliance supports federal agencies in finding ways to integrate child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention policies and practices into schools, child/youth-serving organizations, law enforcement agencies and other federally funded programs.
 
“The Alliance members came together to collaboratively focus our organizational efforts toward a primary goal: children and youth grow up protected from sexual abuse,” said Deborah Donovan Rice, Executive Director of Stop It Now! “Abuse is preventable when the best available tools are matched by a strong will to protect, whether at the community level or the federal government level. This is what Alliance members have learned over their more than 60 years of combined experience.”
 
The Alliance continues to advocate for federal agencies to proactively respond to this national outcry by advancing policies that better protect children from abuse. The Alliance suggests that federal agencies can improve child protection by including grant special conditions that would require grantees to implement CSA prevention policies and procedures. For example a grant special condition could require CSA prevention training for all adults involved in the program.
 
Due in part to the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings at Penn State, the public is voicing outrage at the lack of protection of children by adults in roles of responsibility.
 
“The Penn State revelations have brought the issue of child sexual abuse to the forefront of national public consciousness for the first time,” said Jolie Logan, President and CEO, Darkness to Light. “This provides an unprecedented opportunity to create real and lasting change in how we, as a society, protect children.”
 
Federal efforts such as the Department of Health and Human Service’s Federal Interagency Work Group on Child Abuse and Neglect and the Justice Department’s Defending Childhood Initiative are encouraging. The Alliance seeks to assist more federal agencies to find ways to integrate CSA prevention policies and practices into all child/youth-serving organizations and professions. As participants in the National Coalition to Prevent Child Abuse and Exploitation, the Alliance also works to support the National Plan to Prevent the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children.
 
“During the presidential campaign season there will be on-going debate about what constitutes the role of government in people’s lives,” says James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America, “but there should be no debate about whether the federal government has the potential to positively impact the lives of all children by playing an active role in the prevention of child sexual abuse. The Sandusky allegations provide an opportunity for the federal government to assume a leadership role to craft policies, ranging from educating adults about what they can do to prevent child sexual abuse to asking youth serving organizations to implement comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention policies and practices. This is not just the smart thing to do, but the right thing to do, and to use the Sandusky case as a call to action.”

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Darkness to Light - 7 Radcliffe Street, Charleston, SC 29403 - 843-965-5444
Prevent Child Abuse America - 228 S. Wabash Avenue - 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604 - 312-663-3520
Stop It Now! - 351 Pleasant Street - Suite B-319 Northampton, MA 01060 - 413-587-3500 

Jerry Sandusky and Penn State Seven Months Later: What have we learned?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, June 4, 2012 – It’s been seven months since the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal broke at Penn State, and as Sandusky goes to trial, the question before us as a nation is: What have we learned?

“We have learned that communities are prepared to come together and support healthy, happy childhoods and the prevention of child sexual abuse before it ever occurs, says James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “We have learned that policymakers both local and federal now better understand that the laws in place are inadequate if we are going to prevent child sexual abuse from ever occurring. And we have learned that as a country the impact of child sexual abuse remains far more reaching than most of us were able to acknowledge, or even understand, before the Sandusky scandal happened.”

We have also learned that all adults must play an active role in the lives of the children who live in their neighborhoods and communities if we are to ensure that child sexual abuse is prevented before it ever occurs.

To accomplish this we must:

All learn about the grooming techniques of perpetrators and how to recognize the signs of abuse.

Let our children, all of our children, know that we are interested in who they play with; where, and how, they spend their time; and what’s going on in their lives.

Begin a dialogue with children and their parents focused on healthy sexuality at the age-appropriate time.

Minimize one-on-one contact between adults and children.

Advocate for innovative, evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention policies at all levels of government.

And trust our best instincts when we believe abuse is occurring and report it.

What have we learned?

“We have learned that what happened at Penn State is a terrible tragedy for those who were victimized and silenced,” continues Hmurovich, “but that it doesn’t have to be the whole story. We as a nation can, and must, prevent this kind of abuse from occurring to future generations, because at the very least all of our children deserve happy and healthy childhoods, free of abuse.

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA

Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 49 states and over 400 Healthy Families America, home visitation sites in 37 states, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information, please visit here and here.