Early, open, often: Helping families talk to their children to prevent sexual abuse

It’s completely normal to be embarrassed and nervous at the idea of talking to kids about safety for private body parts. So it’s no wonder that these conversations are not happening in many homes around the nation. But... [ view full abstract ]

It’s completely normal to be embarrassed and nervous at the idea of talking to kids about safety for private body parts. So it’s no wonder that these conversations are not happening in many homes around the nation. But families play a crucial role in protecting children from sexual abuse. And there are ways that you can help engage and educate families so that they can begin that difficult conversation. By engaging and educating these powerful allies, you can bolster your prevention and intervention efforts.

In this workshop, participants will first learn about the strong research base that places families at the center of effective child sexual abuse prevention. They’ll discover best practices for engaging and educating families about how to talk to their children about sexual abuse from an early age. Participants will also explore and practice strategies to reach families using the array of free resources introduced during the workshop.

Some effective strategies covered will include:

• Meetings, for example offering orientation activities or open houses that include a presentation about the school’s child protection strategy and an opportunity to see the personal safety lessons, if applicable
• Letters, for example sending home informational letters that describe what their child is learning in the personal safety lessons, if applicable
• Handouts, for example providing activities for families to use to practice personal safety skills at home with their child
• Webpage, for example hosting a page on your site with your child protection strategy and links to local, state, and federal child abuse and neglect prevention resources
• Discussion groups, for example providing space for hosting parent- or staff-facilitated discussion groups about child safety and protection
• Library, for example offering books for families to check out and read with children