School-based child sexual abuse prevention and intervention

Over the past several decades we have learned that a complex mix of parent, family, child, community, and environmental characteristics can contribute to child sexual abuse. Thus, prevention strategies that are designed to... [ view full abstract ]

Over the past several decades we have learned that a complex mix of parent, family, child, community, and environmental characteristics can contribute to child sexual abuse. Thus, prevention strategies that are designed to address the multiple influences that may lead to child sexual abuse are most effective. In this symposium, participants will first learn about the research that supports school-based child sexual abuse prevention and intervention efforts. Then they will learn about how specific policies and procedures, such as a staff code of conduct, procedures for screening and hiring staff and volunteers as well as for reporting staff violations of protection policies, can help protect children from abuse in a school or youth program setting. Finally, participants will be introduced to an example of how both research and best practices can be translated into a robust program that includes school staff-, child-, and family-focused content.

Part 1: What Do We Know from the Research?

Part 2: Why Are Protective Policies and Procedures Important?

Part 3: Translating Research and Best Practices into a Program