Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs
When considering sexual abuse prevention, efforts can be directed toward several potential areas of intervention. Referring to the “Four Preconditions Model” proposed by Finkelhor, intervention can occur at the level of the perpetrator to alter his desire or to strengthen internal inhibitors. Prevention can be aimed at strengthening external inhibitors such as an effective criminal justice system or enlightening parents to grooming techniques that perpetrators might use. Finally, intervention can be aimed at children to empower them to avoid predation.
Programs that Reduce Motivation to Sexually Abuse
The Sexual Abuse Free Environment for Teens Program (Safe T)
This program was designed by Prevent Child Abuse-Vermont (PCA-V). It is a health education program for middle school students that promotes victim/victimizer prevention by helping students to identify factors that put them at risk for being hurt and hurting others, while fostering the development of protective factors and resilience in adolescent males and females. The program targets middle school students and is a highly experiential and interactive curriculum. For more information, contact PCA-V at 802-229-5724 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=319 ).
Programs that Strengthen Internal and External Inhibitors
Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Behavior of Children (URSBC)
This program was designed by Gail Ryan of the Kempe Children’s Center and is intended to promote adult understanding of children’s sexual behavior, as well as to teach appropriate adult responses in order to intervene earlier to avoid the development of sexually abusive patterns. The target audience of this program are professionals involved directly with children and anyone in a position to give advice to parents about their children. For more information, contact Kempe National Center at 303-864-5252 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=11 ).
Nurturing Healthy Sexual Development (NHSD)
This program is intended to help participants better understand the sexual development of children and how to respond to children’s sexual behaviors and questions in ways that promote healthy development. For more information on this program, contact PCA-V at 802-229-5724 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=603 ).
From Darkness to Light
This program is from Charleston, SC. It uses common sense messages for adults and parents and shifts the responsibility of child sexual abuse prevention from children to adults. Public service announcements and advertisements center around preventing situations from happening, recognizing signs, and reacting responsibly. For more information, contact 843-965-5444 ( http://www.darkness2light.org/ ).
Programs that Strengthen a Child’s Resistance
The Sexual Abuse Free Environment for Teens Program (Safe T)
In addition to preventing violence by teens against other teens, this program also helps prevent victimization by helping youth identify those factors that put them at risk for being hurt as well as developing protective factors and enhancing resilience. This program is designed to be part of the school curriculum in middle school. For more information, contact PCA-V at 802-229-5724 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=319 ).
Care for Kids
This curriculum was created in Ontario, Canada and is licensed to PCA-V to be distributed in the United States. It is a comprehensive community-based approach to child sexual abuse prevention that provides early childhood educators, parents, and other professionals with information, materials, and resources to communicate positive messages about healthy sexuality to young children. The curriculum uses six themes to develop self-esteem, empathy, positive attitudes toward sexuality and gender, body boundaries, and children’s respect for self and others. For more information, contact PCA-V at 802-229-5724 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=6 ).
The Ring of Safety
This program was conceived by Dave Hingsburger and is targeted at people with developmental disabilities. The Ring of Safety brings together the skills that will increase a person with a developmental disability’s ability to protect themselves. For more information, visit http://www.ualberta.ca/~jpdasddc/bulletin/articles/hingsburger1994.html .
Physical Abuse Prevention Programs
Pennsylvania Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) Prevention Program
This program was originally piloted in New York by Mark Dias and his collaborators. It is a primary prevention strategy requiring hospitals to provide an educational intervention to all new parents about the danger of shaking their infants and offering alternative responses to infant crying. Before leaving the maternity unit, parents are asked to voluntarily sign a commitment statement affirming their receipt and understanding of the materials. In a trial of the program in New York, the participants were matched by controls and data were collected for 5.5 years. Results showed a 47% decrease in AHT in the treatment group compared with the controls. For more information, visit http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00727116 .
The Period of Purple Crying Program
A program of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, this educational program helps parents and caregivers of infants to understand the frustrating features of normal infant crying. Booklets and DVDs are provided to parents and caretakers. The program is being tested in randomized controlled trials supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Doris Duke Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.dontshake.org/sbs.php?topNavID=4&subNavID=32 .
Nurturing Parents Programs
These secondary prevention programs work with parents of different ages of children and infants and teaches normal development and behavior. The Nurturing Parenting Programs are a family-centered initiative designed to build nurturing parenting skills as an alternative to abusive and neglecting parenting and child-rearing practices. The ultimate objectives of the program are to: (1) Stop the intergenerational cycle of child abuse in families by building nurturing parenting skills, (2) reduce the rate of recidivism in families receiving social services, (3) reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency among high-risk youth, and (4) reduce the rate of alcohol abuse in high-risk families. It consists of a series of group-based programs, with the curricula changing depending on the age of the children of the participating parents. For more information, visit http://www.nurturingparenting.com/npp/index.php .
Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Programs (Prevent Child Abuse America)
Several programs to prevent shaken baby syndrome are offered by chapters of Prevent Child Abuse America, including: (1) S haken Baby Syndrome (SBS) 101, a program to educate parents, grandparents, child care providers, and the general public about the dangers of shaking infants, and about ways to console fussy babies, (2) Hospital Education Program for Maternity Services , a hospital-based program to train health care providers to teach parents how to safely care for their newborns, (3) School Based Curriculum on Shaken Baby Syndrome for Middle and High School Students, a curriculum for teachers to educate students about SBS, and (4) Dad’s 101 , a program for new and expectant fathers on how to safely care for newborns. For more information, visit http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=10 .
Parents Support Groups
Parent support groups can provide either primary or secondary prevention. One well-established support group is Parents Anonymous , Inc. This program is based on four guiding principles: parent leadership, mutual support, shared leadership, and personal growth. It is the oldest program in the United States dedicated to child abuse and neglect prevention. Although only a small number of studies have been conducted, research suggests that Parents Anonymous is a helpful approach to strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect. For more information, contact Parents Anonymous, Inc. at 909-621-6184 ( http://www.parentsanonymous.org/pahtml/paAbout.html ).
Circle of Parents
This is a parent support group that embraces cultural competence, focuses on participant empowerment, and accommodates a wide array of participant needs and problems experienced by caregivers of children. As of 2006, there were 28 state and regional Circle of Parents networks throughout the nation. For more information, visit http://www.parentsanonymous.org .
New Jersey Child Assault Prevention
This is a state-wide network of programs and facilitators who work with school personnel, parents, and students in preventing child assault and promoting personal safety. The project is a comprehensive primary prevention program available throughout the State of New Jersey. For more information, contact NJ CAP Regional Training Center at 856-582-7000 ( http://www.njcap.org/welcome.wbp ).
First Steps
This program, from Prevent Child Abuse-Georgia, targets all parents in the hospital after the birth of a child. The program provides: (1) initial face-to-face visits by trained service providers, (2) “Our Babies First Year Calendar,” which features growth and developmental milestones for infants, (3) follow-up telephone contact for a minimum of 3 months, (4) referral to a 24-hour parent “warm-line” for answers to parenting questions, (5) a community resource guide that can make parenting easier, (6) linkage to home visitation when appropriate and available, and (7) parenting information focusing on a variety of topics, including postpartum care, brain development, shaken baby syndrome, fatherhood, and sudden infant death syndrome. This program is notable for its cost effectiveness. Information is available from Prevent Child Abuse Georgia at 404-870-6565 ( http://www.preventchildabusega.org/html/firststeps.html ).
Parents Encouraging Parents
This program out of Grangeville, Idaho uses the Internet to provide online classes in which participants are able to hear lectures, view presentations, receive resource materials, and ask questions. The target audience includes all interested parents. The classes promote child abuse prevention by teaching parents how to provide appropriate discipline and positive parenting roles. For more information, contact Parents Encouraging Parents at 208-983-1620 ( http://www.parentingonline.org/ ).
Nurse-Family Partnership
This program was originally tested in Elmira, NY and has since been established Memphis, TN and Denver, CO. The model targets young, high-risk first-time mothers. Protocol-based visitation done by registered nurses begins in the prenatal period and continues through the second year of the child’s life. The program covers many aspects of child and family development. The program has been shown to be effective in decreasing the incidence of child physical abuse in families receiving the intervention. For more information, visit http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home .
Parenting Partnership
This is a home visitation program for families with medically fragile infants living in socially vulnerable families. Weekly home visits and monthly group meetings are used to help parents of medically fragile infants resolve their abuse histories; foster predictable, responsive care for their sick infant; ameliorate social isolation; and increase problem-solving skills. This program was designed by the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, WA. For more information, call 253-403-1478.
Healthy Families Arizona
This program targets mothers giving birth in specific geographical regions whose family characteristics might place them at risk for child abuse and neglect. Home visitation is the core service with linkage to health care systems, financial services, food and housing assistance services, childcare, job training, family support centers, substance abuse treatment programs, and much more. For more information, contact the Office of Prevention and Family Support, Arizona Department of Economic Security at 602-542-1563 ( http://www.healthyfamiliesarizona.org/ ).
Hui Makuakane
This program originated in Honolulu, HI and is aimed at engaging fathers in the lives of their children and supporting them as effective parents and positive role models. The program supports home visitors, crisis counseling, and family recreations programs. Information can be obtained by calling 808-841-2245.
Fussy Baby Program
This program is from Pontiac, MI and targets infants with “regulatory disorders” and problematic behaviors. It focuses on the behaviors and needs of these at-risk children as well as the resulting parental stress by identifying families in need of services. For more information, contact Oakland Family Services at 248-858-7215.
Nurturing Parents Program
This program works with parents of children at all ages. The groups are divided based on the age of the children (e.g., children 0-3 years, children 4-7 years, etc.). Parents learn appropriate expectations based on their children’s developmental level. They learn how to intervene with unwanted behaviors and foster wanted behaviors. They are also grouped with parents of similar children and have a support group. For more information, contact them at 1-800-688-5822 ( http://www.nurturingparenting.com/npp/index.php ).
Sacramento Crisis Nursery
This program targets at-risk families with children from birth to age 5. Its mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing support to families in crisis through residential respite care for children. All nursery services are geared toward supporting and strengthening the role of the parent as the primary caregiver and to provide a stable nurturing environment. For more information, call 916-679-3606 ( http://www.crisisnurseryonline.com/ ).
Today’s Single Parent
This program out of Chicago is noteworthy for targeting single parents and supporting them in their efforts to be nurturing parents. The program also incorporates domestic violence parenting programs. For more information, call 773-768-5055 ( http://todayssingleparent.com/301.html ).
Families and Centers Empowered Together (FACET)
This program in Wilmington, DE, seeks to develop and sustain an environment of family support and empowerment within child care centers in high-risk neighborhoods by providing a range of services onsite for families whose children are enrolled. The target population includes families in urban, high-risk, low-income areas. For more information, call 302-479-1659 ( http://www.familyandworkplace.org/providers/provider.facet.asp ).
Family Connections
This program out of Baltimore, MD is a community-based program that promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through family and community services, professional education and training, and research and evaluation. This program targets at-risk families with children ages 5 to 11. For more information, call 410-706-3637 ( http://www.family.umaryland.edu/ryc_best_practice_services/family_connections.htm ).
Circle of Security
This program out of Spokane, WA is targeted at Head Start/Early Head Start families. The program is a 20-week, group-based, parent educational and psychotherapeutic intervention designed to shift patterns of care-giving interactions in high-risk dyads to a more appropriate developmental pathway. For more information, call 509-455-7654 ( http://www.circleofsecurity.org/ ).
Plugged In
This is a program designed by PCA-V aimed at keeping children safe on the Internet. It helps adults better understand the risks and benefits of having technologically advanced children and adolescents. The program is intended for parents, professionals working with children, and concerned community members. This is a new program and data on its effectiveness are being collected, although initial data are promising. For more information, call 802-229-5724 ( http://www.pcavt.org/index.asp?pageid=602 ).
Technicool
This is a new initiative made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. The program addresses technology safety in Vermont for fourth to eighth graders, parents, and teachers. For more information, call 802-229-5724.
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