Educators may be the single most important group in the prevention and recognition of child sexual abuse.
Not only do they see and work with large numbers of children every day, but children who disclose abuse often tell a teacher. In fact, educators are the source of over half of the abuse reports made by professionals to the authorities.
How can we let sexual abuse happen to our community’s children when there are effective and inexpensive strategies for both prevention and intervention?
Training for educators, combined with proactive policies and procedures for schools, protects children. A survey of educators taking D2L’s Stewards of Children® child sexual abuse prevention program clearly demonstrates the importance of educator training.
Prior to training, less than two-thirds of educators felt they were adequately prepared to address child sexual abuse issues if confronted with them.
As a result of the training, educators’ knowledge of preventive behavior and mandated reporting increased greatly. They felt better equipped to actively prevent child sexual abuse, and to respond to suspicions or discovery of abuse.
Child sexual abuse training for educators is not complicated or expensive. Most importantly, the skills and knowledge that educators acquire through training can protect the present and future for generations of children.
The bottom line? Teachers need training.
This is the second post of a two-part series on the need for child sexual abuse prevention training for educators. View the first.
For more information on preventing child sexual abuse in your community, visit The 5 Steps to Protecting Our ChildrenTM, or take D2L’s award-winning Stewards of Children® prevention training.
