prevention & education
All prevention and education services from the Vermont Children's Alliance are free of charge! Training for caregivers and professionals can be virtual, hybrid, or in-person. Student education must be in person. All towns and counties can request prevention and education.
abuse prevention for kids
DIGITAL DANGERS
Teaching kids how to navigate gaming, chats, messaging, dangers of sending and reciving explicit or violent content, protect privacy, and resources for when they or a peer encounter trouble online!
caregiver education
Parents and caregivers have a unique opportunity to learn more about sexual abuse. If you've ever wondered about the following, this training may be for you:
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Who is abusing kids?
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How do they get away with it?
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How many kids are abused?
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What is happening to kids online?
prevention for professionals
Teachers, doctors, police, social services and advocates, attorneys, coaches, and anyone that works with kids: you need this.
A variety of choices, delivery methods, and resources available.
"It was nice to learn about things that are happening online with a chance to see what my classmates have been through and to ask questions from people who deal with this stuff."
Student, Age 12
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Child Abuse & Prevention Resources
Talking about abuse is one of the prevention steps that can and should be taken before there is a concern that a child is being sexually abused. Start early and talk often. By becoming educated about child sex abuse, you are already becoming a proactive and protective adult. Trust your gut. You may be the only one who can take action.
Studies show that in as many as nine out of ten cases, kids don’t tell anyone when they are being sexually abused. It’s up to adults to recognize behaviors that make kids vulnerable to sexual abuse.
If something makes you uncomfortable, speak up. Your voice is the first line of defense in keeping kids safe. Talk to family members and other adults about safeguarding children. Grooming allows offenders to slowly overcome natural boundaries long before sexual abuse occurs. On the surface, grooming a child can look like a close relationship between the offending adult, the targeted child and (potentially) the child’s caregivers. The grooming process is often misleading because the offender may be well-known or highly regarded in the community. As a result, it’s easy to trust them.
When we talk to children in age appropriate ways about our bodies, sex, and boundaries, children understand what healthy relationships look like. Let them know if ANYONE makes them feel uncomfortable, whether it’s a family member, friend, or youth worker, they can come to you any time. It also teaches them that they have the right to say “no.” They become less vulnerable to people who would violate their boundaries, and are more likely to tell you if abuse occurs.
Learn more about grooming and red flags here.
reading list
Yes, Your Kid
By Debby Herbenick (Author), Susan C. Stone Kristina W. Supler
An extensive review of everything parents need to know to help navigate conversations and situations that their kids may experience in person and online. Includes tips for talking with them, setting the stage for them to share information, how to be on the same team (albeit, the captain) so that the focus is on communication and connection and punishment or consequences are less relevant. From the publisher: BenBella Books Parents of teenagers and young adults have enormous catching up to do to understand how sexting, internet porn, TikTok, and more have shaped sex for young people. Too often, parents wear blinders when it comes to the sex lives of their children. They hear the statistics—how 80% of college students have engaged in rough sex or how one in four teens have sent or received a sext—and think, “Not my kid.” Yes, Your Kid is the reality check parents need about what sex is like today—so they can better educate and support their tweens, teens, and college students. Combining insights from cutting-edge research, conversations with real students, and on-the-ground legal experience, Yes, Your Kid provides: -An overview of key topics in sexuality, from communication and consent to pornography and rough sex, describing how things have changed -Real-world legal stories illustrating today’s consensual sex pitfalls and clear tips for how to help your child avoid them -Age-appropriate tools to talk with tweens and teens about bodies, puberty, technology, birth control, and consent -Concrete advice parents can share directly with their children so that—if and when their children become sexually active with partners—they are more likely to have safer, consensual sex -Inclusive sexuality education tips for parents of young people on the autism spectrum Authoritative, supportive, sex-positive, and facts-forward, Yes, Your Kid provides parents with the frank, accurate information they and their children need to safely navigate today’s sexual landscape.
What do I do now?
A Survival Guide for Mothers of
Sexually Abused Children
by Leona Puma
The Survival Guide is especially for mothers of sexually abused children (MOSAC). The Guide provides practical answers, offers guidance through the post-disclosure crisis, assists mothers in understanding themselves and their child, presents options for effectively navigating the very difficult path on which a mother finds herself, and offers sensible strategies for communicating belief, support and protection and moving towards recovery and resilience. Eight chapters address mothers' feelings, child sexual abuse information, effects of disclosure, reporting and the legal system dealing with especially difficult situations, emotional support, safety strategies, and healing and recovery. The Appendix includes education, prevention, intervention, legal and reporting resources, and selected books and films.
Willful BlindnesS
by Margaret Heffernan
While this book covers an array of topics that humans willfully ignore, I selected it for its stunning view into child sexual abuse and why our culture refuses to acknowledge that it’s essentially a norm - our children should expect to be sexually abused and to know many people that will. Yet, people are still so ‘stunned’ and ‘surprised’ when the reality is, non-contact and contact sexual abuse are happening to more kids than not. From the description: In her latest book, Heffernan argues that the biggest threats and dangers we face are the ones we don't see - not because they're secret or invisible, but because we're willfully blind. She examines the phenomenon and traces its imprint in our private and working lives, and within governments and organizations, and asks: What makes us prefer ignorance? What are we so afraid of? Why do some people see more than others? And how can we change?
Below are some helpful links to resources for child abuse and prevention
National Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Prevent Child Abuse America
Healthy Families America
Stop It Now!
National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds
National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Darkness to Light
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA)
Prevention Institute
National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont