April is Child Abuse Prevention Month! This is an excellent time of year to remember what you can do to help prevent children from experiencing the type of violence referred to as child abuse. Child abuse includes physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect. These topics are covered in depth in the Illinois Mandated Reporter Online training as well as ChicagoCAC’s Keeping Children Safe professional development session, which you can request to have offered to your workplace by filling out the link at www.chicagocac.org/request. But there are also simple things that everyone can do when they relate to the children, teens, and other youth in their lives to help model preventive behaviors and stop child abuse before it starts.
For Individuals
Preventing sexual abuse is:
- Asking for permission if you need to touch a child, reinforcing that they are in charge of their bodies
- Respecting children’s right to say “no” to touch and to speak up when they are uncomfortable
- Maintaining open communication
- Parents/caregivers: using the correct names for private body parts and talking to children about sexual development
- Professionals: working with children one-on-one in open spaces that are visible to others
Remember to:
- Model preventative behaviors in your everyday interactions
- Establish and monitor age-appropriate guidelines around privacy, consent and boundaries for children and adults
- Take the time to learn about both what the warning signs of child sexual abuse might be but also what primary prevention looks like! Find a training near you or read our Keeping My Family Safe workbooks for more information.
For Workplaces
Here are ChicagoCAC’s tips and suggestions for a trauma-informed environment in a workplace serving children and families. We hope that careful consideration of these tips and how to incorporate them within a youth-serving organization can lead to positive interactions that model safe and healthy relationships – an essential component of primary prevention of child abuse.
- Consider physical space. Will people feel welcome here? What small changes could easily be made to make the space more comfortable?
- Model and exhibit good personal boundaries. Ask before shaking a hand or going in for a hug, especially while people may have varying levels of comfort amidst the pandemic.
- Stay brief and simple and don’t over-complicate things.
- Slow down and take a breath. Sometimes people just need a little more time.
- Connect before you direct. Don’t just begin to “order” people around. Tell them in a calm, friendly way what your name is, what your role is and that you are glad to meet them.
- Promote acceptance of where people are at. We can communicate non-judgement through words, body language and our tone.
- Ask if a person has any questions. Be aware of their body language and know that they may be feeling anxious, angry, tired or all three!
- Work to remember a person’s name. Talk with them on the same eye level when possible. If they are sitting, sit with them. If they are a child, go down to their eye level.
- Transitions and change can be hard for people who have experienced trauma. Keep this in mind and find ways to provide more support around these times.
- Empathetic responses are better than giving advice and interrupting. Ex: “That sounds like it was really hard for you” or “I’m so sorry that happened. Thanks for sharing. How can I help?”
- Listen. Use your own silence & pauses thoughtfully as a tool to empower the person you are working with to share.
- Remember your role. If someone needs support that you aren’t trained to give them, seek out assistance or a referral.
- When asked a question, it is OK to say, “I don’t know, but let me ask someone who might.”
- Give choices when possible. Remember, many people feel a lack of control, so the more sense of control you can offer, the better.
- Simmer down before talking. Other people sense when you are stressed out or frustrated. Take a brief time-out, a few deep breaths and settle down before you interact (see reverse side of this page).
- Know the policy and procedure specific to your program regarding crisis intervention if a situation escalates.
- Communicate and collaborate. Consult with a supervisor or manager when in doubt.
- Seek out support to process difficult situations. Take time away if you need it.