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Abuse Prevention Information |
| The Greater Lakes Child Advocacy Center believes that a child’s safety is an adult responsibility. We can give our children important information about safety, but more importantly, we need to be constantly alert ourselves to any potential danger in our children’s environment. We plan for danger posed by cars, fire and poisonous chemicals, but we seldom plan for the physical danger posed to our children by someone they know.
The incidence of child abuse, especially child sexual abuse, is higher than any of us would like to believe. Child abuse is in every community. It does not recognize geography, or socio-economic status, or race, or gender. It is here in our community. We can’t ignore it, minimize it, or believe that it only happens to someone else’s children. As adults every one of us has a duty to protect children, whether they are our children, the neighbor’s children, or children in the next town over. The Greater Lakes Child Advocacy Center hopes to be a resource for child abuse prevention information, and a community partner in trying to ensure the safety of all our children. We have copies of a free pamphlet, “Talking with your child about BODY SAFETY,” produced by the New Hampshire Network of Child Advocacy Centers. For copies, please contact the Center (603)524-5497, or the Network office, at (603)422-8253. Stewards of Children The Greater Lakes Child Advocacy Center (GLCAC) is pleased to announce an important new prevention program in Belknap County: Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children Sexual Abuse Prevention Program. This program takes a direct and comprehensive approach to the problem of sexual abuse within youth-serving organizations. A compelling video, the core of the curriculum, includes the stories of several courageous individuals who were victims of sexual abuse as children and who have contributed a great deal of time and effort as adults toward ending the cycle of abuse. Statistics suggest that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18. Ninety percent of children who are sexually abused are violated by someone they know and trust. This includes youth leaders of all types: teachers, coaches, ministers, mentors, counselors, and parents. This program is ideal for the training of staff and volunteers in youth-serving organizations; it is also appropriate for the parents of children served by these organizations. The Greater Lakes Child Advocacy Center has 2 authorized facilitators, who have been fully equipped to implement this program. The facilitators will lead a 3 hour training session, which includes a discussion of the information presented in the video. Each participant also receives two pieces of curriculum, a workbook and Darkness to Light's 7 Steps to Protecting our Children. Our facilitators are also able to guide your organization through the development of sexual abuse prevention policies and procedures. Both the training, and the policies and procedures are important steps toward creating environments that are safe for children. The 3 hour training session is tuition free and has the flexibility to be held at the GLCAC or travel to organizations for onsite training. For more information or to schedule training please contact us at 524-5497. For more information on child abuse prevention, visit the following websites:
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