Child Abuse Prevention and Training

As part of our commitment to the safety, protection and well-being of kids, The Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children offers education and training to healthcare professionals, educators, parents and others. Our programming is offered both live and on demand. Our regular webinars, trainings and programs for professionals include:

• Child Protection Webinar Series :
  This online training series features monthly webinars on a variety of topics related to child safety and protection designed to keep professionals and caregivers up to date on legislation and research developments in child abuse, health and trauma. While certain trainings may cater to a specific field, such as healthcare or social work, all webinars are applicable to a variety of audiences, including parents and other caregivers. Sign up for the Child Protection webinar series.
• Child Sex Trafficking Webinar Series:
  These live and on-demand, online webinars introduce topics related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), from providing medical care to serving survivors. Sign up for live and on-demand CSEC webinars.
• Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse:
  Offered upon request both virtually and in person, this training may be tailored to a variety of professions and settings to help youth-serving professionals understand best practices for recognizing suspicions of child abuse and identifying how to effectively report and respond. This training is updated every year to cover changes in legislation pertinent to youth-serving professionals. Therefore, our child protection experts recommend participating in the training annually. Register for the on-demand training or email cpctraining@choa.org to request a training specific to your audience.
• Introduction to Child Sex Trafficking:
  Offered upon request, this training can be tailored to specific disciplines, such as first responders, school staff, law enforcement and healthcare providers. To request this program for your organization, contact cpctraining@choa.org.
• Period of Purple Crying:
  Until a baby is about 5 months old, the baby goes through a stage of development that the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome calls The Period of PURPLE Crying. Any organization that serves parents of newborns or infants is primed to share this information to prevent the occurrence of abusive head trauma (also known as shaken baby syndrome). To discuss implementing this program in your practice or agency, contact cpctraining@choa.org.
• Caring Hands Kind Words Program:
  Parents and families you serve may have questions about discipline and punishment. Research shows that children of parents who use physical punishment (also known as corporal punishment or spanking) are more likely to suffer from a variety of health concerns, such as reduced gray matter in the brain and mental health problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also released a statement discouraging the use of corporal punishment. For more information on positive parenting and making your organization a Caring Hands Kind Words facility where physical hitting is not allowed, contact cpctraining@choa.org.
• Partnerships for Healthy Communities:
  Developed through a partnership with a team of state agencies and first-responder leaders, this program is a train-the-trainer model intended to be brought back to various disciplines and offices, such as law enforcement, paramedics, hospital personnel and child protective services, to create a multidisciplinary team response to child abuse and neglect, with a specific focus on physical abuse. To request this program for your agency, contact cpctraining@choa.org.

Many of our resources are available to parents and other adults outside the field of child protection. We offer the following trainings and webinars for individuals and organizations in our community:

• Protecting Youth in a Modern World: The Intersection of Social Media, Technology and Victimization: This presentation is an overview of the developments in social media and the internet that are of particular interest to parents and those who care for youth to better understand how to set safe boundaries and prevent victimization and other harm that may result from unsafe internet use. For more information about this program, contact cpctraining@choa.org.

Additional resources for parents:

• Body safety
• Social media safety
• Healthy sexual development by age
• Recommended reading list for talking to children about difficult topics
• Preventing Abuse of Kids and Teens

The Center for Safe and Healthy Children also offers in-person programming for teens and kids on how to stay safe both online and out in the world. Some of our trainings include:

• Safety on Social Media: This presentation centers on a discussion with youth about conducting oneself responsibly online and safety planning for potential risky situations that could arise on social media, either in their own lives or in the lives of their peers. To request a private training event for your school or youth organization, contact cpctraining@choa.org.
• Not a #Number: Child Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Curriculum: Prevention specialists are certified facilitators in the Not a #Number curriculum, developed by human rights organization Love146. This curriculum is delivered over five 60-minute modules for youth and discusses ways to identify vulnerabilities and discuss topics such as consent, healthy relationships, online safety and risky behaviors. Curriculum adaptations may be available for shorter class times.
• Learn more about the training
• To request a private training event for your school or youth organization, contact cpctraining@choa.org.