Texas Association of Student Councils

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Texas Association of Student Councils

• Child Abuse Prevention Training

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Why this training is important

• Child abuse has become a nationwide issue since
  about the 1980s.
• Schools, camps, churches and other youth
  organizations have come under intense scrutiny.
• We must be sensitive and well-informed to avoid
  potential difficulties in this area and for the
  well-being of the young people entrusted to our
  care.

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A Team Effort

• It is not just the responsibility of the Workshop
  Director to prevent child abuse.
• Preventing child abuse is a team effort.
• Every employee at a TASC workshop is required to
  take this course and pass the test with 70
  accuracy.

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Definition of Child Abuse

• Child abuse is any experience during childhood or
  adolescence that involves inappropriate sexual
  attention from another person.
• This person is usually an adult but can also be
  an older child or a teenager.
• Child sexual abuse is not solely restricted to
  _________ contact.

physical
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Effects of Child Abuse

• Difficulty in forming long term relationships.
• Sexual risk-taking
• Physical complaints and physical symptoms
• Depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide
• Links to failure of the immune system and to
  increases in illnesses.

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Signs of sexual abuse

• Fear of a parent or fear of the perpetrator
• Withdrawn or isolated
• Overly compliant or cooperative when that is not
  their usual behavior
• Sexually precocious, which is being involved in
  play that is intrusive or inappropriate

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Signs of sexual abuse

• As we discuss the signs of abuse, its important
  to note that very few of these findings are
  totally specific for abuse. That means that we
  can see these signs in a child who is not being
  abused. The converse is also true. A child can
  be a victim of abuse and show no outward signs.
• Dr. Janet Squires
• Childrens Medical Center of Dallas

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Characteristics of a child molester

• A child is more likely to be abused by somebody
  that they know or someone in their family than
  they are by a stranger.
• About ___ of all sexual abuse of children occurs
  at the hands of older children, primarily
  adolescence.

1/3
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Strategies of Abusers
seduction
trickery
force

• Molesters tend to use three basic strategies
  ________, _______ and _____ all wrapped in
  secrecy.

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Strategies of Abusers

• There is usually little a child can do to resist
  force, which is a very infrequent act of abuse.
• The molester may attempt to use bribery by giving
  gifts or other favors to the interested child.
• The abuser may try to shift the blame to the
  child by telling them it is their fault the
  molestation took place.

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Strategies of Abusers

• Other ways that abusers maintain secrecy during
  abusive relationships are
• Embarrassment
• Displaced Responsibility (similar to blame)
• Loss of Affection (98 of the time the molester
  is a wonderful person in the childs life and the
  child values that relationship in spite of the
  abuse.)
• Threaten the child or someone in their family

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Abusive feelings and normal curiosity

• Adolescence can be very sexually confusing. But
  if were talking about something sexual between
  somebody who is older and someone who is younger
  by even a couple of years, we are getting into
  the realm of things that can be abuse.
• David Finkelhor
• University of New Hamphshire

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On-Site Protection and Prevention

• These policies are primarily for the protection
  of the students however, they also serve to
  protect the adult leaders from false accusations
  of abuse.

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Protection and Prevention Policies

• Avoid one-on-one contact.
• Adult to workshop participant
• Student to student
• Respect student privacy.
• Use constructive discipline. Corporal punishment
  is never a proper form of discipline.
• Any type of hazing is prohibited.
• Participants are responsible for proper behavior.

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Responding to Abuse

• If a child discloses abuse to you
• The most important thing you can do is listen.

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Responding to Abuse

1. You should believe the child.
2. You should affirm the child.
3. You should protect the child.
4. You should refer the child.

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Reporting Abuse

• For reporting child abuse, all the state requires
  is that you have reasonable suspicion that abuse
  has occurred.
• If the suspected abuse occurs at the workshop,
  the suspected abuse must be reported to the Texas
  Department of Health Human Services.

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Reporting Abuse

• If a person, including any member of the TASC
  staff or a advisor at workshop has cause to
  believe that a minor has been or may have been
  abused or neglected at the workshop, then that
  person shall immediately make a report, in
  accordance with Family code, ?261.101(a) to the
  Health and Human Services Commission Office Or
  Inspector General, as required by Family Code,
  ?261.103. To make an online report, to
  https//oig.hhsc.state.tx.us/Fraud_Report?Home.asp
  x.

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Reporting Abuse

• A report intake form, entitled HHSE Office of
  Internal Affairs Texas Youth Camp Waste, Abuse
  and Fraud Referral Form may be faxed to the
  Office of Inspector General, Internal Affairs
  (512-833-6493. A report shall be made to the
  Health and Human Services Commission Office of
  Inspector General and may be made to a local or
  state law enforcement agency or other agency
  listed in Family Code, ?261.103.

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Reporting Abuse

• If a child discloses abuse to you, contact the
  Workshop Director immediately. The Director will
  contact the following people
• The TASC Director
• The TASC Director will immediately contact the
  hometown advisor, the hometown principal, the
  parents, and the Workshop Consultant.

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Reporting Abuse

• If there is cause to believe that a minor has
  been or may have been abused or neglected as
  defined in the Family Code, Chapter 261 and the
  abuse or neglect did not occur at the workshop,
  then that person shall immediately make a report
  to the Department of Family and Protective
  Services Abuse Hotline.

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Reporting Abuse

• The Department of Family and Protective Services
  may be contacted at 800-2525400 or through the
  secure web site http//www.txabusehotlineorg/.
• If there is a concern that the child will be in
  immediate danger should he/she return home, then
  local law enforcement should be called.

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Reporting Abuse

• In the case of abuse which occurred outside the
  workshop, the person to whom it was reported is
  the outcry witness. The outcry witness must make
  the report.
• The Workshop Director and the TASC Director
  should be informed that a report was made.

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Do Not Investigate

• TASC staff members should not investigate claims.
  Their duty is to believe, support, and refer the
  child to the proper authorities.