Darkness to Light's*, Stewards of Children, is a nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and targets adult caregivers, teachers, and others entrusted with caring for children in organizations that serve children and youth, such as schools, day camps, and churches. The program specifically targets the development and adoption of policies ensuring a child-safe environment, including the importance of screening staff/volunteers who work with children and adolescents, the importance of a well conceived one-adult/one-child policy, acting responsibly to incidences of child sexual abuse, and the proactive role youth-serving organizations need to take to protect children and educate their communities about child sexual abuse.

In this 2.5 hours workshop, you will:

• Receive the 7 steps to protecting all children from sex abuse
  
  
• Hear real stories from survivors
  
  
• Learn to identity the signs of sex abuse
  
  
• Learn how to talk to a child who discloses sex abuse to you
  
  
• Get the tools to take into your community that will stop this epidemic
  
  
• Turn outrage into ACTION
  
  
• For every one adult trained, 10 children will not be sexually abused

7 Steps to Protecting our Children - A Guide for Responsible Adults

Step 1: Learn the facts:
Realities-not trust-should influence your decisions regarding your child.

Step 2: Minimize Opportunity
If you eliminate or reduce one-adult/one-child situations, you'll dramatically lower the risk of sexual abuse for your child.

Step 3: Talk about it
Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by talking openly about it

Step 4: Talk about it
Don't expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. Step 5: Make a Plan
Learn where to go, who to call and how to react.

Step 6: Act on Suspicions
The future well being of a child is at stake.

Step 7: Get Involved
Volunteer and financially support organizations that fight the tragedy of child abuse.

For more information about this program or to schedule a speaker for your group, please call the Children’s Advocacy Center at (903) 533-1880 or email us at Brenda@cacsmithcounty.org.

*Darkness to Light is a non-profit organization based out of Charleston, SC with a mission to eliminate child sexual abuse.