Recognizing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse
November 13, 2013
Huron Community Campus Center
Attend one session, 9-11am or 3-5pm
Sponsored by-Huron Regional Medical Center, Robin’s Nest Pediatrics, and Healthy Huron
Topics of Discussion:
· What is child abuse? - Basic information about what constitutes child sexual abuse
· Child sexual abuse in our community - stats and information about the prevalence within our community
· Recognizing and responding to child sexual abuse - Identifying the role of parents and professionals in recognizing, responding to, and reporting child abuse
· How to keep children safe: Discussion about how to best protect children from potential abuse and ways to talk to children about dangerous situations
The purpose of the training is to ensure that law enforcement, child protection, school counselors, community counselors, teachers, parents and other professionals working with children are all making a coordinated effort when responding to child sexual abuse. We cover how cases are typically reported and how they go through the investigation into the courtroom. We also discuss why many of these cases never make it into the legal system and ways we can help make the situation better for the child. Introduction to the types of offenders and how they operate in our communities will be discussed to ensure common stereotypes about "molesters" are addressed. The end of the presentation focuses on ways to keep children safe in potential unsafe situations. Research shows that elements such as the frequency of safety talks, using practice scenarios and visual cues have a significant impact on the effectiveness of these talks. We will discuss ways that include these elements to increase the impact when talking to our children about safety.
Who is Encouraged to Attend:
This training is appropriate for any person who has children or works with children. Our belief is anyone who has children or works with children will benefit from learning about the dynamics of abuse disclosure, what to say if a child discloses, how a case proceeds through the legal system, and how to best respond as part of the community.
Seminar Speaker:
Hollie J. Strand MFS currently works full time as an education and public awareness specialist/ forensic interviewer for the Child Advocacy Center of the Black Hills in Rapid City, South Dakota serving local, state, federal, and tribal jurisdictions. She received her BS degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Psychology from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, her MS in Agency Counseling from South Dakota State University and her MS in Forensic Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She worked in outpatient offender treatment programs as well as in correctional institutions, including the Inpatient Sex Offender Treatment Program (ISOP) at Lincoln Correctional Center’s maximum security prison. She was a member of the Sex Offender Management Team of Nevada and continues to sit on committees and MDTs committed to the protection of children, families and communities.
RSVP to rebekah.storm@k12.sd.us
