Child Sex Abuse Prevention Training | Circles of Safety

Sexual abuse prevention and safety training for youth-serving organizations and caregiving adults

Child sex abuse is not inevitable; it is preventable.

Circles of Safety (CoS) is Stop It Now!’s signature training series. Using our research-backed method, these trainings teach adults how to prevent child sexual abuse in youth-serving environments, such as schools, foster care programs, after-school programs, camps, daycares, and homes. Our child sex abuse prevention training takes a variety of forms to best meet adults’ needs and children’s safety. 

For over 30 years, Stop It Now! has provided a skill-based, confidence-raising, and action-planning educational experience using our unique approach. This is not a reactive training about responding to abuse that has already happened; this is an educational session on actively keeping children safe wherever they learn, play and grow.

Why is child sex abuse prevention training important?

Over 20% of children [1] in the United States experience child sexual abuse, including online abuse. In over 70% of child sexual abuse cases, the child is harmed by another child or teen. [2] The impact of child sexual abuse can be physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral and will often affect victims for their entire lives as they experience higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, heart disease, toxic stress and other long-term negative health impacts.

But we can keep children safer! By learning how to decrease risks in children’s lives, while strengthening their relationships and environment, children can grow up free from sexual harm. When parents and youth serving professionals are given information and tools to prevent child abuse, they are better able — and more willing — to speak up and take protective steps.

Intended Training Audience

Now! knows that adults need to be accountable for keeping children safe — adults are the ones who can make changes in environments to make them safer. Circles of Safety trainings are appropriate for:

  • Parents
  • Professional early childhood education and care providers
  • Foster parent, residential, and in-home support professionals
  • Treatment providers
  • Community safety and parenting educators
  • Teachers
  • Youth programs and camps
  • Any group of adults interested in learning what they can do to keep children safe from sexual harm

Circles of Safety Training Options

Talking about child sexual abuse is difficult for many people. Circles of Safety trainings, using the most recent data on child sexual abuse prevention, help make it easier, preparing adults to feel confident and prepared to take actions that keep children safe and create protective, healthy, and nurturing environments. Our trainings teach adults how to prevent child abuse by giving them new information, skills to have conversations with other adults about the importance of protective actions, and outlining clear procedures, such as establishing safety plans, that can protect children. Additionally, our courses prevent children, youth, and adults from sexually harming in their communities.

Live Virtual Child Sex Abuse Prevention Trainings

Our Live Virtual Trainings provide professional caregivers and youth-serving organizations with the tools, support, and knowledge to create safer environments for both the children and families they serve, as well as for their staff and programs. From workshops to multi-day courses, our trainings can range from a general community introduction, to child sex abuse prevention, to highly customized and specialized experiences.

Self-Paced Training Videos

A collection of on-demand, self-paced videos created to help adults foster safe and supportive environments for children. This collection of courses is accessible through our virtual training platform - a robust and enganging site that makes it easy for you to learn essential knowledge about protecting children at your own pace within the privacy of your own home.

Tailored Trainings

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We highly recommend you sign up for our Newsletter then. We regularly share news about our child sexual abuse prevention trainings as well as updates about our organization, other organizations in the field, and new resources.

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References

[1] Finkelhor D, Turner H, Colburn D. The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added. Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Mar;149:106634. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106634. Epub 2024 Jan 15. PMID: 38227986.

[2] Gewirtz-Meydan, A., & Finkelhor, D. (2020). Sexual Abuse and Assault in a Large National Sample of Children and Adolescents. Child Maltreatment, 25(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519873975