1. Agency of Human Services

2. Act One first known as S.13 Summer 2008 arrest of Michael Jaques for sexual assault and murder of Brooke February 27, 2009, the Senate and House passed S.13 - AN ACT RELATING TO IMPROVING VERMONT’S SEXUAL ABUSE RESPONSE SYSTEM. Signed into law on March 17, 2009. Agency of Human Services

3. Act One Purpose Increase child sexual abuse prevention efforts, Enhance investigations and prosecutions of child sexual abuse, Provide sentencing courts with the information necessary to devise appropriate sentences for sex offenders, Improve supervision of sex offenders. Agency of Human Services

4. 2009 VT Youth Risk Behavior Survey Representative sample of 11,427 Vermont high school and middle school students, selected from 20 high schools of varying sizes, along with their 25 associated middle schools Overall, 7% of students have been physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend during the past year. Of all students, 11% have been touched against their wishes or forced to touch someone else, and 5% have been forced to have sexual intercourse. Females were significantly more likely to report these issues than males. Agency of Human Services

5. From 2009 Child Abuse & Neglect in Vermont

8. 3 Major Prevention Components School prevention component for students Orientation for staff at schools and licensed child care centers Public outreach campaign Agency of Human Services

9. Prevention Curriculum Schools had to expand the definition of comprehensive health education to include learning specific to recognizing and preventing child sexual abuse and violence. Dept of Ed (DOE) and Dept for Children and Families (DCF) were mandated to prepare technical assistance materials. Agency of Human Services

10. Furthermore…… The effort was led by the Sexual Violence Prevention Task Force and included DOE, DCF and all other relevant parties Materials were available by July, 2010 Schools will develop a plan by July, 2011 and begin their implementation during that school year Agency of Human Services

11. Outcome Technical Assistance Resource Guide (TARG) is available on the DOE website www.education.vermont.gov www.education.vermont.gov DOE and DCF are facilitating regional work meetings between school personnel and community prevention partners DOE, DCF & SVPTF present at conferences Agency of Human Services

12. Child Sexual Abuse Orientation Act One charges school boards and licensed child care facilities with ensuring their employees receive orientation on the prevention, identification, and reporting of child sexual abuse. They must also provide the same information to parents, upon request Agency of Human Services

13. And…… It also charges DOE and AHS with providing materials and technical support to any school board that requests assistance. Agency of Human Services

14. Outcome Led by DCF and DOE, the CSA Orientation Workgroup entered into an agreement with the Canadian Center for Child Protection to purchase 1,600 copies of their Commit to Kids program (on CD). The agreement included revising the workbook to include Vermont-specific information and branding-including reporting procedures. Agency of Human Services

15. Canadian Center for Child Protection

16. Commit to Kids Program C2K Prevention Packets sent to:  350 Public & Private Schools  600 Licensed Child Care Facilities  12 DCF Family Service District Offices  12 Children’s Advocacy Centers  12 Network Organizations  Prevent Child Abuse Vermont  DCF continues to mail out on request Agency of Human Services

17. Commit to Kids DVD  Step-by-Step Program Workbook: Helping Organizations Prevent Child Sexual Abuse  35-minute Training Video  Reproducible forms and templates  Mailed with all Step Up Prevention Materials  Child Development Division contracted PCAVT to assist child cares in implementation Agency of Human Services

18. Community Outreach Plan Act One charged the Agency of Human Services to work with appropriate groups to raise community awareness about child sexual abuse and to create and implement a community outreach plan. The Community Outreach Workgroup submitted their plan to the Vermont Legislature on November 15, 2009. Agency of Human Services

19. Step Up Outreach Plan Prevention Website Radio & TV PSAs Prevention Poster & Rack Card Step Up Prevention Guide Media Training Community Coalition Building Agency of Human Services

20. The Prevention Website  protectkids.vt.gov was launched on April 6 th, 2010 in a press event with the Vermont Governor protectkids.vt.gov  The website includes education, tips on how to talk about “it”, statistics and resources Agency of Human Services

21. The web also includes: Information about risk and protective factors for individuals, families and communities A printable template for creating a child specific safety plan A downloadable Step Up Prevention Guide, rack card and poster Agency of Human Services

22. Television & Radio PSAs Ads ran on radio & TV statewide for six weeks: May & June, 2010 and again in April 2011 Radio & TV stations all agreed to place the STEP UP logo & a link to the protectkids.vt.gov website on their websites Agency of Human Services

23. Next Steps: Continued facilitation of regional meetings Continued fostering of prevention coalitions Media Education Evaluation Plan Agency of Human Services

24. What Have the Challenges Been? Complicated legislation – Many parts and many players Agreement on “best practices” Keeping media and political profile high New idea to frame as a public health issue Agency of Human Services

25. And Besides……. The target audience was broad Best practice is finally moving from teaching kids to protect themselves to adults needing to be responsible – paradigm change! Who is in charge here? Agency of Human Services

26. The biggest challenges? People don’t like this topic! Social change is hard! Agency of Human Services

28. The Solution Collaborate, Facilitate, Communicate Agency of Human Services

29. Priscilla White Center for Prevention & Treatment of Sexual Abuse VT Department for Children and Families Waterbury, VT Priscilla.White@ahs.state.vt.us@ahs.state.vt.us 802-241-2146 Agency of Human Services