With the commitment from Superintendent Dewey Moye and the hard work of school facilitators Joni McElwaney (school social worker), Matt Cole (school counselor), Susan Burrell (principal), Betsy Green (teacher), Windy Bottoms (assistant principal), and Sharon Head (principal), by the end of August 2011 they will have trained the over 450 employees, including all non-certified staff.
"All of us in Lumpkin County realize the importance of reducing the incidence and prevalence rates of child sexual abuse," Moye said. "Not only does it affect the child being abused, it affects the families, the communities, and society at large. Employees of our school system, no matter their role, need to be adequately trained to know the warning signs and the correct processes of intervention with our children. This is the first step to fighting a larger cause."
Recent research has shown that over 50% of all identified incidents of child abuse are documented by school personnel. Despite this, only one-third of educators have ever received specific training in child sexual abuse in either their teacher preparation coursework or in their professional careers. Additionally, 24% of educators have never even been given any guidelines on their state's mandated reporting laws and procedures. These statistics simply underscore the importance of what the Lumpkin County School System is doing.
The Lumpkin County School district is one of a handful across the country and the first in the state of Georgia to provide child sexual abuse training to 100% of its educators.
What the Lumpkin County School System has done is part of a county-wide effort to train 5% of all adults in Lumpkin County in the Stewards of Children program.
It is being led by Brenda Cronan and the Family Connection Network. The county is well on its way in reaching the 5% goal which will make them the first county in the state to accomplish this goal and help the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy reach its goal of one million Georgians trained.
The Lumpkin County efforts are part of an even larger statewide initiative led by the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy to help Georgia's children grow up healthy and whole by empowering adults to prevent the sexual abuse of children. Through proper training, reducing rates of child sexual abuse can be a reality.
Tiffany Sawyer, Director of Prevention for Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, adds, "We hope that Lumpkin County will be a shining example and motivator to all school systems across Georgia and throughout the United States in training 100% of staff in child sexual abuse prevention." Other school systems working toward this goal are Atlanta Public Schools and Bibb County School System.
Stewards of Children is a three-hour, video-based workshop designed to educate adults on how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. Stewards of Children emphasizes child safety as an adult's responsibility. Trainings are offered to and appropriate for any adult who serves children and specifically parents, coaches, camp counselors, youth-serving organization staff, educators and other school personnel, and faith-based organizations. Each participant is inspired to take personal responsibility in preventing this epidemic.
According to the Child Maltreatment Report 2009 from the Children's Bureau nationally:
·True prevalence rates of child sexual abuse are not known because a majority of victims do not report their abuse.
·Approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18.
·The population under 18 years in Lumpkin County is 7,069. According to the statistics, approximately 1,414 of these children will experience sexual abuse.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/4/237740