April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Center for Hope, in partnership with The Family Tree, will host events and activities all month long to raise awareness for this important issue. Read on to learn how you can get involved and help protect Baltimore’s children.
TOWN HALL
On April 10, from 6 – 7:30 p.m., The Family Tree and Center for Hope will host a panel discussion focusing on the current impact of child abuse and neglect to include community, professionals, educators, legislators, policy makers, investigative researchers, educators and spiritual perspectives. Attendees will also participate in break out groups to develop strategies to help raise awareness and decrease child maltreatment throughout Maryland. Seats are limited. Registration is required. For more information and to sign up visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/reducingchildabuseandneglect
TRAININGS
Also in April, Center for Hope will be hosting a series of online trainings through the Online Training Institute designed for professionals, youth-serving organizations, caregivers and community members who want to improve their skills to promote the safety and well-being of children, youth and adults. The site offers four online training modules that are self-paced and there is no time limit. Participants are invited to take their time, view the videos and browse through the optional resources as they learn. There is also quick access to information about responding to and reporting child abuse or neglect, vulnerable adult abuse, and sexual assault. Training is $25 per module per person, but for the month of April use promo code CAPM2024 to take the trainings for free (you will still enter payment information but your card will not be charged). For more information, please contact CFHtraining@lifebridgehealth.org.
Mandated Reporting:
This training addresses the importance of understanding healthy boundaries with children and youth as well as reporting suspected child abuse or neglect. Participants will learn about the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, relevant state laws and how to respond to and report suspected child abuse or neglect. We will also explore the long-term impact of abuse on children.
Vicarious Trauma & Building Resiliency:
This training addresses the emotional, mental and physical toll that is often imposed on those in helping professions. Professionals will learn how to identify and define vicarious trauma, and more importantly will learn how to strengthen themselves and their organizations against compassion fatigue and burnout. Participants will also learn how to incorporate resiliency into their everyday personal and professional lives. All the work that helping professionals do carries some amount of exposure to trauma and traumatic material. This training is about helping professionals stay resilient so they may continue to serve others.
ACEs:
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can affect a person’s life and well-being. ACEs can have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. The 10 common ACEs relating to child abuse, neglect and household dysfunction have remarkably been proven to have costly detrimental outcomes as children become adults. There are additional ACEs specific to the experience of children of color and children who live in urban environments. Participants will learn about the history and prevalence of ACEs, and the long term impact of ACES. Also, participants will learn about protective factors and the importance of resiliency.
WEBINARS
Center for Hope will also be hosting a variety of webinars in April (contact CFHtraining@lifebridgehealth.org for more information). These include:
April 11, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The 3 R’s of Child Abuse Prevention: Recognizing, Responding, and Reporting: Recognizing, Responding, and Reporting
Adults must establish and respect healthy boundaries with youth. This training will explore the relationship dynamics between adults and youth and the importance of creating and maintaining healthy relationships and appropriate boundaries with youth. The signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect as well as how to respond to and report suspected child abuse will be discussed. Register here: https://bit.ly/April11ChildAbusePrevention
April 25, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Healthy Relationships with Youth
Parents, caregivers, and other adults in youth’s lives must understand the importance of healthy relationships and appropriate boundaries between adults and youth. Each of us is responsible for the safety of youth. This training will help you understand the needs and risks of youth today and how to work proactively to promote healthy relationships between adults and youth that are safe, stable, and nurturing. Youth who have healthy relationships with adults are more likely to stand up for themselves, ask for help, and avoid relationships or situations that are not healthy for them. Register here: https://bit.ly/April17OvercomingBarrierstoChildProtection
April 17, 2024, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Overcoming Institutional Barrier to Child Protection
This training will identify institutional obstacles that hinder adoption of child protection training and creation of child protection policies and procedures and how these can be overcome. Participants will learn how other youth-serving organizations overcame institutional obstacles and how to create a culture of child protection in a youth-serving organization. This training is designed for leaders and staff of youth serving organizations, but all who want to learn more about child protection policies and practices are welcome. Register here: https://bit.ly/April25HealthRelationshipsYouth
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