5 Steps to Protect Our Children

A couple of weeks ago, the VISTAs at MCCOY went through Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention training.  I ate dinner with my boyfriend the night before, and was surprised to feel the nervous butterflies in my stomach when I talked with him and considered what this training might entail.

“I wonder if it’s going to be anything like the ‘good touch, bad touch’ talk we had in school?”  I remember that day in elementary school well.  Our tight-lipped teachers herded us into a classroom where a guest speaker sat in a rocking chair with two felt dolls at her feet—one boy and one girl.  As a child, I was terrified of both dolls and strangers, so the message was especially resonant for me.

My homeschooled boyfriend was lucky and never had to experience the trauma of sitting in a small room with a stranger who pointed out the “no-go zones” on creepy dolls. 

“My mom just sat down with us and we had a conversation about it,” he said, with no trace of anxiety or discontent with the way he was taught to stay safe from potential harm.

And that’s similar to the format for Stewards of Children; this training is a conversation between adults to learn how best to protect children from sexual abuse.  There are no scare tactics, no strangers, and no felt dolls involved.   Instead, the training “helps provide adults with the capacity and momentum to take action against child sexual abuse.”  In essence, the three-hour session opens up a conversation between people who are invariably responsible for at least one child in their lives, and gives adults the opportunity to talk about, understand, and prevent a semi-taboo issue.  

During training, we were armed with a list of “5 Steps to Protecting Our Children.”  I’m going to give you two of those five steps, and encourage you to attend this training to learn the other three (see how sneaky I am)! 

STEP 1: Learn the Facts of Child Sexual Abuse

It is highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being abused.

Experts estimate that 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. This means that in any classroom or neighborhood full of children, there are children who are silently bearing the burden of sexual abuse.

1 in 5 children are sexually solicited while on the Internet.

About 35% of victims are 11 years old or younger.

30 to 40% of children are abused by family members.

As many as 60% are abused by people the family trusts.

STEP 2: Minimize Opportunity for Child Sexual Abuse

Reduce risk. Protect children.

Understand that abusers often become friendly with potential victims and their families, enjoying family activities, earning trust, and gaining time alone with children.

Think carefully about the safety of any isolated, one-on-one settings. Choose group situations when possible.

Set an example by personally avoiding isolated, one-on-one situations with children other than your own.

Monitor children's Internet use. Offenders use the Internet to lure children into physical contact.

Please visit www.d2l.org to learn more about Stewards of Children training and preventative strategies, or visit MCCOY’s webpage to view upcoming trainings in Marion County!

Works Cited:
Steps and Data collected from www.d2l.org
Picture from http://www.amamantafamily.com/dollsorderpage.htm 

SERVICE PROVIDERS...START YOUR ENGINES!!

If you want to:

• Maximize Your Resources
• Increase Referrals & Revenue
• Expand Your Network
• Collaborate For Success

Then race on over to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) on Tuesday April 12th at 8:30am for MCCOY’s EIP Race for Resources: Speed-Dating for Intervention and Prevention Providers event.

Speed-Dating Increases Your Chance of a Connection!! Through an interactive “speed-dating” process, attendees will learn about 20 organizations that offer early intervention and prevention services. Spending just a short amount of time at each exhibit table, attendees will learn key information that will allow them to better coordinate services and pursue partnerships.

In honor of Prevent Child Abuse month come show your support for organizations that provide child abuse and neglect prevention services in your community!

Register to attend: http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?470432

EIP Excitement!

The Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Team at MCCOY has had a very busy day! John Brandon and I had two meetings with community partners about our Integrated Database Project and our Co-location of Services Project. Both are so exciting and if we can pull them off successfully, we think that they can be among the very best in the nation! Both projects are still in the planning stages, so we are “thinking big” and have high ambitions.

With the Integrated Database, we hope to create a portal that will pull social services information from several different databases and present the information in one clean interface. This project is not about creating a new database, but creating a way to link the existing information together to better serve the needs of the community.

While the Integrated Database will improve the connectivity of the city, the Co-location of Services Project will increase the efficiency of nonprofit service delivery. We know that when people need to traipse back and forth across the county to access early intervention and prevention resources, that programs are not as well-utilized as they could be. By offering several social services at a single neighborhood-based delivery point, we reduce the barriers that people have to finding help. Co-location of services is an integral part of a thriving community.

I think that both of these projects are cutting-edge, innovative, and exciting! If you would like to be involved in this work, please come to the next Early Intervention and Prevention Initiative Task Force Meeting on Wednesday March 23^rd at 10:30am, on the first floor of the United Way building. For more information visit: http://www.mccoyouth.org/our-impact.aspx?id=156&sid=0&pid=2

Preventing Child Abuse at Birth

On Wednesday, January 12, 2011 I gave birth to a handsome and healthy baby boy. I delivered at Clarian’s Methodist Hospital near downtown Indianapolis. Although I was supposed to be focused on being a new mother, I couldn’t help but think about the work I am so passionate about- preventing child abuse and neglect- and the efforts Clarian is making to keep kids safe in our community.

Upon checking in at the hospital and several times thereafter I was asked if I felt safe in my current relationship and that resources would be provided if I did not. Number 1 opportunity for Clarian to prevent child abuse, as children are often physically and emotionally victimized or become placed in foster care as a result of domestic violence in the home.

Upon giving birth several nurses and my OBGYN talked to me about postpartum depression. I was provided with information about the warning signs of postpartum depression and was also given a brief quiz regarding possible symptoms I might already have. Number 2 opportunity to prevent child abuse and neglect, as we all know the horror stories of mothers killing their children as a result of suffering from untreated postpartum depression.

My son’s father and I had to watch a video about Shaken Baby Syndrome prior to leaving the hospital. The nurse asked if we watched the video, asked if we had any questions, and then offered suggestions for what to do if we became stressed or overwhelmed while caring for our son. Number 3 opportunity to prevent child abuse, as we know the devastating effects of shaking a baby- blindness, paralysis, etc., and death.

Kudos to Clarian for the great job they are doing to prevent child abuse and neglect at the earliest possible time- when a woman/man first becomes a new parent.

The White House is Behind MCCOY's Efforts!

President Obama announces White House Council for Community Solutions

On December 14, 2010, President Obama signed an Executive Order creating the first-ever White House Council for Community Solutions. The 25-member Council includes people like Bill Strickland, a social innovator and entrepreneur whose keynote address inspired the MCCOY team at the Kids Count in Indiana Conference last month. Strickland founded the Manchester Craftsman's Guild in 1968. The Guild now serves over 4,000 youth and families annually through arts classes, career training and more and serves as a model for similar programs in San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Grand Rapids.

Strickland's programs and the Council for Community Solutions are inspirations for MCCOY, the community-wide Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Initiative we coordinate, and especially the Co-Locate Services strategy from the EIP Strategic Plan. Co-location means housing essential services (like job training, parenting classes, and health care) together in an easily-accessible and welcoming place for families and children, such as a community center or library.

The purpose of the new White House Council for Community Solutions is to:

1. identify the key attributes of effective community developed solutions to our national problems;


2. identify specific policy areas in which the Federal Government is investing significant resources that lend themselves to cross-sector collaboration and provide recommendations for such collaborations;


3. highlight examples of best practices, tools, and models that are making a demonstrable positive impact in communities and fostering increased cross-sector collaboration and civic participation;


4. make recommendations to the President on how to engage individuals, State and local governments, institutions of higher education, non profit and philanthropic organizations, community groups, and businesses to support innovative community-developed solutions that have a significant impact in solving our Nation's most serious problems; and


5. honor and highlight the work of leaders in service and social innovation who are making a significant impact in their communities.

Community Change Initiative- EIP

Community change initiatives “mobilize the community for action; strengthen the capacity of residents and organizations; build and improve neighborhoods; and the lay the groundwork for future progress”. MCCOY’s Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) Initiative is a community change initiative currently in play in Marion County. The overall goal of the Initiative is to reduce child abuse, neglect and delinquency in our community through comprehensive community efforts that coordinate, build capacity and advocate for high-quality early intervention and prevention services in Marion County. MCCOY staff are not naïve enough to think we can tackle this issue or make a large positive impact without the support of the community’s residents, including its leaders, families and youth. By better coordinating community efforts, improving neighborhoods and the capacity of residents to better parent their children we hope to build a future for Marion County where all children are free from abuse or neglect receiving the care, support and resources they need to grow into healthy and fully contributing members of society. Will you help us?

If you have not been involved in this community change initiative but would like to learn more or get involved, please attend the all EIP Team Meeting on Monday, November 22nd from 9am-12pm at the United Way building (3901 N. Meridian Street), RCI room. During this meeting you will learn about accomplishments and progress of the Initiative to date, future projects and plans, and be able to spend time working in a work group to begin to lay the foundation for moving the work forward in 2011. Your support, assistance, and expertise would be greatly appreciated!

To ask any questions or to learn more about the EIP Initiative please feel free to contact Shanna Malott, Early Intervention Community Coordinator, at 317-921-1233 or shanna.malott@mccoyouth.org.

Delivering some strong medicine: 'Teachable moment' in ER helps change crime victims' lives

An article in today's Indianapolis Star illustrates the powerful, positive, life-changing impact of Wishard Hospital's Prescription for Hope program.

Click here to read Shari Rudavsky's full story on the hospital's intervention program that is having impressive results.

The Prescription for Hope program helped Chris Lee (center)
and his family after he was shot. He poses with (clockwise from lower left)
Dicimber Lee, Jauvyion Lee, Victoria Wright, Jonathan McCann,
Jaunelle McCann, Ishiah Bethea and Janyiah Lee. - Jennifer Cecil / The Star

So, what is MCCOY doing in terms of advocacy?

That's a question that has been asked since the development of the public policy and advocacy coordinator position earlier this summer. MCCOY's Board of Directors determined, through a strategic planning process, that MCCOY was in a unique position in Marion County to get involved in advocacy for positive youth development. The Early Intervention and Prevention Initiative (EIP) surveyed local youth-serving organizations and determined that, while there are advocacy efforts going on, there are some gaps that exist. The survey concluded that an organization was needed to help fill those gaps and lead coordinated advocacy efforts as well as support the existing collaborations and organizations in their efforts.

MCCOY is now conducting research through meetings with key local, state and national advocates and forming partnerships with advocacy organizations, service providers, youth and the community. We are getting involved in committees that align with our priorities and heading up the EIP Advocacy & Awareness Implementation Team. In addition to advocating for early intervention and prevention, our priorities include:

• Youth Dropout Prevention
• Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA)
• Youth Worker Professional Development

Visit our website for more information about the Early Intervention and Prevention Initiative. for more information or if you have questions, please contact Mindi Goodpaster at mindi.goodpaster@mccoyouth.org. No prior advocacy experience is necessary! We'll give you the tools that you need to become a powerful advocate for youth.

Our Children, Our City

The Indianapolis Star is running a special section on the state of children in our city. Check it out, stay informed, and contact MCCOY if you want to learn more and help create some solutions for the big obstacles facing our city's children.