The Children’s Assessment Center of Kent County is designated as a Darkness to Light ‘Partner in Prevention’.
Staff members are trained in award-winning Stewards of Children® Program for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention.
By Misti DeVries, Children’s Assessment Center
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, as well as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is estimated that one in 10 children will be sexually abused before the age of 18. That means here in Kent County thousands of children are victimized every year —but national statistics tell us that only 14% of those cases are ever reported to law enforcement.
Committed to “Hearing the Story and Healing the Pain” of child sexual abuse and also “Halting the Cycle”, the Children’s Assessment Center of Kent County has been designated as a Partner in Prevention which is awarded by the international Darkness to Light organization whose mission is educate responsible adults to reduce child sexual abuse. The Partner in Prevention program was created as a national standard to help communities take child protection seriously by parents and caregivers to prevent child sexual abuse.
The recent sexual abuse allegations by numerous MSU and Team USA gymnasts, that went unheeded for years against Dr. Larry Nassar, makes it clear that every adult in the community needs to take a strong stand against the routine behavior of silencing and shaming victims and allowing perpetrators of status in our communities to escape accountability.
The CAC now offers the highly recognized program, “Stewards of Children”, to parents, community youth groups, sports organizations, medical personnel, faith-based communities as well as others which would benefit from this award-winning training. Stewards of Children will guide adults in understanding the issue of child sexual abuse, identifying unsafe situations and practices, and reacting responsibly in the best interest of the children they serve and care for.
This evidence-informed program is scientifically proven to help participants prevent and respond to child sexual abuse. To learn more about child sexual abuse prevention training in Kent County or to enroll your organization in a Darkness to Light training through the CAC, please email Community Advocate, Misti, at mdevries@cac-kent.org .
About The Children’s Assessment Center (CAC)
The only agency in Kent County providing child-centered comprehensive services to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse all under one roof: forensic interview, investigative reporting, medical examination and therapy, the agency sees 800 children annually.
The CAC created the KIDZ Have Rights © “Your Body Belongs to You” prevention program and offers it to over 20,000 students in Kent County annually.
In addition to CAC staff, GRPD and the Kent County Sheriff’s department each have three detectives stationed full time at the Center to investigate suspected child sexual abuse cases. Four Child Protective Services investigators also work out of the CAC.
To learn more about CAC’s services, community events and trainings, or information on how to report, please visit the website.
About Darkness to Light
Darkness to Light (D2L) has championed the movement to end child sexual abuse since its founding in 2000. With affiliates in all 50 U.S. states and 16 additional countries, D2L provides individuals, organizations, and communities with the tools to protect children from sexual abuse. To date, the D2L network of 7,000 authorized facilitators has trained over 900,000 parents, youth serving professionals, and organization volunteers in D2L’s award-winning Stewards of Children® child sexual abuse prevention program.
