Information on this page will help support an informed and effective staff (hiring and screening, training).
Screen and hire safe staff
Screening for child sexual abuse prevention should be integrated into the screening and selection process that schools and organizations already use. Child sexual abuse prevention should be one of the many areas considered when deciding whom to hire, and a thorough screen of individuals’ backgrounds and experiences can help keep the school and students safer. Some schools have let teachers go when there are allegations of abuse, without the event showing on a professional record. Strict screening processes can help limit this risk.
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations, Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Best Practices for Child Abuse Prevention, Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance
Guidelines for Screening, US Department of Justice
Protecting Children Through Hiring Practices, Redwoods Group
Educator Sexual Misconduct in Schools: Guidelines for Staff, Volunteers, and Community Partners, National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Train all teachers, staff, and adults in a school system
Training all school personnel ensures that every adult in a school community – not only the teachers – have the skills and knowledge to promote healthy bodies and boundaries, and to respond to concerns of sexual abuse wherever they may see them.
The Maine DOE model policy includes the specific requirements of training. In general, effective training includes not only the ability to identify and respond to signs of abuse, but also the ability to recognize normal and unexpected sexual behaviors in children, as well as local resources.
The Maine DOE model policy includes the specific requirements of training. In general, effective training includes not only the ability to identify and respond to signs of abuse, but also the ability to recognize normal and unexpected sexual behaviors in children, as well as local resources.
For more info about training opportunities, contact your local sexual assault support center.
Understand the impact of trauma on personnel
Educators who work with children who have experienced trauma may develop their own symptoms of traumatic stress, often called vicarious or secondary traumatic stress. This can impact all areas of life, and symptoms may include: feeling numb or detached, having low energy, experiencing low performance of job tasks and responsibilities, difficulty with decision making, and physically withdrawing or becoming emotionally unavailable to co-workers, friends, and family.
Understanding secondary trauma and its impact is the most important part of managing it, for both the organization and individuals. A school community can share information about the signs of secondary traumatic stress so staff members recognize the signs in themselves and in others. Regular small group check-ins can be an outlet for feelings of frustration and stress. Acknowledgement of the stressful conditions by administration can help educators feel heard. In a trauma-informed school, staff should be encouraged to practice self-care along with other strategies to guard against or heal from the effects of vicarious trauma. Especially after dealing with a disclosure from a student or a mandated report, the school should be prepared to offer support to the personnel involved.
Understanding secondary trauma and its impact is the most important part of managing it, for both the organization and individuals. A school community can share information about the signs of secondary traumatic stress so staff members recognize the signs in themselves and in others. Regular small group check-ins can be an outlet for feelings of frustration and stress. Acknowledgement of the stressful conditions by administration can help educators feel heard. In a trauma-informed school, staff should be encouraged to practice self-care along with other strategies to guard against or heal from the effects of vicarious trauma. Especially after dealing with a disclosure from a student or a mandated report, the school should be prepared to offer support to the personnel involved.
Introduction to Secondary Traumatic Stress, National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Know your local sexual assault support resources
Every region of Maine has dedicated sexual assault support centers, who offer free and confidential 24-hour helpline support, text and chat support Monday-Friday from 8 am - 5pm, one to one support, support groups, community training and education about sexual violence, and sexual violence prevention programming. For more information about sexual violence prevention education, contact your local sexual assault support center.
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The Children's Safety Partnership is a program of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MECASA) and a partnership between MECASA, the Maine Department of Education, Maine's local sexual assault support centers, and schools across the state.