Resources and Guides for Youth-Serving Organizations
Below are resources to assist youth-serving organizations in developing policy to prevent child sexual abuse and protect youth who participate in organizational programs. The resources are intended for any organization serving youth (including non-sexual assault service providers), but is especially pertinent for the following grantees:
Department of Children and Families (DCF) grantees
Department of Justice (DOJ) grantees – including all those receiving VOCA, VAWA STOP and/or VAWA SASP funding
Youth-serving organizations receiving these funds must adhere to the Federal Special Conditions requirement. The resources below include information regarding the Special Conditions, training opportunities, and supportive policy resources.
Highlights from this section:
Federal Special Conditions Requirement for Youth Serving Organizations
- Special Conditions General
- Six Core Components – Policy Development Resources
- Awareness to Action (A2A)
- Darkness to Light
- Stop it Now!
- WCASA 10 Core Concepts
Federal Special Conditions for Youth-Serving Organizations: CSA Prevention Policy Resources
Special Conditions
Below are written and visual/audio-recorded resources on the Special Conditions requirement for youth-serving organizations (DCF grantees, VOCA, VAWA STOP/SASP grantees) in addition to resources for developing policy and procedures within youth-serving organizations
Guidance on OVW Award Conditions – OVW | This is a written guidance from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women outlining grantee award conditions for background checks
Special Condition on Background Checks, OVW Q&A - OVW | A recording of a Q & A session between OVW and coalitions regarding the new conditions for background checks (please note entry code: $pecia1Cond)
Suitability to Interact with Minors – OCVS | From the Office of Crime Victim Services, this PDF features the language from the Special Conditions mandate pertaining to the requirement of determining suitability to interact with minors, as well as how to fulfill the requirement
Child Sexual Assault Policy Recommendations and Requirements – WCASA, DOJ, DCF and A2A | A collaborative webinar presentation from Department of Justice, Department of Children and Families, and Awareness to Action, this webinar presents information on the Special Conditions requirement in addition to contextual information regarding the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Six Core Components on developing policy to prevent child sexual abuse
Six Core Components for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
Below are resources pertaining to the core components for preventing child sexual abuse in youth-serving organizations, and developing policy to support these components
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations: Getting Started on Policies and Procedures - CDC | A toolkit to guide policy development in youth-serving organizations to prevent child sexual abuse, specifically focusing on a core set of components recognized as best practice by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The Core Components – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet with a high-level overview of the six core components of CSA policy from A2A
- Component One – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the first component to CSA policy, screening and selecting personnel
- Component Two – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the second component to CSA policy, guidelines on interactions between individuals
- Component Three – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the third component to CSA policy, monitoring behavior
- Component Four – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the fourth component to CSA policy, ensuring a safe environment
- Component Five – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the fifth component to CSA policy, responding to inappropriate behavior
- Component Six – Awareness to Action (A2A) | An information sheet examining the factors of the sixth component to CSA policy, training on child sexual abuse prevention
Training Resources
Awareness to Action (A2A) – A2A offers training to youth-serving organizations wishing to implement policy and procedures to ensure the protection of youth, and prevent CSA
Darkness to Light – An organization empowering people to prevent child sexual abuse by providing a framework for CSA prevention, trainings, tools for practitioners, media campaigns and more. Their training called "Stewards of Children" is for parents, responsible adults, and youth-serving organizations.
Stop It Now! – organization founded by Fran Henry, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who learned first-hand that standard approaches to keeping children safe from child sexual abuse at that time did not respond to the complex relationships surrounding most abuse.
General Frameworks and Resources
Below are additional general resources on the prevention of child sexual abuse, including research from WCASA on 10 Core Concepts or elements to prevent child sexual abuse
10 Core Concepts - WCASA | In collaboration with partners, WCASA developed these concepts to provide a comprehensive framework for child sexual abuse prevention
Creating Organizational Policies to Prevent Sexual Abuse – The Prevention Researcher | This article reviews the essential elements required for organizations to implement meaningful policy and practice to prevent CSA
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse, Overview and Statistics – CDC | A general resource providing snapshots of data on the prevalence, incidence, and burden of child sexual abuse, as well as links to additional tools and resources on CSA prevention