Non-Offending Caregiver Support Group
Support from a caregiver is the single most important factor in promoting a child’s healing after abuse has occurred. Discovering that their child has been abused or harmed in some way can bring about a mix of emotions for caregivers, from guilt to anger to fear. Caregivers most often want to help their child but can feel overwhelmed; not knowing how to best support or talk with their child. Safe Shores’ Caregiver Support Group connects caregivers with others facing similar challenges, and provides education, crisis support, and self-care tools. If you would like to join the group or if you would like to make a referral, email groups@safeshores.org, and a staff member will contact you with information and next steps.
Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® and other Supplemental Trainings
These training teach adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Beginning with Stewards of Children® adults learn the facts about child sexual abuse, and best practices for recognizing, responding to and preventing abuse in their communities and organizations. For those that have completed Stewards of Children®, supplemental trainings take a deeper dive and further develop skills and challenges adults face when navigating abuse prevention in the real world.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont’s Healthy Relationships Project
The Healthy Relationship Project (an initiative of Prevent Child Abuse Vermont), is a youth- focused prevention curriculum. Safe Shores offers “Care for Kids” for children in preschool through grade 2 and “We Care Elementary” for grades 3-6. Both programs offer a six-session, health-based curriculum that builds age-appropriate protective factors to make children less vulnerable to abuse and reduce the risk of them harming other children. These include empathy, communication and coping skills. To implement the curriculum, Safe Shores trains and supports school staff to present the curriculum to their students and integrate the program in a sustainable way. For more information, contact Ms. Gerald De Leon, Prevention and Outreach Coordinator, at gdeleon@safeshores.org .
Community Outreach and Tabling
Child maltreatment is a complex issue that requires the cooperation of multiple organizations, service providers, and communities to address it appropriate and ultimately, to stop it. Safe Shores welcomes the opportunity to partner with local organizations and groups that are working to protect and improve the health and safety of the DC’s children. If you would like a Safe Shores representative to be present at a community fair event, please contact Ms. Gerald De Leon (gdeleon@safeshores.org) for more information.
