Exploring the Updated Resource on Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations

Collaboration with youth-serving organizations is essential to prevention work. Many practitioners have long partnered with schools, after-school programs, athletics programs, and more to reach young people with prevention programming and education.

The newly updated resource, Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations, offers an opportunity to think of youth-serving organizations themselves as critical settings for prevention. The policies, practices, relationships, and norms within these organizations shape environments in which youth safety and health can be strengthened or undermined.

Many youth-serving organizations already care deeply about the young people they serve and work hard to create safe environments. While they may lack specific expertise in preventing child sexual abuse or responding to concerning behaviors, prevention practitioners can facilitate bridging that gap and collaborate to strengthen organizational prevention efforts.

Throughout the resource, prevention is framed as an integral part of an organization’s day-to-day operations. From staff supervision and codes of conduct to creating spaces where youth feel included, the resource emphasizes that organizational culture plays a role in keeping youth safe. It also expands discussions beyond screening and reporting policies alone by including topics like digital environments, youth engagement, and harmful sexual behavior among youth.

This resource can be a useful tool for prevention practitioners looking to strengthen partnerships with youth-serving organizations. Whether supporting policy development, facilitating conversations about organizational culture, providing training, or helping organizations assess opportunities for improvement, prevention practitioners can play an important role in creating places where child safety is actively supported.

Read the report here and stay tuned for an upcoming PreventConnect podcast where we hear directly from the authors!