Board of Directors

Staff

Workshop Facilitators

Parent / School Staff In-Service
As part of the CAP Project's approach to assault prevention education, FRCAP staff present a 2-2/12 hour in-service to school staff , parents and caretakers in each school community served. The staff in-service is scheduled by the principal to accommodate their schedules and the parent in-service is usually scheduled in the evening. These presentations take place prior to children's classroom workshops to pave the way for effective and knowledgeable support and reinforcement of workshop principles. Parents, caretakers and school staff receive the following information:
• A description of the appropriate children's workshop (either preschool, elementary or teen)
• Information on how to recognize abuse. Physical, emotional, social and behavioral indicators are presented and discussed.
• Information on mandated reporting and child abuse laws in the state of Colorado.
• Current information on the scope of child abuse and the impact it has on our communities.
• Tips for reinforcing prevention strategies at home.
• A community resource guide and parent/guardian handbook for every participant. This information prepares adults to listen to, believe and help a child in need, before it's too late. It is crucial for all adults who participate in children's lives to attend one of these invaluable in-services.

Elementary School CAP
CAP is a comprehensive, child assault prevention program that takes a community-wide approach to preventing verbal, physical and emotional abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse/assault. CAP is also an empowerment program providing children with information about their rights and teaching them specific skills and strategies to promote their safety. In the Children's Workshop, FRCAP staff teach children practical strategies for dealing with unsafe situations involving bullying, stranger abduction, and unsafe kisses and touches. Through role-playing and guided group discussion, children learn to use the skills and strategies of self-assertion, peer support and to enlist the help of a "trusted adult" when they feel their personal safety is being violated. Children leave the workshop feeling empowered and more capable of handling situations in their own lives and feel more confident in helping others as well. Following the workshops, facilitators provide a Review Time for children to ask questions, review any aspect of the workshop or share personal concerns. During this time children may disclose information regarding an unsafe situation. The FRCAP staff would then take proper action in helping build a bridge between that child and the appropriate adult or authority. Evidence has documented that assault prevention training programs are successful in uncovering instances of abuse and neglect that otherwise might go unreported. There are several different CAP curriculum's which provide prevention education at a child's developmental level.

Pre-School CAP
The Pre-School CAP program is delivered to children starting as young as 3 years of age. The average age of a child sexual assault victim, in the United States, is 3-4 years old. It is crucial to begin prevention education as early as children can cognitively understand the information and include this topic with all the other safety issues discussed in the home. The Pre-School program covers the three most common types of assault children may experience: Bully Assault, Stranger Abduction and Sexual Assault by a known person. Through a series of role-playing and guided group discussion the children learn about their rights to be Safe, Strong and Free and how to keep their rights if anyone tries to violate them. Pre-School CAP is delivered in three 20 minute sessions on consecutive days, and is taught at the children's developmental level.
• The first day includes a discussion about Rights and concludes with a lesson on bullying behavior and what to do if another child is behaving in a bullying manner.
• The second day begins with a review of the material that was covered the day before and also covers the stranger abduction lesson. Using puppets, the facilitators discuss some basic safety rules while playing outside with friends. While never introducing the concept of "stranger" to the children, the message focuses on safety skills to use with "people they do not know". In addition, some very basic self-escape skills are introduced to the children, as well as "Run...Yell and Go Tell!" if a person they do not know approaches a child or tries to lure them to go along.
• The third day begins with a review of the past two lessons and continues with a lesson on safe and unsafe touches and kisses. The children are guided in a well known song "Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes" introducing that all of their body parts have the right to be Safe, Strong and Free. Through roleplaying and guided group discussion the children learn that no one has the right to touch or kiss them in a way that makes them feel sad, mad, or confused or that takes their rights away to feel safe.
• The CAP program is concluded with a Review Time for the children, giving them the opportunity to ask questions or voice any concerns they may have regarding the information. Any concerns are reported to the teacher and/or appropriate authority.


TeenCAP Workshop
TeenCAP is a comprehensive assault prevention program that takes a community-wide approach to preventing verbal, physical and emotional abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse/assault. TeenCAP is also an empowerment program providing adolescents with information about their rights and teaching them specific skills and strategies to promote their safety. TeenCAP is a dynamic 2-3 hour workshop (presented in 2-3 consecutive one hour sessions) designed to empower youth with specific skills and strategies for violence and abuse prevention. CAP's basic premise is that all human beings have the right to live SAFE from acts of violence; STRONG both physically and emotionally and; FREE from abuse of any kind. Participants are encouraged to discuss and express their feelings, the dynamics of teen abuse and violence, and prevention strategies.

The workshops address:
• Identifying different types of abuse that include: neglect, verbal, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, peer assault, domestic and dating violence and sexual harassment.
• Gender stereotypes and how this contributes to vulnerability.
• Peer-to-peer abuse, focusing on how verbal abuse often leads to physical violence.
• Passive, aggressive vs. assertive behavior |
• Issues surrounding hate- motivated behavior, such as racism, sexism and homophobia are introduced to help teens understand the need for tolerance within our diverse society.
• Importance of Bystander Intervention, challenging teens to take a stand against all types of violence and provides safe options and alternatives to violent behavior.
• Encouraging youth to respect themselves and the rights of others.
• Teens are also challenged to acquire skills that enable them to choose alternatives to violence when seeking a solution to a problem. Skills discussed include: impulse control, anger management, empathy, assertiveness, decision making and the ability to use community resources. Throughout the workshop sessions the facilitator consistently reinforces self-assertion, peer support, and how to identify supportive peers and adults. The participatory format is designed to teach students how to problem-solve in dangerous situations without becoming abusive in the process. This teaches youth how to get their needs met while respecting the rights of others. When children and youth learn skills to prevent their own victimization, they also obtain the knowledge to avoid becoming future offenders. Adolescents leave the workshop feeling empowered and more capable of handling situations in their own lives and feel more confident in helping others as well. Following the workshops, facilitators provide a Review Time for teens to ask questions, review any aspect of the workshop or share personal concerns. During this time teens may disclose information regarding an unsafe situation. The FRCAP staff would then take proper action in helping build a bridge between that child and the appropriate adult or authority. Evidence has documented that assault prevention training programs are successful in uncovering instances of abuse and neglect that otherwise might go unreported.

Standing Strong Together-Bully Prevention Initiative
Current research reveals that one in six children are victimized by bullying behavior. The type of bullying has also become more serious. There are more physical acts of peer violence than ever before. Over 160,000 students miss school every day because they are afraid of their fellow students. We are now offering a new program, Standing Strong Together-Bullying Prevention Initiative. This innovative program has been designed for 3th to 8th grade and is to be implemented in schools that have already had the CAP program. It has a three-prong approach to the problem with workshops for school staff, parents and children. The following are overviews of the presentations:

The Teacher/Staff Workshop
This 2 hour workshop helps the school staff to discuss the problem of bullying in their classes and discuss strategies to promote a safe school environment. Components of the workshop include:
• Surveying the staff on bully issues.
• Discussing the prevalence of the problem.
• Cultivating an understanding of the roles of not only the victim and the offender, but also the vicarious victim, those children who witness bullying.
• Discussing school policy and the importance of instituting a code of conduct.
• Reviewing the role of conflict resolution, social skills, and anger management training in the reduction of bullying behavior.
• Offering of resources, strategies and activities that will bring unity to classes.

The Parent Workshop
This 2 hour workshop has very similar components to the teacher/staff workshop. It helps parents to discuss the problem of bullying in their schools and communities. More strategies or “Quick Tips” are given on how parents can help children that are victims, bullies or vicarious victims, change their behaviors.

The Student Workshop This workshop is developmentally appropriate for students in secondary and elementary schools. This workshop is a two-session program of 60 minutes on two consecutive days.
The following components will be presented for all students attending the workshop:
• Student survey
• A gathering of student feedback about the problem in their school and community
• The seriousness of bullying and discussion of bullying in their classes and school.
• Information and sensitization of the role of victim, bully and the vicarious victim (bystander/witnesses).
• Strategies to empower students to de-escalate victim-bully behaviors.

Information For Parents & School Staff
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
1. Talking to your child before an assault happens is the best prevention. You can teach your child the difference between affection and abuse, between safe and unsafe touches. Your willingness to talk about sexuality and sexual abuse with your child can be the first important step in keeping them safe and healthy. • Teach your child that they are special and deserve safe touches every day.
• Find out what your child knows about safe and unsafe touches. By asking about it, you let them know it is okay to talk about these things.
• Teach your child the correct names for all his/her body parts. If you are uncomfortable with the anatomically correct names for private parts, practice them before talking to your child.
• Keep an open line of communication about sexuality and safe and unsafe touching. It’s not enough to talk about it once and then never bring it up again. This is important for healthy sexual development.
• Let your child know that you are open to any and all questions, and really listen to what he/she says. Encourage him/her to keep asking if they are confused.
• Help your child to become aware of and trust his/her feelings. Let them know that it is always okay to say "NO" to anyone who touches them in an uncomfortable or confusing way.
• Practice a "No Secrets" rule. Teach your child the difference between secrets and surprises. Surprises are okay (i.e. presents, parties, treats) because they are temporary and the fun is in the telling. Teach your child that they have the right to tell someone (and to keep telling until someone believes them) about an unsafe touch. Kisses and touches should never be kept a secret!
• Make prevention information fun and interesting. Create "what if" situations that may be confusing or difficult and ask your child what they would do (i.e. What would they do if someone asked them to play an undressing game?) Be sure to use situations that are examples of both safe and unsafe touching.
• Let your child know that you will believe them if they come to you with a problem about touching (and mean it!). Many cases of child sexual abuse go unreported because the child is afraid they won't be believed.
• Make sure your child knows that if unsafe touching happens, it is not their fault, and they will NOT get in trouble for telling - even if they weren’t following safety rules or were doing something that was against the rules when it happened. A child is never to blame for the abuse.
• Give your child permission to make decisions about who touches them and how, even when the touch is a safe touch. For example, instead of saying "Give Aunt Paula a kiss goodnight!" ask, "Would you like to give Aunt Paula a kiss goodnight?" Be prepared to be okay with a "no" answer - you are teaching them to set healthy boundaries!
• Help your child understand who they can trust. Talk with them about this and listen to their input.
• Let your child know that safety rules apply to all adults, including family members.
• Instilling a sense of strong self-esteem in your child may help your child avoid feelings of responsibility and guilt if they are victimized.
• A child is best protected by giving them the knowledge and skills necessary for their safety.

2. Knowing perpetrator tactics and how a child may react can help you detect sexual abuse.
- Offenders may threaten to hurt the child or a family member of the child if they tell anyone about the abuse. This is common regardless of whether the perpetrator is a family member, friend, acquaintance or stranger.
• A child often feels that he/she is to blame for the abuse. The offender may reinforce this by using guilt tactics on the child.
• Offenders often follow-up abusive incidents with treats or gifts for the child. This is very confusing for the child, and may make him/her feel guilty for accepting the gifts and/or for feeling bad about the abuse.
• Be aware if your child talks a lot about a particular adult or older person.
• Be aware of individuals (family members, friend, neighbor) who spend an inordinate amount of time with your child.
- It is common for a child to deny that abuse happened when it did or tell about the abuse and then recant their original statement. There is little evidence that children make false allegations of abuse.

3. Responding appropriately when your child is victimized can make all the difference in his/her healing process.
- If your child is refusing to be with a particular person or be in a particular place (i.e. daycare center, a friend’s house, sporting program), listen to them and ask questions (i.e. Are you feeling unsafe? Who or what is making you feel unsafe?). They may be trying to communicate something to you.
• If you think abuse is going on, act on that feeling or instinct.
• Believe your child when they tell you that something is happening to them.
• Don’t force a child to talk or stop talking about the abuse. Allow them to go at their own pace.
BE PATIENT!
• Remind your child how strong he/she is for telling about the abuse.
• Getting your child involved with a support group of peer survivors can help eliminate feelings of isolation.
• Get support for you and your child. This is a very difficult issue for any one person to handle.