KidsPeace Receives Grant for Sexual Abuse Prevention Programming
KidsPeace announced it has received a $2,000 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation for a program that supports parents in northeastern Pennsylvania with tools to prevent sexual abuse of children.
The “Protective Parenting” initiative will provide caregivers critical information about abuse and victims, including risk factors and warning signs, while helping parents become advocates to their children and adolescents in a supportive peer setting.
The effort is part of KidsPeace’s Sexual Issues Treatment and Education (SITE) program, which serves families in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Carbon, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Monroe, Wyoming, Lehigh and Northampton counties. KidsPeace noted that there has been an increased need for specialized trauma-focused services within the area SITE serves – along with a trend toward younger survivors of sexual abuse. These circumstances indicate a greater need for community intervention and caregiver support.
Protective Parenting has been shown to have proven results, including healthier family dynamics, more effective communication and the capacity for safety planning. Families have also seen a reduction in re-traumatization and reductions in trauma symptoms in youth.
KidsPeace’s SITE community-based program provides in-home services to youth with a history of complex sexual trauma and those who have been exposed to violence. Four out of five youths receiving care through SITE are victims of past sexual abuse.
