Originally published on Comcast Newsmakers.
As co-chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Task Force on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, Suzin Bartley, executive director of the Children’s Trust, sat down with Jenny Johnson of Comcast Newsmakers to talk about Safe Kids Thrive. Bartley relayed how the new, first-of-its-kind website helps child- and youth-serving organizations prevent child sexual abuse with customizable plans and training tools.
The website’s flexibility allows different types of youth-serving organizations to find guidance and resources appropriate for their needs. For example, a small, locally-owned dance studio will need different policies and procedures than a multi-site after school program.
"It's critical that as adults, we take this seriously," said Bartley. "How do we help child- and youth-serving organizations develop the policies and procedures we know will help keep kids safe? We really needed to make this information accessible, easy to do, and customizable."
Bartley also noted that Safe Kids Thrive can be a tool for parents to use so that they know the right questions to ask the places they take their children in order to ensure organizations have policies and procedures in place to keep kids safe from sexual abuse.