Falmouth Resident Named Children’s Trust Faces of Prevention Award Recipient
The Children’s Trust Faces of Prevention Award honors and recognizes family support professionals who go above and beyond to support families and prevent child abuse
The Children’s Trust announced today that Falmouth resident Jacob Stapledon has received its Faces of Prevention award which honors and recognizes family support professionals across Massachusetts who go above and beyond to support families and prevent child abuse. The Children’s Trust is the state’s child abuse prevention agency. Stapeldon is the Community Engagement and Education Program Manager for Children’s Cove, the Cape & Islands Child Advocacy Center.
“Jacob carries the message that prevention through education is key,” said Carol Bondi of Cape Cod Children’s Place, who nominated Stapledon for the award. “Jacob is committed to his role to enhance capabilities of agencies and individuals who work with children to get the training they need.”
Stapledon works closely with Cape Cod Children’s Place on the Children’s Trust’s SAFE Child Communities. The initiative was developed by the Children’s Trust to eliminate barriers families too often face when seeking guidance and support. A SAFE Child Community integrates the evidence-based child abuse prevention strategies the Children’s Trust has honed over its 30-year history with local expertise of experienced community partners. Research shows that by enhancing access to programs that build resilient, stable families, child abuse and neglect can be prevented.
“This initiative is about making sure we are coming together as a community and that we not only have consistency in the language but also recognize that as individual organizations, we can’t do it alone,” said Stapledon. “It can be hard to engage the parents of young children, but through these partnerships, we can bridge the gaps across our organizations. When we have these connections, children and families benefit.”
In his role at Children’s Cove, Stapledon oversees outreach, education, and awareness to Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard about crimes against children. He works closely with child-serving organizations and family support professionals through education, professional training, and partnership building. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of human service roles from working with young children to transitional age youth to adults and seniors, with an emphasis on working with individuals with mental health and/or substance abuse diagnoses
“A commonality was that most of the individuals I worked with had a shared experience of early childhood trauma that followed them through life. The idea of a model providing early interventions really resonated with me. I spent all those years working with people who experienced intensive traumas as children. I wanted to do something to prevent that for the next generation,” said Stapledon. “I was so surprised and humbled when I learned I was nominated for this award. It takes a community to do this work and I am proud to be part of that.”
Stapledon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2007. He has worked for Children’s Cove since 2016 and currently lives in Falmouth.
Click here to learn more about the Children's Trust Faces of Prevention program.
