We are very excited to announce that we have achieved a major milestone in prevention of child abuse and maltreatment- we have trained more than 200,000 adults in the state of Georgia in how to identify, respond, react responsibly, and prevent child abuse!
A HUGE Thank You to all of our partners, trainers, and facilitators that have helped to make this achievement possible!
Our Statewide Prevention Initiative
The mission of the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy's (GCCA) statewide prevention, education and outreach initiative is to prevent child abuse, reduce childhood trauma, and promote healthy outcomes in Georgia through a collaborative effort that equips adults and youth with awareness, education, and resources to take action.
Starting in 2006 with one staff person and one training program, the Prevention and Education Team has grown to a staff of seven, offering a variety of different trainings, presentations and educational opportunities. With the assistance of over 1,600 volunteer Trainers and Facilitators, we have provided child abuse prevention trainings to over 200,000 adults in communities across Georgia.
Our Prevention and Education trainings and outreach activities include:
GCCA's initial program, Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children, teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Collectively Georgia facilitators trained roughly 175,000 adults statewide from 2006 to 2023 to better protect children from sexual abuse specifically using this curriculum. As of December 31, 2023, we have retired use of the Stewards of Children program.
Stop It Now's Circles of Safety: Understanding the Role of Healthy Sexual Development and Understanding & Responding to Boundary Violations workshops highlight the continuum of healthy sexual development, how to determine whether sexual behaviors in children are age-appropriate, how to recognize inappropriate or harmful behaviors in adults as well as children, and how to spot situations that increase risk of sexual harm to children.
Connections Matter Georgia addresses the intersecting topics of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma, brain development, and resilience building. In partnership with Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, this training initiative educates how caring connections serve as a primary buffer in the negative effects of trauma and how to develop strategies for strengthening both personal and community resilience.
Human Trafficking: Preventing the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. In partnership with Child Advocacy Centers of Georgia, this training provides attendees with a foundational understanding of CSEC and identifies steps each attendee can take to spread awareness and respond to this issue in their community.
Connect to Protect Kids (Coming Soon!) is a unique and innovative strategy designed to protect children and youth from sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking, as well as online, peer, and other types of interpersonal violence. This new prevention education program, based on the latest research and updated prevention best practices, is a collaborative project of six founding partners representing four separate, but equally committed organizations, including the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy- leaders in abuse prevention and research. Connect to Protect Kids will educate and empower all children, youth, and adults in communities across the U.S. with consistent messaging using a combination of traditional trainings and online learning opportunities.
Other child safety trainings include Love146's Child Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention, Mandated Reporter, and Online Safety. GCCA offers a series of trainings geared specifically towards parents including Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, Becoming A More Resilient Parent, & Parent Cafes.
Additionally the GCCA provides customized outreach and educational presentations on a variety of topics based on the needs of organizations and groups.
