"An Immediate and Tangible Result"

 

Yesterday I was informed by the superintendent of a local school system that our recent Stewards of Children training, delivered to school professionals, had, in her words, "an immediate and tangible result." Directly after that training, several attendees, all school guidance counselors, approached her to express concern that none of the high school guidance rooms had doors with a window (one of the tenets of Stewards, Step 2 of the 7 Steps To Protecting Our Children, is "minimize opportunity"). The superintendent, who shared the counselors' concerns, ordered estimates on installation and the panels will soon be installed.

One on one time with an adult can be very valuable, but it doesn't have to be behind closed doors and, when it does, there are ways to reduce opportunity for abuse. One of those ways is to install a window in the door, allowing the happenings within to be seen. This is protection not only for the child, but also for the adult.

It felt great to learn that the prevention message was heard and, most importantly, inspired action. Even small changes can make a difference in mitigating child sexual abuse. Kudos to those guidance counselors and their superintendent (who had requested the Stewards training in the first place) for taking action!