This Desk Guide aims to provide a theoretical framework within which to place strategies for preventing and addressing CSA, overarching goals to be attained, and examples of strategies by which these goals might be achieved.
Our working team reviewed hundreds of best practice recommendations, and we identified more than a thousand elements of actual current YSO prevention (or “safety”) practices. We believe most current and recommended practice is or could be designed to address just eight overarching goals:
In the remainder of this Desk Guide, we define each of these goals, identify key questions to help guide each goal at the local YSO level, and provide examples of how these goals are currently or could be addressed. We hope that leaders of YSOs will use this information as a foundation for creating tailored prevention and response protocols that are specific to their own organizations and responsive to their own organizational missions.
We must caution that, at this time (2020), there is very little research evaluating the effectiveness of specific protocols or strategies for preventing or addressing CSA within youth serving settings. With our ongoing program of research, we plan to address this knowledge gap. We hope this Desk Guide spurs others to consider the importance of not only recommending but also testing CSA prevention and response strategies.
