by Laurie Balliett, contributing writer
February 16, 2012
HYANNIS — Community and child advocates are considering a new task force to help prevent sexual abuse of children on Cape Cod.
At a workshop at state offices on Perseverence Way on Thursday, the Barnstable County Council for Children, Youth and Families, and a representative from the Enough Abuse Campaign, a statewide grass-roots movements, urged local child-care professionals to create the task force.
The campaign, a program of the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership, would train facilitators from various organizations to teach volunteers to raise awareness of child sexual abuse. The partnership is a group of statewide child advocacy organizations.
Cape Cod was identified as a priority to the Enough Abuse Campaign about a year ago, but the campaign did not have the funds to do anything here until recently, said Lauren Titus, co-chairwoman of the county council.
About 20 professionals attended the workshop, including representatives from the state Department of Children and Family Services, Independence House, which works to prevent domestic abuse, and Children's Cove, which serves young victims of sexual abuse.
Beth Biro, forensic sexual abuse consultant at Children's Cove, stressed that investigative procedures and protocols should stay in place. She questioned how volunteers would be trained and whether they would know what to do if a child disclosed something, and if they would be able to train somebody else in proper procedures.
"We want to make sure there is a response component to the training," stressed Biro. She offered to attend every training to act as a consultant to the facilitators.
After the meeting, Jetta Bernier, campaign director of Enough Abuse Campaign, said, "I don't think we're looking for consultants; we're looking for partners. ... We want to make sure we work closely with Children's Cove," said Bernier.
The Enough Abuse Campaign was developed in Massachusetts nearly a decade ago in an effort to move toward results-based action, said Bernier.
"We decided there was no plan in Massachusetts to prevent child sexual abuse, and there was a big gap," Bernier said.
The council will hold a follow up meeting that will take place the first week of April.
