Massachusetts Citizens for Children (MCC)

MA Citizens' Information Source on Children's Issues

September 2003 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership Marks First Year
MCSAPP Pilot Sites Selected!
UMASS to Conduct Second Public Opinion Poll on Child Sexual Abuse
Survivors Parents and Partners Advocate for Legislative Change
Second Annual Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in 2004
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Materials Evaluated
Partnership Finalizes Project Action Plan
About the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership

THE MASSACHUSETTS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP MARKS FIRST YEAR

The Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership ('the Partnership') is completing its first year of the 3 year CDC funded project! The past twelve months have been full of networking, learning opportunities and project milestones. To mark the beginning of our next phase, we want to report an exciting announcement, recap of our major accomplishments, and share our plans for the year ahead:

MCSAPP Pilot Sites Selected!
The Partnership is pleased to announce that the three local collaboratives to lead our pilot site communities have been selected. The selected sites are Glouster, represented through the Gloucester Coalition for the Prevention of Domestic Abuse, The North Quabbin area (consiting of Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick & Wendell) represented through the North Quabbin Community Coalition, and Newton, represented through a new collaborative headed by the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), the Newton/Needham Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP) and the Burr Cooperative Nursery School. These local collaboratives will build permanent, community-based infrastructures to address child sexual abuse and to implement innovative prevention strategies. The selected collaboratives all bring enthusiasm, energy and creativity to the table. Next month, there will be orientations in each of the pilot sites. Over the next two years, we will be sharing information with you about their successes and challenges as they develop approaches that will become national prevention models.

UMass to Conduct Second Public Opinion Poll on Child Sexual Abuse
Our March 2003 public opinion poll revealed that at least 15% of those responding were sexually abused when they were children. Overall, 43% of those interviewed believe that child sexual abuse is a serious problem. The telephone poll of Massachusetts adults was conducted for the Partnership by the University of Massachusetts Poll and Massachusetts Kids Count. This month, the UMass Poll and Kids Count will be conducting public opinion polls in each of the pilot site communities.

Survivors, Parents and Partners Advocate for Legislative Change
A Survivors, Parents and Partners Working Group, chaired by Richard Hoffman, survivor, author and activist, was formed to guide the work of the Partnership. This group of child advocates who are ‘experts by experience’ reviews Partnership materials and helps us ensure that our approach is sensitive to the needs and priorities of victims and their families. The group is reviewing proposed legislation regarding child sexual abuse and plans to meet with legislators in the fall.

Second Annual Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in 2004
Taking Action to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse: Strategies for YOUR Community, the first statewide conference on the prevention of child sexual abuse in Massachusetts was held in April 2003. Two hundred lay people and professionals attended this conference. Ninety-five of the attendees who completed evaluation forms gave it the highest possible rating. You can check out our conference materials and get information about the experts who presented their work at www.masskids.org. Next year’s conference will be held in September 2004. It will feature presentations by the three local collaboratives on practical, concrete steps that individuals and communities can take to begin to replicate the prevention work being done in the pilot site communities.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Materials Evaluated
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), evaluator for the project, conducted an inventory of existing child sexual abuse prevention programs in the Commonwealth. They contacted over seventy agencies and completed inventories of more than twenty ongoing prevention programs.

Partnership Finalizes Project Action Plan
The Partnership has been designing a comprehensive action plan to prevent child sexual abuse. The plan lays out the five primary goals of the project and includes specific objectives, activities and evaluation mechanisms for strengthening our infrastructures, program planning and program implementation. The plan is scheduled to be officially approved by the Partnership at the end of this month.

The Partnership anticipates an even more exciting, productive second year, so stay tuned for updates. For more information about the Partnership, please visit www.masskids.org, or contact Megan at 617-742-8555, extension 1.

About the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership
The Partnership is comprised of over twenty public and private agencies with statewide reach and expertise in child abuse and/or violence prevention. It is supported by a grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. For more information about the grant and the Partnership’s mission, please visit www.masskids.org. Member agencies are listed below.

Member agencies:

State-level private agencies: Massachusetts Citizens for Children (MCC), the state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and the lead agency for this grant; Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC); Jane Doe, Inc., Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; Massachusetts Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers; Massachusetts Medical Society; American Academy of Pediatrics – MA Chapter; Massachusetts Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP); Parents Helping Parents; Jeffrey Curley Foundation; Voice of the Faithful; National Association of Social Workers - MA Chapter; and the newly formed group, Survivors, Parents and Partners.

Public sector members: Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health; Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund, Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board; Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance; Executive Office of Public Safety – Programs Division; Executive Office of Health and Human Services; Office of Child Care Services, and the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance.

Massachusetts Citizens for Children
14 Beacon Street, Suite 706 ~ Boston, MA 02108
phone: 617-742-8555 ~ fax: 617-742-7808 ~ www.masskids.org



Go To Newsletter Archive Index	MA Citizens' Information Source on Children's Issues September 2003 Newsletter IN THIS ISSUE: The Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership Marks First Year MCSAPP Pilot Sites Selected! UMASS to Conduct Second Public Opinion Poll on Child Sexual Abuse Survivors Parents and Partners Advocate for Legislative Change Second Annual Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in 2004 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Materials Evaluated Partnership Finalizes Project Action Plan About the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership THE MASSACHUSETTS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP MARKS FIRST YEAR The Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership ('the Partnership') is completing its first year of the 3 year CDC funded project! The past twelve months have been full of networking, learning opportunities and project milestones. To mark the beginning of our next phase, we want to report an exciting announcement, recap of our major accomplishments, and share our plans for the year ahead: MCSAPP Pilot Sites Selected! The Partnership is pleased to announce that the three local collaboratives to lead our pilot site communities have been selected. The selected sites are Glouster, represented through the Gloucester Coalition for the Prevention of Domestic Abuse, The North Quabbin area (consiting of Athol, Erving, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Warwick & Wendell) represented through the North Quabbin Community Coalition, and Newton, represented through a new collaborative headed by the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), the Newton/Needham Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP) and the Burr Cooperative Nursery School. These local collaboratives will build permanent, community-based infrastructures to address child sexual abuse and to implement innovative prevention strategies. The selected collaboratives all bring enthusiasm, energy and creativity to the table. Next month, there will be orientations in each of the pilot sites. Over the next two years, we will be sharing information with you about their successes and challenges as they develop approaches that will become national prevention models. UMass to Conduct Second Public Opinion Poll on Child Sexual Abuse Our March 2003 public opinion poll revealed that at least 15% of those responding were sexually abused when they were children. Overall, 43% of those interviewed believe that child sexual abuse is a serious problem. The telephone poll of Massachusetts adults was conducted for the Partnership by the University of Massachusetts Poll and Massachusetts Kids Count. This month, the UMass Poll and Kids Count will be conducting public opinion polls in each of the pilot site communities. Survivors, Parents and Partners Advocate for Legislative Change A Survivors, Parents and Partners Working Group, chaired by Richard Hoffman, survivor, author and activist, was formed to guide the work of the Partnership. This group of child advocates who are ‘experts by experience’ reviews Partnership materials and helps us ensure that our approach is sensitive to the needs and priorities of victims and their families. The group is reviewing proposed legislation regarding child sexual abuse and plans to meet with legislators in the fall. Second Annual Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in 2004 Taking Action to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse: Strategies for YOUR Community, the first statewide conference on the prevention of child sexual abuse in Massachusetts was held in April 2003. Two hundred lay people and professionals attended this conference. Ninety-five of the attendees who completed evaluation forms gave it the highest possible rating. You can check out our conference materials and get information about the experts who presented their work at www.masskids.org. Next year’s conference will be held in September 2004. It will feature presentations by the three local collaboratives on practical, concrete steps that individuals and communities can take to begin to replicate the prevention work being done in the pilot site communities. Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Materials Evaluated The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC), evaluator for the project, conducted an inventory of existing child sexual abuse prevention programs in the Commonwealth. They contacted over seventy agencies and completed inventories of more than twenty ongoing prevention programs. Partnership Finalizes Project Action Plan The Partnership has been designing a comprehensive action plan to prevent child sexual abuse. The plan lays out the five primary goals of the project and includes specific objectives, activities and evaluation mechanisms for strengthening our infrastructures, program planning and program implementation. The plan is scheduled to be officially approved by the Partnership at the end of this month. The Partnership anticipates an even more exciting, productive second year, so stay tuned for updates. For more information about the Partnership, please visit www.masskids.org, or contact Megan at 617-742-8555, extension 1. About the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership The Partnership is comprised of over twenty public and private agencies with statewide reach and expertise in child abuse and/or violence prevention. It is supported by a grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. For more information about the grant and the Partnership’s mission, please visit www.masskids.org. Member agencies are listed below. Member agencies: State-level private agencies: Massachusetts Citizens for Children (MCC), the state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and the lead agency for this grant; Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC); Jane Doe, Inc., Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence; Massachusetts Alliance of Children’s Advocacy Centers; Massachusetts Medical Society; American Academy of Pediatrics – MA Chapter; Massachusetts Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP); Parents Helping Parents; Jeffrey Curley Foundation; Voice of the Faithful; National Association of Social Workers - MA Chapter; and the newly formed group, Survivors, Parents and Partners. Public sector members: Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health; Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund, Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board; Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance; Executive Office of Public Safety – Programs Division; Executive Office of Health and Human Services; Office of Child Care Services, and the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance.
	Massachusetts Citizens for Children 14 Beacon Street, Suite 706 ~ Boston, MA 02108 phone: 617-742-8555 ~ fax: 617-742-7808 ~ www.masskids.org