Today’s guest blogger is Karen Holmes, a local parent and prevention professional. Karen attended one of our Stewards of Children trainings earlier this fall through SCAN’s partnership with Darkness to Light. Then in November she made the commitment to become a trained facilitator for the program. We asked her to share her thoughts on prevention, her experiences […]
While we know that sexual abuse is a widespread problem, we also know that certain factors put particular children at risk. The risk of sexual abuse increases when children live with step-parents, a single parent and for those children who live with a single parent who has a live-in partner. Children who witness or are […]
While millions of Americans watched the Olympics this summer, several stories emerged about adult athletes who were victims of sexual abuse as children. Again we’ve been reminded that we have a critical problem in our society – that children simply aren’t protected because too many adults don’t know how to recognize or respond to child […]
We are so proud to be starting the conversation about child sexual abuse in communities across Northern Virginia. We’ve told you about our partnership with Darkness to Light before, including the Stewards of Children trainings we’re providing across the region to diminish the incidence and impact of child sexual abuse and to raise awareness of the […]
As the school year comes to an end and summer approaches, children will begin to adjust to new schedules and different people in their daily lives. The structured classroom setting will give way to the new challenges and experiences that summer often offers. Older youth may get jobs, attend overnight camps or spend more time […]
A report — on the road — from SCAN’s Community Educator Sharon Crilly: In the last full week of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, SCAN participated in a Prevent-a-thon and held its first Darkness to Light class at a faith-based site in Loudoun County! The class provided an opportunity for 9 church staff members to become educated about […]
This week’s guest blogger is Virginia Senator Barbara Favola, who also happens to be a member of SCAN’s Honorary Board and a longtime supporter of our programs. Here she shares an update with us on what’s happening in Richmond and how it could impact children across Virginia. Surprisingly enough, participating in the development of a […]
This month’s guest blogger making a “SCANStop” is Board Member Patti Boerger, who recently participated in one of our new Stewards of Children trainings through the Darkness to Light program to end child sexual abuse. Here she shares what she learned, and presents a challenge to us all: Child. Sexual. Abuse. These three words are […]
On January 5th, SCAN hosted its first Darkness to Light Stewards of Children training, empowering twenty professional members of the Loudoun County community to take action in the prevention of child sexual abuse. The group of staff and volunteers from the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS) included social workers, shelter and Child Advocacy Center directors, […]