Have you taken notice? Child abuse is EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately, it's within the church as well. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a network leader, I want to encourage you to lead in advocating for the prevention of child abuse in the churches with which you are connected. Don't be surprised by its prevalence; instead, let's build stronger communities against child abuse.
Training to Deal with Abuse within Your Community
You may not be aware of it, but your local government regularly has trainings on how to handle child abuse. These trainings are required for social workers on a regular basis. As a youth worker, make the effort to get connected with your local Health and Human Services office to see how you can partner or join these trainings. My local county offers Trauma Informed Care free of charge for anyone interested. These classes are super helpful in spotting potential abuse as well as connecting the participant with local professionals before a crisis situation arises.
Advocating for Stronger Families
Part of the catalyst behind National Child Abuse Prevention month is actively trying to create healthier families. Research shows that healthy families reduce the risk of child abuse. Did you know that the federal government has put together research and resources for free? Check out https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/ and see if you can use any of these resources to help the families in your churches.
Protecting Against Abuse within Our Ministries
Possibly the most disturbing type of abuse that youth workers need to actively be on guard against is the possibility of sexual abuse within your ministry. Here is why: many youth ministries are in desperate need of volunteers... and predators know it. Adding to that potential risk is the reality that students in our modern culture are encouraged to explore their sexuality. This combination is a potential hazard for sexual abuse. We, as leaders, need to constantly be on guard against this evil within our communities.
What do we do? We need to know the warning signs of sexual abuse: a leader playing favorites, spending extra time with a student, inappropriate jokes. These actions may seem harmless, but they are all warning signs that a leader could be potentially grooming a student for abuse. Make sure you are regularly encouraging your volunteer leaders away from these behaviors.
There was a time when ministries felt that they only needed to be concerned about special attention given when students were the opposite gender of the leader. Today, leaders can't let their guard down. Special attention to same gender students should be considered a cause of concern for abuse. Protecting students from sexual abuse is a priority as leaders, and we need to engage in trainings to help keep our students safe.
Maintaining Your Soul when You Need to Process Through Abuse
When you are confronted with the reality of abuse toward a student, it may be difficult for you to process. Even if the abuse in question has nothing to do with your ministry, it can be hard to work through this situation as a leader. Don't be afraid to seek counseling. Depression and stress disorders are well documented in first responders. Don't expect that you can deal with the evils of abuse and walk away unaffected simply because you follow Jesus. You may need to work through some anger, frustration, and hurt with the help of a professional trauma counselor.
Let's make sure we are not blindsided by the evil of child abuse, but let's actively build stronger communities rallying against it.