What is Chaperone Training and Community Education from a sex offender perspective?
Answer: Our program has been designed to assist individuals who are not sexual offenders learn how to be proactive and help keep our children safe.
Training Goals:
• Preventing further victimization,
• Assisting offenders in controlling their inappropriate and/or sexually offending behavior,
• Promoting safety of children, and
• Provide assistance with community supports.
Training Components:
· Brief assessment of participants depending on extent of involvement with client and to determine level of understanding regarding inappropriate sexual behaviors.
· Definitions of paraphillias, warning signs, power and control, and grooming behaviors.
· Identification of high-risk environments
· Identification of high-risk behaviors
· Appropriate steps to deter victimization
ü Primary caregivers of adolescent sexual abusers and children with sexual behavior problems;
ü Foster care providers with children who may have sexually acted out in the past;
ü Non-offending parents/caregivers who might need to chaperon a sexual abuser for a specific event, i.e. church, wedding, funerals, etc. and
ü Friends, family members, co-workers of a sexual offender who want to assist that person in remaining offense free.
There is a critical need in our communities to help children who molest other children. Our world and theirs have been sexualized in almost every imaginable way. Who do we blame? Blame cannot heal. Accepting responsibility and working through the issues can make a tremendous difference in the life of a child and his or her family.
Care, sensitivity, and skill in the child’s therapeutic treatment make up the cornerstone to changing inappropriate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Additionally, the therapists at SCCT work with parents and caregivers in building safe environments and safety plans to deter sexual aggression.
Children (12 and younger) with sexual behavior problems are a very rare group of people. However, the SCCT staff is capable and willing to treat and support this very delicate population. Using traditional cognitive behavioral techniques as well as play therapy, children and their parents are taught to control these inappropriate behaviors and to replace them with socially acceptable behaviors.
Our therapists and staff educate family members on the client’s treatment goals and needs. Family members are also assisted in learning about their own emotional needs and supports.
This program is particularly important for families of children and adolescents who commit sexually inappropriate acts. Sometimes families are in denial about their child’s sexual behaviors. This program will shed a light upon issues many times overlooked by parents and caregivers of children who sexually act out. It is also important for family members to help with transgenerational concerns related to sexual abuse.