All Parenting Safe Children workshops are presented live via Zoom or pre-recorded online. Please sign up now or, if you prefer, schedule a Body-Safety Consultation with Feather.
Parenting Safe Children
Keeping Children Safe from Sexual Assault — In Your Community
What is child sexual abuse / assault?
- Any sexual touching between an adult and a child
- Sexual touching between children when the sexual behavior is too advanced for their age, there is a 2-3 year age difference or coercion is involved
- Sexual abuse and assault includes both touching of genitals and non-touching (looking, showing, and exposing genitals, as well as viewing, creating, possessing or distributing child sexual abuse imagery, ) to meet the perpetrators sexual interests.
- Child sexual assault is typically not a one-time act, rather a lengthy process—known as grooming—in which an older youth or adult gains the trust of the family, community and child to lure the child into sexual activity.
- Child sexual assault interrupts development and can have traumatic short-term effects as well as devastating long- term effects—including issues with self-esteem, depression, and even suicide.
What is Incest?
Parenting Safe Children defines incest as sexual activity between people in the same family such as a primary caregiver, sibling, stepparent, adoptive or foster parent, close family friend or someone else in the role of caregiver.
Who commits child sexual abuse / assault / incest?
- 1 in 10 children will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18.
- 90% of child sexual assault is committed by people in a position of trust, known to you and your children.
- 30% to 50% of all child sexual assault is committed by youth.
- While random acts of physical and sexual violence do occur, child sexual assault is most likely committed by a family member, teacher, neighbor, coach, babysitter, clergy, or someone else you and / or your child already know.
Adults are responsible for protecting children from sexual assault. – What can you do about it?
Parenting Safe Children believes that adults are responsible for protecting children from sexual assault and incest. Children can learn protection skills, and it’s important that they do, however, ultimately it is up to adults to protect children, not for children to have to protect themselves. Our goal is to give adults accurate information about child sexual assault and incest so you can prevent, recognize and act responsibly if you witness it. Knowledge is power! Taking action by talking about child sexual assault with your children’s caregivers and your children can prevent it. The Parenting Safe Children workshop gives you all the tools you need to talk with both your children’s caregivers and your children to build your Prevention Team™. While it is one of the most difficult subjects to talk about with your kids and their caregivers, it is one of the most important conversations you could ever have—and one that is much easier to have before sexual assault takes place.
In the Parenting Safe Children workshop, you will learn:
- What makes children and their families vulnerable to sexual assault
- Grooming behaviors that precede sexual assault
- Language to speak with your children about sex and sexual development
- Language to speak with your children’s teachers, coaches, nannies, family members, faith leaders and other parents about body safety
- Body-safety rules every child should know to decrease vulnerability
- Why forcing your child to hug a grandparent or loved one could make them more vulnerable to sexual assault in the future
- How to build a Prevention Team™ of caregivers
“”These are five-star, must-attend workshops.
– Marilyn Van Derbur, former Miss America 1957, incest survivor, and motivational speaker.
Our Workshops
The Parenting Safe Children Parent workshop uses a three-part prevention model developed over three decades in the field.
- Parent Education
You will learn what makes children vulnerable to sexual assault. - Caregiver Screening
You will learn tools and techniques for inviting caregivers onto your Prevention Team™. - Child Empowerment
You will learn ten body-safety rules to teach your children.
The Parenting Safe Children Parent workshop is a lively five-hour workshop over two weekends and costs $53.75 per person, materials and certificate of attendance included ($59.00 as of May 2, 2022). For more details please visit our workshop page or consult our FAQs. We hope you’ll join us for a live workshop — or for our pre-recorded online workshop. You can also Be a Hero and Host!
Private Consultations
If you aren’t able to attend a workshop, prefer a more private setting, or are a professional who works with children and are wondering if you have sound child sexual assault prevention policies in place, you can also book a private consultation.
Resources
Need more information? There are tons of resources and literature out there on child sexual assault prevention and healing. Whether your goal is prevention, healing, or empowerment, we’ve collected the best books, websites, and other resources for both families and professionals.
Testimonials
Over 50,000 parents, educators, and caregivers around the country have become empowered, through Parenting Safe Children, to protect the children in their lives from child sexual assault.
We could just tell you about how valuable the information we provide is, and how much our clients love us (and, in fact, we do tell you).
Or, we could let the caretakers we’ve empowered tell you instead — in their own words.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions for us? Please check our FAQ document; we’ve got plenty of answers there! And if you don’t find your answer, no worries! We are always available through email.
About Feather
Meet the woman who started it all!
Parenting Safe Children’s founder, Feather Berkower, LCSW, has dedicated her career to helping parents and educators nationwide to protect their children from child sexual assault.
Now, through Parenting Safe Children, her life’s work continues to empower people to protect the children in their lives.
Contact Info
Phone: 303-931-5782
Email: feather@parentingsafechildren.com
Or use our Secure Contact Form
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