We can all contribute to the well-being of our whole community by taking simple steps to prevent abuse. Every child deserves a safe, healthy, and happy life. Be an advocate for children by contributing to positive childhood experiences. You could make a considerable change in someone’s life by offering a small amount of your time, such as entertaining children you know for a few hours and giving their hardworking parents a needed break. Sometimes the solution is more complicated and it is necessary to call in professional help. Visit the DCS website for details or call 911 if you need immediate assistance. You can also show your support for National Child Abuse Prevention Month by simply wearing blue this April (#WearBlueIN2022). You can find more ideas about how to serve your community and other helpful resources by visiting the Children’s Bureau.
CDPL has several books to help you learn the best ways to help a child, as well as stories that relate to their situation. Below you will find a list of valuable options. Stop by the 2nd-floor Reference desk for assistance finding reading materials that meet your needs.
Helping Abused and Traumatized Children: Integrating Directive and Nondirective Approaches
by Eliana Gil
Presenting an integrative model for treating traumatized children, this book combines play, art, and other expressive therapies with ideas and strategies drawn from cognitive-behavioral and family therapy. Eliana Gil demonstrates how to tailor treatment to the needs of each child by using both directive and nondirective approaches. Throughout, practical clinical examples illustrate ways to target trauma-related symptomatology while also helping children process painful feelings and memories that are difficult to verbalize. The book concludes with four in-depth cases that bring to life the unique situation of each child and family, the decision-making process of the therapist, and the applications of developmentally informed, creative, and flexible interventions.
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A List of Cages
by Robin Roe
When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.
Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kindhearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives…
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English/Spanish Child Abuse Phrase Book
by Edward Stresino
This book is an indispensable reference when a referral requires interviewing Spanish-speaking parents, guardians, or children. For over seven years the Phrase Book has been a staple in many child-welfare training programs throughout California. It has proved invaluable in improving language skills and service delivery for thousands of social workers and others. Presented in clear, concise phrases are questions and instructions commonly used in each step of the referral process. These exchanges are not simply translations from English into Spanish; instead, each situation is visualized equally from each culture. Side by side equivalent phrases in English and Spanish are readily grasped by the fluent and non-fluent speakers.
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Predators and Child Molesters: What Every Parent Needs to Know to Keep Kids Safe
by Robin Sax
There is no crime–not even murder–that worries and sickens parents more than child sexual abuse. Parents wonder how to protect their children when almost every day the news reports another incident of someone in authority arrested on suspicion of child abuse–from clergy and teachers to family members themselves. Even law enforcement has had trouble defining the problem and only recently has the Department of Justice begun recording statistics of sexual assault against children. Amid the confusion generated by sensational news reports and uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of child sexual abuse, what can parents do? In this straightforward, clearly written guidebook, veteran sex-crimes prosecutor and Los Angeles deputy district attorney Robin Sax answers one-hundred questions that she has most often encountered in her fifteen years of experience. From the definition of abuse to the profiles of a predator to how to report an incident and to whom, Sax provides practical, reassuring, and appropriate information. For ease of use, the book is organized into six major sections: -Recognizing predators: molesters, pedophiles, and opportunists -Talking to kids about risks and identifying potential problems -Recognizing abuse -Reporting sexual abuse -Going to court -Healing and moving on Sax makes it clear that protecting children begins with every parent in the home. Parents must view protecting children from the potential of sexual assault as a priority. Teaching children preventive measures should be viewed as important as teaching kids how to dial 9-1-1. Sax concludes by emphasizing that the best defense against sexual offenders is information. Her book provides realistic answers to empower parents and educators, even in the face of one of life’s scariest threats.
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Wayne: An Abused Child’s Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope
by Wayne Theodore
Theodore, now middle-aged, grew up with 11 siblings, an incredibly abusive father, and a meek mother. In this powerful memoir, he recalls a long history of abuse and neglect that he and his siblings managed to sublimate to the point that none of them acknowledged it until they were adults. He begins his memoir with a recollection of his father trying to kill him when he was six years old and then systematically terrorizing the family. As a teenager, he runs away and begins a life on his own. He recounts dropping out of high school, dabbling in drugs, drifting from one low-skill job to another, suffering violent tendencies of his own. A brother’s inquiries prompt Wayne’s memories, and he goes in search of documents to substantiate what he remembers. Reading his family’s case files sets him on a recovery course that ends with a nationally televised confrontation with his parents.
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Bobby and Mandee’s Good Touch/Bad Touch
by Robert S. Kahn
Educate, before it’s too late! In this simple and engaging guide, Mandee and Bobby explain “good touches” (hugs and kisses from family members, a pat on the back, a handshake, or a high 5) and “bad touches” (a hit, slap, punch, kick, bite, hard pinch, shove, or grabbing, tugging, scratching, tripping, or choking). They describe how to recognize each kind of touch, the differences between them, and how to respond. Then Bobby and Mandee talk about private areas and what to do if someone touches you in those places (“Tell a trusted adult! It isn’t your fault!”). They explain that it’s not okay to keep a secret about private areas, even if the person who touched you says that bad things might happen if you tell. When it comes to bad touches, Bobby triumphantly concludes, “Whether it is a stranger or someone you know well, the rules to be safe are always the same: Say no! Run Away! And find a grown-up friend to tell!” Author and former Deputy Sheriff Robert Kahn recommend that parents read this book with their children and encourage teachers to share it with the class!
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