Good Touch/Bad Touch Index

USF's Community/Mental Health

Counseling Program

The Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® Program

Program

Goals

Evidence-

Based

Program

Length

Monique Burr Foundation's

In collaboration for the protection and aid of abused and neglected

children through the promotion of The Good Touch/Bad Touch®

program in public and private schools. This program empowers children

with non-threatening ways to talk about and avoid sexual abuse.

As part of this collaboration with USF’s Community/Mental Health

Counseling Program, the Monique Burr Foundation is offering

15 scholarships to Elementary School Counselors to become

certified Good Touch/Bad Touch® Facilitators.

Please use the link below to learn more...

Scholarships

About Childhood Abuse

Education is Prevention

Training Outcomes

About

Monique Burr

Foundation

Scholarships

As part of the Monique Burr Foundation’s expansion goals on Florida’s west coast, fifteen (15) scholarships are being offered to certify school counselors who serve Kindergarten through Grade 6 students. The value of each scholarship is approximately $1500.

Certification training will be conducted during the fall semester of 2008. Training's date, time, and location will be announced soon. The training itself requires a 3-day commitment.

Scholarships will be awarded on a first come first serve basis to eligible counselors. For consideration, please click on the link below or email Dr. Carlos Zalaquett at Zalaquet@tempest.coedu.usf.edu

Link to scholarships

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The Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® Program

Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® is a child abuse prevention curriculum designed for pre-school and Kindergarten through sixth grade students as a tool to teach children the skills they need to prevent or interrupt abuse. It works by teaching children what abuse is, by giving them skills development, and by empowering them into action if threatened or victimized.

Curriculum Goals:

to eliminate childhood abuse, especially sexual abuse
to increase the number of children who are safe from harm
to reduce the trauma or negative impact of abuse, especially sexual abuse in children’s lives
to empower adults in their efforts to help stop violence/bullying
to build self-esteem about everyone’s right to be safe

This program was created by Pam Church

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About Childhood Sexual Abuse

National statistics reveal that 1 out of every 4 children are sexually assaulted prior to the age of 18. Sexual abuse can happen with our without touch, and is usually by someone the child knows.

Two Definitions of Sexual Abuse:

1.) “Sexual abuse includes any situation which children are being used for someone else’s sexual gratification, ranging from hand-on abuse, such as fondling, oral sex, or intercourse, to exposure to disturbing sexual material. Sexual abuse can be traumatic to children since it is an overwhelming, out of the ordinary experience, and elicits feelings of helplessness and instinctual arousal.” – Eliana Gil, Ph.D.

2.) “Child sexual abuse is a violation of power perpetrated by a person with more power over someone who is more vulnerable. This violation takes a sexual form, but it involves more than sex. It involves a breach of trust, a breaking of boundaries, and a profound violation of the survivor’s sense of self. It is a devasting and selfish crime.”

“The most important thing is defining sexual abuse is the experience of the child. It takes very little for a child’s world to b e devastated. A single experience can have a profound impact on a child’s life.” – Laura Davis and Ellen Bass, Courage to Heal

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Education is Prevention

Just as we protect our children by teaching them safety rules about playing with fire, crossing the street, or talking with strangers, we must aloes teach them safety education about the sad but real problem of sexual abuse. The Good-Touch/Bad-Touch Program® is a comprehensive child abuse prevention curriculum designed for per-school and kindergarten through sixth grade students, which works as a tool to teach children the skills they need to play a significant role in the prevention of interruption of child abuse/sexual abuse in their own lives. Children are taught what abuse is, are given prevention skills including personal body safety rules, and are motivated into action if threatened or victimized.

Become a certified facilitator of Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® and help teach children the skills they need to prevent and interrupt abuse.

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Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® Program is an evidence program

The program has been found to be effective by researchers at the University of Georgia with published results in Behavior Therapy. This study has been replicated twice with similar positive results.

The program has been evaluated by the National Mental Health Association and is approved for listing in their clearinghouse which provides information about validated prevention programs to individuals and organizations worldwide.

More than 5500 educators and other caring adults have been trained and certified to teach Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® both nationally and internationally.

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Training Outcomes

TRAINING OUTCOMES OF GOOD-TOUCH/BAD-TOUCH®: VIOLENCE PREVENTION / BODY SAFETY EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR ADULTS

Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® helps schools and youth organizations create safer environments and strengthen assets for positive youth development, by empowering children, their teachers, parents and other caring adults to connect in positive, supportive ways with each other to prevent, address and solve problems of abuse, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and bullying (including bullying by technology). Using varied teaching techniques that involve children in the classroom lessons, Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® helps schools meet curriculum standards for Health, Safety and Social Education.

Training Outcomes of Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® Facilitator Training are those who can:

Facilitate the Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® Violence Prevention Curriculum with children in PreK through 6^th Grades in a developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive manner
Facilitate the curriculum in a positive or “success-based” manner and engage all children in the class discussions through nurturing, gentleness and humor
Empower children about their right to be safe from all types of violence – including abuse, bullying, sexual harassment, internet danger and stranger danger
Equip children with bystander strategies – ways to promote safety when children witness or are aware of violent behaviors or threats of violence against others or the school
Use a shared language - between children, their teachers and their parents or other caregivers - so that they can address, prevent and solve the difficult problems of abuse, bullying of all types and sexual harassment in their own lives
Recognize symptoms, signs and negative impact of child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and bullying
Understand the impact of the relationship dynamics between the offender and the child victim
Understand the immediate and long-term impact of abuse on the child and the relationship of abuse to the child’s developmental stage
Understand the relationship between child abuse and substance abuse
Understand the relationship between child abuse and the cycle of violence
Understand other issues related to abuse and other types of violence, including: the difference between the male child victim and the female child victim; the grooming behavior of offenders; the child offender (child-on-child abuse); the impact of the internet; the impact of denial; strategies for implementing the program in the training participants’ own environment (schools, youth organizations, religious education programs, advocacy centers, in the home, etc…)
Respond appropriately and helpfully to a child who reports abuse during a classroom session, or to a child who reports abuse, bullying or sexual harassment at a private opportunity
Understand the role of Child Protective Services (CPS) when reports of child abuse are made
Conduct a parent or community meeting and a teacher in-service or other staff meeting about child abuse, especially sexual abuse, and the importance of effective violence prevention through Good-Touch/Bad-Touch®

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Program Length

The Good-Touch/Bad-Touch® program is taught over two days in two classrooms sessions.

Day One: Introduces the 5 body safety rules, define sexual abuse, define types of touches, discuss good and bad promises.
Tools: Giant story book to reinforce concepts of good touches and bad touches, reinforce understanding of sexual abuse, teach 5 body safety rules. Large Story Cards are utilized for Intermediate students.

Day Two: Review Day One concepts, make clear comprehension of good and bad touches, understand concept of tricks.
Tools: Video to reinforce Lesson one.

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Program Goals

to give children and adults a shared language in which to talk about abuse
to teach children the 5 Body Safety Rules
to give children skills and knowledge so they don’t have to be abused at all (other programs teach children what to do after they are hurt, but not how to avoid it before it happens)
to give children skills how to intervene if abuse is happening to them
to teach children the definition of sexual abuse without causing discomfort. To teach the older children the definitions of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect
to teach children respect for their own bodies and respect for others
to talk about bullies: to discuss strategies for coping with bullies and angry feelings without becoming a bully
to teach children they are “special” and have the right to know ALL safety rules
to teach children they have the right to say “no” to abuse and other hurts
to teach children they have the right to trust their own feelings and to empower them to ASK QUESTIONS when they feel uncomfortable or confused about someone’s behavior
to teach children they can tell someone they trust about abuse if it happens to them
to teach children what to do if they tell but aren’t listened to or believed. To teach children it is important to keep telling until they find someone who believes them and remind them they did nothing wrong and that abuse is NEVER the child’s fault
to teach children it is never their fault if someone sexually abuses them, no matter how often it happens
to teach children they are special - and so is everyone else! Children are taught no child ever has the right to sexually abuse or hurt or bully anyone else
to teach children how to identify those persons they can talk to if they have a problem with abuse, especially sexual abuse
to teach children how to be a friend to another child who has been abused

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About Monique Burr Foundation

The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc. (MBF, Inc.) is a non-profit (501 c-3) organization committed to the protection and aid of neglected and abused children in Florida. We promote new and existing programs for disadvantaged children.

The Foundation was created to honor the memory and compassion of Monique Burr, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1996. For years Monique had dedicated herself to children’s issues, leaving behind a legacy of love. Her commitment to children included serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Crisis Center and she founded the PALS program – a program dedicated to caring for children who require 24-hour medical supervision. The Foundation is dedicated in keeping alive Monique’s vision for helping children in need.

The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc. was founded in 1997 and since that time has had a presence in Northeast Florida. Working in partnership with non-profit organizations dedicated to the prevention of all forms of child abuse, insuring every child has opportunity to grow in a nurturing home and community. Over 60,000 children have been impacted by the enrichment, educational and prevention programs funded with over $1.5M from the foundation as of 2005. The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc. Board of Directors in 2005 began the expansion of the Foundation into all communities in Florida and Southeast Georgia.

Through operating and funding of several key programs and by partnering with area agencies we have successfully established such notable programs as:

Good Touch Bad Touch – Body safety and abuse prevention program taught in private and public school systems – The Foundation utilizes a trained volunteer base to expand this program and reach a greater number of children each year.
Monique Burr Child Safety Net Program has experienced, trained case managers partnering with children and their families to prevent the reoccurrence of child abuse within the family unit. This unique program has been extremely successful in protecting abused children with in-home visits, education and training for the parents and advocating on behalf of the children within the community.
Monique’s Kids is a prevention program for at risk children, providing unique enrichment, educational and fun experiences to over 150 children each day. They participate in reading and math tutoring programs, art, music and dance programs and are fortunate to meet, share and learn from a variety of community and business leaders. The Kids “give back” to their community through volunteer and service opportunities. There are currently three locations for these children to be involved in this program: Monique’s Kids – Sanctuary, Monique’s Kids – Triumph and our newest program at Monique’s Kids – Southwind Villas. The Foundation is planning to expand this program into the Beaches and other areas of NE Florida.

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