Once you have identified your training expectations and standards and have researched current and available local and national training, explore options for training outside of your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). Training implementation should include ongoing, regularly scheduled opportunities for attendance, follow up protocols with those who did not attend, as well as feedback from attendees.   

Set a schedule that allows staff and volunteers multiple opportunities to attend all required training. Ensure trainings are scheduled to allow staff and volunteers flexibility to attend. Training should be given on multiple occasions in order for all staff and volunteers to have an opportunity to attend.  

Select a venue ideal for learning, ensuring it has the necessary equipment for a training event, including technology and adequate space. The training venue should minimize distractions while being equipped with the proper materials to present the information. The space should be set up with proper technology and space appropriate for those attending to learn. 

Record attendance, promptly follow up with those who miss a session and provide a future date to attend, or individualized instruction. In order to assess compliance, take attendance during training sessions to confirm staff and volunteers are present and receiving safety information. Following up with staff and volunteers who were not in attendance about future sessions ensures they are being given opportunities to learn about child safety.  

Consider issuing “certificates of completion” to all training attendees. Your organization may want to give attendees a way to demonstrate their training attendance, in the form of a certificate. Showcasing these certificates at your organization communicates to the outside world that your staff is committed to preventing sexual abuse and keeping kids safe.  

Circulate after-training surveys and evaluations to allow for participant feedback and include questions that measure learning and skill-building. Get feedback from attendees to gauge understanding and learn what trainers can do to improve. These surveys should measure aspects of what was learned, how attendees would apply that knowledge in various situations, and allow attendees to give feedback to trainers.  

Ensure instructors who train parents incorporate both child sexual abuse education and your organization’s child sexual abuse prevention policies. If your YSO is required to train children, choose an evidence-informed curriculum that involves parents, and ensure instructors are appropriately trained in its administration. Partner with parents in the training process, inform them about your safety policies, and provide materials that allow them to reinforce the lesson concepts at home 

Effective implementation and scheduling of training ensures safety is made a priority at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO). Staff, volunteers, children, and parents should be made part of the implementation process, by attending sessions and being asked to give feedback. Trainings allow opportunities for those at your organization to learn about child abuse prevention. 

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