Is Sexual Abuse Awareness Training suitable for teenagers?

We recommend Sexual Abuse Awareness Training for teenagers 13 years of age and up. Hundreds of Organizations across the country are applying this general rule of thumb.

If a teen (13 years of age or older) is not sufficiently mature to respond appropriately to the Training, he or she is probably not suitable to supervise younger children.

Consider these practices utilized by other Abuse Prevention Systems members:

• Give the parent/guardian an opportunity to watch Sexual Abuse Awareness Training before his or her child views the Training.
• Encourage the parent/guardian and child to watch the Training together, using the Training as a teachable moment to discuss child sexual abuse.
• Consider getting parent/guardian authorization before sending Training to a youth volunteer.

As a last resort, give the parent/guardian the option of watching Sexual Abuse Awareness Training, then communicating its guiding principles to his or her child, segment by segment.

We do not endorse the final option, as the Training cannot be paraphrased and maintain the same educational value. If this practice is offered, the youth volunteer should not be counted as an adult in adult-to-minor ratios in programs and activities. In other words, there should be at least two Trained and screened adults present at any time the youth interacts with other minors as a volunteer in child-serving settings.