FYI News - Arizona's Child Abuse InfoCenter

If you would like to post news bulletins or information relevant to child abuse and neglect in Arizona, please email us.

Mandated Reporter Training in Arizona

Free training to explore A.R.S. 13-3620 (the mandatory reporting law) and explain to participants how to fulfill their duty as mandatory reporters is available in many Arizona counties. Trainers include representatives from your local law enforcement, child protective services and county attorney's offices. Trainers provide effective tools to interface with child abuse victims, while not hindering an investigation. In addition, the presenters educate the participants on the county procedures that supplement the state reporting law.

Contact your county representative to schedule a session for your agency or other group:

National Sexual Offender Registry

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a nationwide, Internet-based, searchable Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Registry website. The Registry provides one-stop access to registries from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to keep parents and communities informed and engaged. Internet searchers can access the latest information for the identity and location of known sex offenders. Sharing this information with concerned citizens is a strategy DOJ uses to protect children.

The web site is a search tool allowing a user to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders through a number of search options:

Diocese of Phoenix Begins Implementation of New “Called To Protect” Program

The Diocese of Phoenix is implementing a three-part program, entitled “Called to Protect,” which teaches church leaders, parents and youth how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and prevent it.

The Diocesan Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Minors requires annual training sessions in the program for all priests, deacons, all employees, all individuals who volunteer in programs that serve minors, and all minors who are enrolled in Catholic schools and/or religious education programs.

The program covers facts and myths about child sexual abuse; demonstrates how offenders gain access to children; and provides methods for screening employees and volunteers. It offers guidelines for appropriate interactions with children; gives advice on how to monitor church programs; and presents tips on responding to allegations of abuse. The program educates children about their physical, emotional and behavioral boundaries and how to respond if they are violated.

For additional information, please contact Jean Sokol, Director, Office of Child and Youth Protection at jsokol@diocesephoenix.org.

What Every Child Should Know

P.S. It's My Body! is a community education, personal safety program for children offered by the Southern Arizona Children's Advocacy Center (SACAC). This program--offered in both English and Spanish--is designed to teach children and youth, pre-kindergarten through seventh grade, skills to help protect themselves against sexual abuse, harassment, and molestation including how to resist potential acts of abuse, and what to do in the event they should experience, or are currently experiencing, such abuse. The curriculum covers a wide array of topics designed to teach and reinforce the concepts of Recognizing, Resisting, and Reporting abuse including: being assertive, saying no, welcome vs. unwelcome touches, when secrets should not be kept, identifying and reporting to trusted adults, and personal safety zones. Each age group learns these skills through age-appropriate lessons, activities, and presentations including the Happy Bear play, an interactive presentation designed for children pre-K through 2nd grade. P.S. It's My Body! is conducted free of charge throughout all of Southern Arizona including the counties of Pima, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Gila, Pinal, and Graham and also in the reservation communities. For more information and to schedule this program in your school or other youth setting, please contact Enrique Aviles, Prevention Specialist, SACAC, 520.319.5511, or email eaviles @ soazadvocacy.org.

Child Abuse Prevention Info for Parents

Arizona's Child Abuse InfoCenter has posted a website, "Parent-Wise", specifically for parents and other caregivers to protect children from maltreatment. "Parent-Wise" features answers to the most frequently asked questions about how to keep children safe from abuse in the home and elsewhere. It has information on child development, discipline, crisis telephone numbers and what a parent can do to keep themselves from losing their temper with children. The Arizona Elks, the Pima County Attorney's Office of Barbara LaWall, and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona made this project possible.

The Dental Team's Responsibility for Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

Studies show that 65% of child abuse cases involve injuries above the shoulders. Children's dental health providers are in a position to identify indicators of child abuse and neglect that other people may never see. Full color brochures on oro-facial manifestations of child abuse are available just by calling Arizona's Office of Oral Health at (602) 542-1866. Provide a copy to your dentist office this year.

Electronic Mail Program at the InfoCenter

Arizona's Child Abuse InfoCenter periodically sends out FREE electronic mail to professionals and volunteers throughout our state who are dealing with child abuse issues. We distribute current information about pertinent developments and resources. We hope that the information provided will be useful to you. If you are not currently receiving this service, just e-mail us with JOIN in the subject line and your first and last name in the body of the message.

Child Abuse Prevention Fund

Not enough people know that you can add money to your AZ tax return that will go straight into the Child Abuse Prevention Fund. This special fund supports community programs in Arizona, like Healthy Families, that have proven effective in educating parents and keeping children safe.

The rewards are obvious; no child deserves to be abused or neglected. What's more, child abuse prevention pays off in the long-term cost of prison care because studies show that a vast majority of inmates were abused as children.

You can prevent child abuse. It's as simple as making a donation to the Child Abuse Prevention Fund on your Arizona income Tax Return. Line 46 on Form 140 and line 40 on Form 140A.

Arizona Child Abuse Prevention License Plate

In 1999, an Arizona Child Abuse Prevention License Plate was created. These special license plates are available statewide through the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles, and can be ordered online at the Arizona Department of Transportation website for $25 per year. $17 from each sale goes to funding primary prevention programs in the state.

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Last Updated September 26, 2007
We welcome your comments and suggestions.
E-mail us at-- acainfo@ahsc.arizona.edu

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