Topic: Child Abuse, Safety, School Culture
Target Population: Middle Childhood, Parents, School Community, Early Childhood
Sector: School-Based
Military Sector: All Branches
This program is for youth in early-learning programs through 5th grade, their parents, and the school community.
Second Step® Child Protection Unit, a school-based prevention program, is designed to provide administrators, teachers, parents, and children with tools and resources they can use to help prevent childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and keep children safe.
Posttest results from a randomized trial indicated significantly higher scores on students’ CSA knowledge; ability to recognize, report, and refuse CSA; and perceived teacher-student relations relative to a wait-list control group. At a 12-month follow-up, students demonstrated an increased ability to recognize appropriate, but not inappropriate, requests and reported improved perceived teacher-student relationships relative to the control group. There were no unintended negative effects on students’ fear in either group. Teachers in the intervention group demonstrated increased knowledge of CSA, more positive attitudes about reporting suspected CSA, and increased positive school climate at the 12-month follow-up relative to teachers in the control group. Parents were randomized to watch Second Step Child Protection Unit videos or child obesity videos. Posttest and 2-month follow-up results indicated that parents in the intervention group experienced increases in knowledge and motivation to talk with their children about CSA compared to the control group.
Second Step Child Protection Unit intends to develop children's self-protection and assertiveness skills by teaching them about general safety; addressing rules about private body parts and what to do if someone breaks these rules; and encouraging children to ask adults for permission before going somewhere, doing something, or accepting something from someone. Lessons include the following:
Online training for administrators, teachers, and staff guides participants in creating or modifying school policies and procedures regarding CSA; learning how to recognize signs of abuse, respond in supportive ways, and report abuse; learning how to teach lessons and become more comfortable discussing subject matter with students; and engaging families using program materials. Family letters, take-home activities, online videos, and other resources on the program website are available to educate parents about CSA, help them discuss CSA with their children, and teach parents how to recognize and report abuse.
Committee for Children, the parent organization for this program, was founded in 1979, and their programs are delivered to more than 14 million children in over 70 countries every year. The Second Step Child Protection Unit was created in 2015 and is currently utilized in several DoDEA schools.
Training is required, and online training is available for administrators, teachers, counselors, and all staff. Module 1 is 75-90 minutes and is completed by administrators. Module 2 is 75-90 minutes and is completed by all school staff. Module 3 is 45-60 minutes and is completed by teachers and counselors. Training is included in the cost of program materials.
Considerations for implementing this program include acquiring administration, teacher, parent, and student buy-in; planning for all school staff to complete online training; realizing that funding may be required to purchase program materials; finding time within an existing curriculum to deliver lessons; ensuring classrooms are equipped to play streaming media and lessons are delivered with fidelity; and having a counselor or social worker available for any students who may need additional support or who are triggered by discussions about CSA.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing Second Step Child Protection Unit, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Lessons 1 to 5 are delivered weekly; lesson 6 is delivered as a review/booster session after a 2- to 3-week break following completion of lesson 5. Lessons in kindergarten through 3rd grade are 20-35 minutes each, and lessons for students in 4th and 5th grades last 35-40 minutes each.
The Child Protection Unit lesson notebooks and staff-training bundle cost $1,239, and the bundle includes lessons, posters, DVD, and streaming media for each grade; family materials; online staff training; and lesson and family materials in Spanish. Materials and training may be purchased separately for each grade, and each costs $229. Please visit https://store.secondstep.org/purchase/product/second-step-child-protection-unit-kindergarten-grade-5-bundle/ for more information.
To move Second Step Child Protection Unit to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact the Committee for Children by mail 2815 Second Ave., Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98121, phone 1-800-634-4449, fax 1-206-343-1445, email info@cfchildren.org, or visit https://www.cfchildren.org/programs/bullying-prevention/
Dudley, M. J., Nickerson, A. B., Kim, S., & Livingston, J. A. (2022). School‐based child abuse prevention: The role of school climate in intervention outcomes for teachers. Psychology in the Schools, 59(6), 1158-1174. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22674
Kim, S., Kim, T. E., & Nickerson, A. (2023). The longitudinal effects of Second Step Child Protection Unit on children: Gender as a moderator. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 32(1), 74-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2022.2154729
Kim, S., Nickerson, A., Livingston, J. A., Dudley, M., Manges, M., Tulledge, J., & Allen, K. (2019). Teacher outcomes from the Second Step Child Protection Unit: Moderating roles of prior preparedness, and treatment acceptability. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 28(6), 726-744. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2019.1620397
Nickerson, A., Kim, S., Dudley, M., Livingston, J. A., & Manges, M. (2021). Longitudinal impact of the Second Step Child Protection Unit on teacher knowledge, attitude, and climate. Children and Youth Services Review, 123, 105892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105892
Nickerson, A. B., Livingston, J. A., & Kamper-DeMarco, K. (2018). Evaluation of Second Step Child Protection videos: A randomized controlled trial. Child Abuse & Neglect, 76, 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.10.001
Nickerson, A. B., Tulledge, J., Manges, M., Kesselring, S., Parks, T., Livingston, J. A., & Dudley, M. (2019). Randomized controlled trial of the Child Protection Unit: Grade and gender as moderators of CSA prevention concepts in elementary students. Child Abuse & Neglect, 96, 104101-104101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104101
Allen, K. (2020). Child sexual abuse prevention education: A qualitative study of teachers’ experiences implementing the Second Step Child Protection Unit. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), S335-S335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.812
Allen, K. P., Livingston, J. A., & Nickerson, A. B. (2020). Child sexual abuse prevention education: A qualitative study of teachers’ experiences implementing the Second Step Child Protection Unit. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 15(2), 218-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2019.1687382
Kim, S., Nickerson, A. B., & Kim, T. E. (2023). The role of Second Step Child Protection Unit online teacher training in explaining teacher and student outcomes: Multilevel SEM analysis. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 16(2), 183-195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00476-z
Kim, T. (2020). Do child sexual abuse prevention programs work? Results from an evaluation of the Second Step Child Protection Unit. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), S334-S334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.810
Livingston, J. A., Allen, K. P., Nickerson, A. B., & O'Hern, K. A. (2020). Parental perspectives on sexual abuse prevention: Barriers and challenges. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(12), 3317-3334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01796-0
Manges, M. (2020). Student outcomes as influenced by teacher characteristics and lesson implementation: An evaluation of the Second Step Child Protection Unit. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), S334-S335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.07.811
Manges, M. E., & Nickerson, A. B. (2020). Student knowledge gain following the Second Step Child Protection Unit: The influence of treatment integrity. Prevention Science, 21(8), 1037-1047. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-020-01146-y
