Forsyth Juvenile Court Recognized For Child Sexual Abuse Training

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — The Forsyth County Juvenile Court has achieved Partner in Prevention status, a designation awarded by the nonprofit Darkness to Light. The status is given to organizations which take extra steps to protect the children they serve by training staff to understand the issue of child sexual abuse, identify unsafe situations and practices and react responsibly in the best interest of the children they serve.

Forsyth County Juvenile Court earned the Partner in Prevention designation by providing Stewards of Children training to over 90 percent of its management, staff and volunteers. Partner in Prevention was created as a national standard to help parents and caregivers recognize organizations that take child protection seriously by implementing policy and training staff to prevent child sexual abuse.

“It is our responsibility, as the juvenile court, to ensure the safety and well-being of children. They are our future, and we are committed to protecting them,” said Forsyth County Juvenile Court Chief Judge J. Russell Jackson. “By providing the Stewards of Children training to our staff, we can hopefully prevent child sexual abuse.”

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Forsyth County Juvenile Court is one of many agencies in the county that are engaged in a child sexual abuse prevention initiative. The initiative is under the leadership of the District Attorney's office and Forysth Community Connection, the goal being to train 5 percent of the adults in Forsyth County in Stewards of Children.

Stewards of Children is an evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention training that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The initiative targets all youth-serving organizations, as well as schools and churches in an effort to eliminate the sexual abuse of children in our county. For more information about the initiative or training please contact Beth Ready (jbready@forsythco.com) or Sarah Pedarre (sarah@forsythconnection.org).

Darkness to Light is an international organization that leads the movement to end child sexual abuse by educating and empowering adults in education, youth serving organizations and communities to protect children. Darkness to Light has affiliates in all 50 states and 17 international locations. To learn more, visit www.D2L.org.

About Forsyth County Juvenile Court:
The Juvenile Court is, and always will be, committed to the care, safety and guidance of children; respect and just treatment of all involved; personal development and accountability of children and their families; public safety, and the restoration of victims and communities.

Graphic courtesy Forsyth County