One of the most effective forms of prevention is education. Women’s Services is dedicated to educating the adults and children in our community about the dynamics of abuse and interpersonal violence with a special emphasis on personal safety.
Women’s Services presents abuse awareness programs to schools, professional organizations, and other community groups. The school-based abuse awareness programs are designed to reduce abuse by educating school-age children, their parents, and teachers about the incidence of child abuse as well as strategies to combat it.
Women’s Services presents age-appropriate abuse awareness programs to students enrolled in kindergarten, grades 3 and 5, middle and high school in the Crawford, Penncrest, and Conneaut School Districts.
The goal of the Three Kinds of Touches program is to teach young children about safe, ouch, and uh-oh touches; to recognize signs of potentially unsafe situations, and to trust their instincts. Children explore their existing support system and learn that they have the right to tell a trusted adult if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
designed to meet the needs of students with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) from Preschool to age 22 who are enrolled in educational settings. Curricula are designed specially for each classroom, based on needs identified by the classroom teacher. Each topic, selected by the teacher, relates to the prevention of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse.
Students learn safety skills for potentially reducing the incidence of child abuse. Children are taught bodily autonomy (that their body belongs to them and that they decide who can touch it), and how to recognize and respond to uncomfortable or potentially unsafe situations. CAAP informs students that although child abuse does occur, there are people who care and want to help them be safe.
Provides students with information about what behaviors constitute abuse, how to recognize abuse within relationships, how to get help, and how to help others (bystander skills).
Informs students of the generally accepted indicators of potentially abusive relationships. The staff also discusses the underlying causes and contributing factors in abuse and teaches students abuse prevention strategies.
WSI offers training that educates the public about the signs and causes of abuse. Training can provide information on the specific patterns of domestic violence, the interpersonal dynamics of abuse, and how to increase personal safety. In addition, WSI staff can provide training about the dangers that employers and their employees may face in the workplace. These trainings can be tailored toward a community group or a company’s specific needs.
Women’s Services developed the Modified Abuse Awareness Program (MAAP) to meet the special needs of students enrolled in Autism, Life Skills, and Learning and Emotional Support classes. Although similar to other abuse awareness programs, MAAP has been adapted for smaller and more structured classrooms with a special emphasis on shorter but more frequent sessions, more detail, and more student interaction. Students are encouraged to explore personal safety strategies and identify individual safety networks.
This program offers adults who have IDD, their staff support, and/or family members an opportunity to share information and practice skills related to abuse prevention. Adults who have IDD learn about relationships, communication skills, consent, and starting relationships. They practice assertiveness skills that can help to overcome the compliance that can make them so vulnerable to abuse. Staff and family members share information related to supporting adults who have IDD. This is also an opportunity to learn and practice new skills, to strengthen the existing family and community support systems.
This training is appropriate for adult protective services workers, law enforcement, independent contractors, and others. It can be presented in-person or virtually and is designed to provide those who investigate sexual violence against older adults and people who have IDD with important information, including:
204 Spring Street
Meadville, PA 16335
Office Phone 814-724-4637
123 North Franklin Street
Titusville, PA 16354
Office Phone 814-775-0445
