Prevention Resources

What Can I Do?
Each of us has a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable of our community. Your willingness to become educated and take action as an active bystander is CRITICAL in stopping child abuse! Below are in person and online resources you can use in your personal and professional lives to make a positive impact in our community. 

Education and Support in the Tri-County Region

Agency County Resources
A Safe Place Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Empowered Me!: After school program for girls ages 11-14.
  • Trauma and Trafficking: Help change perceptions and decrease stigmas towards survivors.
  • Online Predators and Social Media: Learn how youth are targeted online.
Carousel Child Advocacy Center Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Stewards of Children: Learn to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse (adult training).
  • Safe Group: Parenting After Trauma Support Group: Support group for parents and caregivers of children who have survived trauma.
  • Problem Sexual Behaviors: Treatment program for school-aged children, ages 7 to 12, struggling with problematic sexualized behaviors and their families.
Coastal Horizons Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Adult & Youth Mental Health First Aid: Teaches participants to recognize and assist during a mental health challenge or crisis.
  • Community Resilience Model (CRM): Designed to help adults and children learn skills to track their own nervous system.
  • Reconnect for Resilience (R4R): Participants are given the “owners manual” to the body’s safety and threat management system and learn to use their natural ability to find balance.
  • Child First: Works with very challenged young children and families to provide intensive, mental health, home visiting services.
Communities in Schools- BC Brunswick
  • Action for Success: Dropout prevention program providing case management, basic needs, academic tutoring, attendance, behavioral, and social emotional learning interventions to at risk students.
  • Restore: restorative practices focused interventions for student misdemeanor offenses, providing restorative circles, case management support, and student reintegration back into their school community
Communities in Schools of the Cape Fear New Hanover, Pender
  • Student Support Specialists: Case-managed services to students who are identified as being at-risk of dropping out or in need of specific intervention services
  • Extended Learning: Free afterschool at 6 schools in Pender County, and free academically focused summer programs in both counties.
  • Baby Steps Young Parent Support: A two-tiered system of support for parents aged 24 and younger.
  • Cape Fear Healthy Opportunity Pilot: Parent support groups and case management services to qualifying families.
  • CLASS Short Term Suspension Program: A safe and supportive environment where NHCS students serving 3-10 day suspensions can get help catching up on their academic assignments.
  • Teen Court & Restorative Justice Programs: For low level, juvenile offenders to help recognize the harm they caused and opportunities to repair that harm without entering the justice system.
Keep Your Hands Off Me, Inc. Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Holistic Healing Workshop: Education, tools, and practical resources that empower individuals to take control of their psychological and emotional well-being.
New Hanover Resiliency Task Force New Hanover
  • Community Resilience Model: Learn six skills to help adults and children track their own nervous systems.
  • Connections Matter: Explore how the connections we make impact our brain’s ability to grow and our abilities to cope and thrive.
  • Foundations of Resilience: Introduction to the concepts and impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and trauma.
  • Reconnect For Resilience: Learn to use own natural ability to find balance.
  • Racial Equity and Trauma Training Series: Bring healing, person-focused solutions to complex systematic issues in our community.
Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Birds, Bees & Sexting Training: Designed for parents, guardians, and childcare professionals for an open discussion on sexual health talks throughout childhood.
Smart Start of BC Brunswick
  • Parents as Teachers: Personal visits with families, connections with community resources, and opportunities to build social support.
  • Positive Parenting Practice (Triple P): Provides parents with easy strategies to strengthen relationships, effectively manage children’s behavior, and prevent issues from arising.
  • Kaleidoscope Play and Learn: Weekly play groups where parents and caregivers can support children’s early learning through everyday activities.
Smart Start of NHC New Hanover
  • Circle of Parents: Support group for parents and caregivers of children 0-8. Offers a separate group for parents and caregivers of children 0-12 with special needs. Both groups provide free programming for children in addition to the caregiver support group.
  • Kaleidoscope Play and Learn: Weekly play groups where parents and caregivers can support children’s early learning through everyday activities.
  • Parents as Teachers: Personal visits with families, connections with community resources, and opportunities to build social support.
  • Positive Parenting Practice (Triple P): Gives parents simple strategies to help build strong relationships, manage their children’s behavior, and prevent problems from developing.
Smart Start of PC Pender
  • BESST (Baby Easy Safe Sleep Training): This workshop presents excellent tools to assist parents in raising awareness about and potentially reducing through education and prevention strategies, the incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
YWCA Lower Cape Fear  Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender
  • Early Parenthood Program (EPP): Aims to help pregnant and parenting teens stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents and delay another teen pregnancy.
  • Grandparent Support Network (GSN): Support group for grandparents providing full-time care for their grandchildren.
  • New Choices: Supports women’s empowerment and economic advancement, with a particular focus on the reality of the way race impacts women’s economic opportunities.

Online Resources

Organization Audience Resource
National Children’s Alliance Parents/Caregivers, Victim Service/First Responder Child Sexual Abuse Material Resource Toolkit: Resources to respond to the complex needs of victims of child abuse images, child sexual abuse material, or child pornography.
Safe Kids Thrive Youth Serving Organizations Elements of Prevention: Education and tools to build a foundation of a comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention plan at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO).
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Parents/Caregivers, Victim Service/First Responder NetSmartz: An online safety education program offering age-appropriate videos and activities to teach children how to stay safe online.

No Escape Room: 7-minute interactive experience that plunges parents and caregivers into the reality of financial sextortion.

Resources for Child Exploitation Survivors: Learn more about reporting and removing child sexual abuse material, emotional and peer support, and locating therapists and attorneys.
One in Ten Parents/Caregivers, Victim Service/First Responder One in Ten Podcast: Hear from leading experts on science, law, medicine, morality, and messaging working to solve one of the world’s toughest challenges- child abuse.
Knot Today Parents/Caregivers Parent and Caregiver Guide: A user-friendly, quick resource guide to educate parents and caregivers on the potential dangers and risks children have from sexual predators.
The Mama Bear Effect Parents/Caregivers, Youth Serving Organizations, Victim Service/First Responder Prevention Education Resources: Provides a comprehensive list of prevention and education resources including webinars and resources for support, healing, and advocacy.
Stop It Now Parents/Caregivers, Youth Serving Organizations, Victim Service/First Responder Prevention Tools: Access trainings, tip sheets (safety planning, parents of children with disabilities, concerning behaviors, internet safety, etc.), guidebooks, library of resources, and more.
Sextortion Film Parents/Caregivers, Victim Service/First Responder Sextortion Film: Learn about the world of online grooming and sextortion of children- an increasingly growing threat in today’s digitally connected world.
Thorn Parents/Caregivers Thorn for Parents – Digital Safety Resources: Thorn for Parents can help you start an ongoing dialogue about digital safety and the risks of online abuse. Get tips and resources to help you protect your child online.
Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina Youth Serving Organizations Toolkit – Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy: This toolkit is designed to help your organization become a safe space for children and families by guiding you through the creation of a basic child safeguarding policy.