The Fannin County Children’s Center is offering free child abuse prevention classes in June for adults that serve children and youth.
The “Recognizing & Reporting” class utilizes video, class discussion and case studies. Learning objectives include: the realities of child abuse, detailing who becomes victims, who the likely perpetrators are and the prevalence of abuse in all communities, the legal definitions, signs and symptoms of child abuse, how to communicate with a child who makes a disclosure of abuse, how to make a report and how to overcome one's fear's and barriers around reporting. This class will be offered two times in June at the Center: on Monday, June 18 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm and again on Tuesday, June 19 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.
The “Stewards of Children” class is utilizes video, interactive workbooks and class discussion. Topics covered include how to recognize signs and symptoms of sexual abuse, how to react to a child making a disclosure of sexual abuse, as well as steps that individuals and organizations can take to prevent sexual abuse of children. This class will be offered for free, two times in June at the Center, including on Wednesday, June 20 from 9 am to 12 noon and on Tuesday, June 26 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.
All classes will be held at the Children’s Center at 112 West Fifth Street in Bonham. All participants who successfully complete the class will receive a certificate. Thanks to generous donations, there is no charge for the classes. Seating is limited.
To register, contact the Children’s Center by phone at (903) 583-4339, by email at info@fanninccc.org or in person at 112 W. 5th in Bonham. Provide your name, which class you want to attend and a contact method (phone and/or email).
The Children's Center also collaborates with Texoma Community Center (formerly MHMR Services of Texoma) to provide the WHO Program to children and youth in school and other settings, such as church school or VBS. Classes utilize video and class discussion to teach children about personal safety. Topics vary depending on the age of children the class is designed for. For more information or to schedule a WHO program in Fannin County, contact Sandy Hood at (903) 583-4339 or Paula Cawthon at (903) 957-4700.
For those adults interested in learning more about reporting child abuse, the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services offers a free, on-line training program regarding reporting abuse or neglect. The class takes one hour to complete and includes a certificate of completion. For more information, go to http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Training/Reporting/default.asp