You could save a child from abuse

Free 2-hour training offered on October 30 teaches how

By Oliver Lazenby

One in ten children are sexually abused before they turn 18, often by someone they and their caregivers know.

To help adults recognize, prevent and respond to child sexual abuse, Bellingham nonprofit Brigid Collins Family Support Center will lead a training session from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30 at the Blaine Middle School Cafeteria. The session is for school district staff as well as community members.

At the training session, called Stewards of Children, attendees will hear from adult survivors of child sexual abuse and from experts who work with children and families to confront abuse.

“The training raises your awareness and takes off your blinders so you can look at the world a little bit differently,” said Andrea Harrison, development and outreach manager for Brigid Collins. “It empowers you to take a stand when something doesn’t feel right.”

A national nonprofit called Darkness to Light developed the training. The group’s website says a trained adult can protect an average of 10 children from sexual abuse.

Brigid Collins started the trainings in 2012 and does them monthly at its Bellingham office and by requests to such groups as churches, book clubs, businesses, schools and nonprofits. In that time, Brigid Collins has trained about 7,500 adults and the number of investigated child abuse victims by CPS dropped 21 percent, Harrison said.

The training is specific to sexual abuse, but can be helpful for all forms of abuse.

If interested in attending, RVSP at brigidcollins.org/stewards-of-children-1-1, and make sure to skip the payment option after registration. Blaine School District is covering the typical $10 fee.