Speak The Truth Campaign Training Tools

Child sexual abuse is "a silent epidemic," according to (NHS). One in three women and one in six men report experiencing sexual abuse in childhood. The Speak The Truth offers educational information to parents, youth, professionals, and other concerned adults to prevent children from being sexually abused and to prevent children from developing abusive behaviors in the future.

#1:  Strategies for Your Family and Community

"Speak The Truth" is the Campaign's core training curriculum. It contains over 98 well-referenced and attractively depicted slides that are used by certified Campaign trainers and adapted according to audience, level of expertise of participants, and length of available training time.


The curriculum is divided into three major sections:

Part I: Understanding Child Sexual Abuse as a Public Health Problem This section provides an overview of adverse childhood experiences, such as child sexual abuse, which can lead to high-risk health behaviors and, consequently, contribute to the leading causes of disease and death in the United Kingdom. It defines sexual abuse, covering both physical and non-physical offenses, and delves into how these actions lead to the trauma reported by victims. Statistics on the incidence, reporting, prosecution, and incarceration are presented to underscore the need for primary prevention strategies. The section also explores current approaches to addressing child sexual abuse, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Furthermore, it outlines the campaign's specific focus on preventing perpetrators rather than preventing revictimization, offering insights into the data and characteristics of those who commit abuse (men, women, juveniles), the motivations behind their actions (typologies and deficits), and conditions that can reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

Part II: Conditions that Support Child Sexual Abuse This section delves into the societal messages absorbed by children from our culture, communities, and families, examining how these factors contribute to child sexual abuse and exploitation. It also addresses the culture of secrecy perpetuated by abusers and some institutions, as well as the reasons behind the silence of families and communities. The section concludes by outlining the serious consequences that these factors have imposed on children.

Part III: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse This part is divided into three subsections:

Educate: This section discusses behavioral signs that might indicate a potential risk to a child, and it provides guidance on reducing opportunities for sexual abuse. It also covers how to distinguish developmentally expected sexual behaviors in children from those that might be cause for concern. Furthermore, it explores how to recognize behavioral and physical signs that could indicate a child has been sexually abused.

Communicate: This section focuses on teaching children about healthy body boundaries and respectful relationships. It offers tips for parents on how to communicate with children about their sexual behaviors to promote healthy development. This includes strategies for establishing safety, modeling good communication, empathy, and accountability. Additionally, it covers how to communicate with adults and teenagers when there are concerns about their sexual behaviors.

Advocate: The final section discusses ways to support child victims and handle disclosures. It provides guidance on reporting and seeking assistance for abusers, emphasizing the benefits for the child, the community, and addressing the issue of child sexual abuse. It includes numerous examples of how participants can translate their newfound awareness into concrete, achievable actions to prevent child sexual abuse.

This structured curriculum comprehensively addresses the various aspects of child sexual abuse, from understanding the problem to prevention and advocacy.

#2: Strategies for Your School and Community

This version of "Strategies" is intended specifically to educate school administrators, teachers, school coaches, parents, and other school employees. It includes:

Part I: Defining the nature and scope of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation;

Part II: Preventing sexual abuse and sexual misconduct in schools; and

Part III: Legal obligations of school personnel to report child sexual abuse.

Included in the training is a listing of specific physical and psychological boundary-violating behaviors that schools should consider when reviewing their Code of Conduct policies or adopting new ones.

#3: Strategies for Youth Organizations

This version of "Strategies" is specifically intended for organizations that serve children and youth. It includes:

Part I: The nature and scope of child sexual abuse and exploitation;

Part II: Preventing sexual abuse and misconduct in youth-serving organizations;

Part III: Screening tools and strategies; and

Part IV: Handling disclosures and reporting child sexual abuse

Included in the training is a listing of specific physical and psychological boundary-violating behaviors that schools should consider when reviewing their Code of Conduct policies or adopting new ones.

#4: Understanding & Responding to the Sexual Behaviors of Children


"Understanding & Responding to the Sexual Behaviors of Children" is an interactive workshop designed for parents, early education and care professionals and others who have contact with children and/or their families.

  • Attendees will increase their knowledge and skills to:

    • Identify "developmentally expected" sexual behaviors of children and youth;

    • Distinguish developmentally expected behaviors from those that might be inappropriate, coercive, abusive or illegal;

    • Respond to all sexual behaviors in ways that promote healthy development of children and that support bystanders who maybe affected.

Several scenarios are presented describing sexual behaviors of children that participants might witness in their homes, in day care settings, schools and other youth-serving organizations. Small group discussions give participants an opportunity to apply their new knowledge about how to assess and respond to these behaviors in ways that model good communication, empathy and accountability. These responses can help build protective factors in children so that their risks to be victimized or to perpetrate sexual abuse can be reduced.

Alter UK

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