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Enough Abuse New Jersey

The NJ Enough Abuse Campaign was created in 2011, with support from the Ms. Foundation for Women and leadership from Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey (PCA-NJ).

Its goal was to replicate and evaluate the innovative model of the Enough Abuse Campaign in New Jersey and to join in a partnership to expand the effort nationwide. The effort in NJ  centered on 1) establishing a statewide network of experts to work together to develop new policies and practices to prevent child sexual abuse, and 2) mobilize efforts in NJ communities to educate thousands of adults about the facts of child sexual abuse that enable them to better protect their children from harm.

Accomplishments

1. On the Policy Front:

We established the NJ Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, a group of more than 30 multidisciplinary experts in the field of child welfare, to identify new ways to prevent child sexual abuse statewide.

We develop policies for youth-serving organizations focused on prevention of child sexual abuse. In December 2012, the Partnership published the NJ-Safe Child Standards for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, a set of best-practice guidelines to help any youth-serving organization develop effective policies focused on preventing child sexual abuse. The NJ Department of Children and Families made the Standards a condition of eligibility for state funding for youth-serving organizations. Other funding organizations, including the NJ Council of Grantmakers, are also making the Standards a condition for funding from their member organizations.

We strengthened the involvement of pediatricians in the prevention of child sexual abuse. Led by NJ Partnership member and internationally recognized pediatrician Dr. Martin Finkel, the NJ Academy of Pediatrics implemented a strategy engage pediatricians in prevention. Dr. Finkel authored an article in the NJ-AAP Journal about “Personal Space and Privacy Issues” and the NJ-AAP conducted a survey of NJ pediatricians to learn about their knowledge about these issues and whether they speak with parents about the topic. The NJ Academy of Pediatrics enlisted 25 other states to participate in the survey. Survey results resulted in a set of “anticipatory guidance” protocols for pediatricians about child sexual abuse prevention.

2. Mobilizing Community Efforts:

The NJ Partnership selected Newark, Mercer County, and Warren and Sussex Counties as the first communities to join in the Enough Abuse Campaign. These communities identified dozens of volunteers who were then trained by the national Enough Abuse Campaign staff. Thousands of adults have now been trained using the various Enough Abuse curricula.

In Warren/Sussex County, the lead organization developed a local public awareness campaign to engage local organizations to support the effort to prevent child sexual abuse. The campaign ad was published in the NJ Herald newspaper on April 7, 2013. 

Project Self-Sufficiency, in cooperation with Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey (PCA-NJ), launched the Sussex Warren Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse. Project Self-Sufficiency leads free virtual Enough Abuse training sessions for coaches, parents, middle and high school students, teachers and other youth-serving professionals. They also offer in person trainings for schools, youth organizations, businesses and civic organizations.

“The Enough Abuse Campaign provides the community with pro active tactics to keep their children safe. Strategies for identifying a predator, techniques for assessing whether or not a child is being abused, and local resources are all provided free of charge at powerful, interactive training sessions.”

– Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director, Project Self-Sufficiency

“A wonderful effort to organize and mobilize the community in addressing the epidemic of childhood sexual abuse by bringing awareness, education, compassion and practical preventative solutions to the problem of childhood sexual victimization in our community.”

-Gwen Federico, Director, Sexual Assault Program, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault.

Newark reached an agreement with the School Superintendent to provide training to counselors and other school personnel in the Newark Public School System.

PCA-NJ trained the entire statewide network of the Healthy Families and Parents As Teachers home visiting programs, involving staff from 30 home visitation programs in all 21 counties of the State and serving more than 3,000 families. We have also trained the statewide network of family workers” (in preschools located in low-income communities). More than 500 family workers have been trained, and their centers serve an estimated 30,000 families statewide.

Several additional policy initiatives were initiated, including one focused on children with disabilities and one focused on special issues related to juvenile offenders.

In collaboration with the Enough Abuse Campaign and with initial seed funding from the Ms. Foundation, Prevent Child Abuse NJ helped spearhead a new movement in New Jersey to address a critically important public health issue  – one that had largely been ignored. Our challenge now is to continue to expand the number of communities involved in the Campaign, to address new policy issues to strengthen prevention for all of NJ’s children, and find the necessary resources to sustain the effort over time.

3. Enough! Course for Schools

In 2022, MassKids partnered with the New Jersey Principals and Superintendent’s Association (NJPSA) to promote the Enough! Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in My School online course with New Jersey schools. Hopewell Valley School District adopted the course as a pilot, with over 300 employees taking the course. Evaluations by Hopewell Valley Schools employees showed that:

• 94% reported they are more likely now to identify signs in a child that might indicate they are experiencing or have experienced child sexual abuse.
• 96% are more confident that they would respond appropriately to a child disclosing sexual abuse to them as a result of this training.
• 96% believe that the likelihood of their reporting a situation of suspected sexual abuse increased as a result of this training.
• 95% of participants would recommend the course to a colleague.

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