The Diana Screen: An Effective Screening Tool

The Diana Screen®: An Eﬀec1ve Screening Tool Transforming lives through the power of mentoring To Reduce Sexual Risk To Children Friends for Youth’s Mentoring Ins1tute April 2011 Webinar

Webinar Logis8cs •  All aFendees muted for best sound •  “Raise your hand” to be unmuted – works best for telephone or headset‐to‐computer connec1ons – and please monitor background noise •  Type ques1ons and comments in the ques1on box; responses will either be direct to you or shared with all aFendees Sarah Kremer, ATR‐BC Whitney Gabriel, J.D. Rebecca Duran Program Director Na1onal Director of Program Manager Friends for Youth’s Child Safety Friends for Youth Mentoring Ins1tute Abel Screening, Inc.

Slides posted to SlideShare Link and brief survey included in follow‐up email

The following are a par1al representa1on of the slides that were part of this original webinar presenta1on. For more informa1on on The Diana Screen® Call Whitney Gabriel, JD Na1onal Director of Child Safety (510) 263‐5313 or Abel Screening, Inc. (404) 874‐4772 4

An Abel Screening Child Protec2on Test Friends for Youth’s Mentoring Ins1tute The Diana Screen®: An Eﬀec1ve Screening Tool To Reduce Sexual Risk To Children Whitney Gabriel, J.D. Na1onal Director of Child Safety Abel Screening, Inc. (510) 263‐5313 wgabriel@dianascreen.com Rebecca Duran Program Director, Mentoring Services Friends for Youth, Inc. (650) 482‐2866 rebecca@friendsforyouth.org 5

Experts es1mate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays Darkness to Light, 7 Steps To Protec>ng Our Children, A Guide For Responsible Adults, 2007 6

Most are abused by someone known to the child or by someone who the family trusts. Mentoring organiza1ons, like all types of youth‐serving en11es, are targets for people who are sexually interested in children 7

Can a staﬀ member tell if someone is a sexual risk to children by the way they look or the way they act? 8

Na1onally known pediatrician Dr. Melvin Levine was: •  an innovator who transformed the educa1on of children with learning disabili1es •  a founder of a nonproﬁt group that trained thousands of teachers of children with learning disabili1es •  named by Scholas1c Press as “the most admired person in educa1on” •  a Rhodes scholar •  featured in a PBS documentary for his belief that every child could learn and no child should ever be humiliated Source: The New York Times 2/28/11 9

Na1onally known pediatrician Dr. Melvin Levine •  Had repeatedly been accused of sexually abusing young male pa1ents in both Boston and North Carolina •  Was charged with performing unnecessary genital exams on 40 boys while at Children’s Hospital Boston Source: The New York Times 2/28/11 10

What Screening Steps Does Your Organiza1on Take To Protect Mentees from Sexual Abuse? 11

[Diana LOGO] Who Was Diana? Diana was a ﬁve‐year‐old girl in a therapeu>c foster care group seJng when she was ﬁrst sexually abused by the man who stayed with the children at night. AMer being in this sexually abusive situa>on for two years, Diana was adopted. Even with the love of a wonderful family, Diana didn’t survive. 12

In honor of Diana and those who did survive child sexual abuse, the screen designed to protect children is named The Diana Screen®. 13

[Diana LOGO] The Problem Every Mentoring Program Faces 6% 14

An es1mated 6% of adults are sexually interested in children •  they apply to work at your organiza1on •  they apply to be mentors Reference: Abel, G.G., & Harlow, N. (2001). The stop child molesta>on book. Xlibris Corpora1on. Denov, M.S. (2003). The myth of innocence: Sexual scripts and the recogni1on of child sexual abuse by female perpetrators. The Journal of Sex Research, 40(3), 303‐314. Briere, J., & Runtz, M. (1989). University males sexual interest in children: Predic1ng poten1al indices of "pedophilia" in a nonforensic sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 13, 65‐75. 15

•  They are equally represented in every socio‐economic group and every religion. •  Nearly all of those who molest start the behavior at an early age—14 to 18 years old. 16

Are Criminal Background Checks Eﬀec1ve at Iden1fying People Who Sexually Abuse Children? 17

[Diana LOGO] Reports Rarely Get To The Police In a study of 13,000 people about child sexual abuse, only 6% of those abused indicated that the abuse was ever reported to the police. Child Molesta>on Research & Preven>on Ins>tute – Feb. 2009, preliminary data 18

Criminal Background Checks Criminal background checks do not work well to screen out people who sexually abuse children •  ChoicePoint, auer running 3.7 million checks, only iden1fied 1/10th of 1% as convicted sex offenders* •  A children’s hospital ran 5,000 checks and iden1fied 0. Two staff members were arrested for child sexual abuse over a six week period. *The Importance of Background Screening for Nonprofits: An Updated Briefing, ChoicePoint, April, 2008 19

Most abuse a child because they have a sex drive directed at children This Sex Drive •  Is secret •  Is on an extra track from adult sexual interest •  Runs along with their sex drive toward adults 20

Sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual boundary interac1ons are not just commiFed by males. 21

Female Sex Offenders •  Criminal Jus1ce: Of those incarcerated for sex offenses, 1.5% are female •  Dr. Myriam Denov’s study: Percentage of female offenders is actually MUCH higher: 12% 22

If criminal background checks don’t work and a staﬀ person can’t tell which people are a sexual risk to children… What happens? 23

Former Teacher, Mentor Pleads Guilty To Lewd Molesta8on in Oklahoma A former teacher and mentor for Big Brothers was charged with three counts of child sexual abuse, possession of child pornography and lewd molesta1on. He repeatedly had sex with a 14‐year‐old boy he was supposed to be mentoring as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Source: KTUL.com 10/07/2010

New Jersey Mentor Accused of Sexually Assaul8ng Girl She Was Counseling A 31‐year‐old female youth counselor for a New Jersey residen1al rehabilita1on and mentoring program was arrested on charges she sexually assaulted a 15‐year‐old girl she was mentoring over a 6‐month period. Source: New Jersey On‐Line 07/29/2010

Las Vegas Pediatric Resident Accused of Sexual Assault A 32‐year‐old Las Vegas pediatric resident was accused of sexually assaul1ng a 10‐year‐old boy he met through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Source: Las Vegas Review‐Journal 04/29/2005

Connec8cut Pastor/Mentor Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges A 40‐year‐old minister and former execu1ve director of a mentoring program for at‐risk‐youth is accused of sexually abusing several young men. The mentor admiFed to inves1gators that he had sexual ac1vity with a 16‐year‐old boy. Source: Stamford Advocate 02/16/2010

Bal8more Mentor Charged With Child Sexual Abuse A 47‐year‐old Bal1more City school volunteer is charged with sexually abusing a 14‐year‐old male student. The suspect underwent a background check that revealed no prior record. Source: ABC 2 News 10/28/2010

California Man Convicted of Molesta8on A 65‐year‐old Monterey County re1ree was convicted of moles1ng four liFle girls. Three of the vic1ms were assigned to the suspect and his wife through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. The fourth girl was a neighbor. The abuse occurred over a 10‐year period. Source: Ventura County Star 12/02/2010

[Diana LOGO] The Tes1ng Company Behind The Diana Screen® 30

[Diana LOGO] Abel Screening, Inc. •  Founded in 1995 to invent, produce and market psychological tests that would prevent the sexual abuse of children •  Abel Screening, Inc. maintains the largest na1onal database of detailed informa1on on men, women and adolescents with sexual boundary problems 31

[Diana LOGO] Background •  The Diana Screen®was 18 years in development •  Ques1ons have been tested on over 110,000 previous test takers •  Only screening methodology that is scien1ﬁcally validated and evidence‐based 32

[Diana LOGO] What is The Diana Screen®? 33

[Diana LOGO] The Diana Screen® is a 20 minute, online risk management screen used to iden1fy men and women in the general popula1on who pose a sexual risk to children. 34

[Diana LOGO] The Diana Screen® is designed to screen people seeking posi8ons of trust with children •  In mentoring organiza1ons •  In faith‐based organiza1ons •  In foster care •  In deten1on centers •  In schools/day care centers •  In sports organiza1ons •  In any type of youth‐serving organiza1on 35

[Diana LOGO] The Diana Screen® is Easy to Administer 36

Scien1ﬁc ar1cles have been published that validate each measure separately— beforeThe Diana Screen® existed. 37

Reduce Your Organiza8on’s Insurance Costs •  Probability of future misconduct claims will be reduced, commensurate with your use of The Diana Screen® •  You may elect lower coverage limits •  You may elect higher deduc1bles •  Your insurer may agree to reward you with a premium/rate discount 38

Mentoring Organiza8on Cost: Emo8onal and Physical •  Managing heartache and upset that child your program matched was abused •  Eﬀect on staﬀ: disrup1on and loss of morale •  Managing public rela1ons •  Managing possible li1ga1on 39

Advantages •  Friends for Youth’s #1 priority is the safety of the youth we serve. •  The Diana Screen is one step in our comprehensive volunteer screening process. •  It allows staﬀ to direct 1me and resources away from applicants who fail the screen and toward those who pass the screen. 40

Implementa1on •  We decided to implement the screen during our in‐ office pre‐match mentor trainings. •  When applicants arrive the first step is take the screen, and then the training begins. •  Staff reviews and records results aMer the training. The results become part of the applica1on process. •  The Diana Screen is first introduced at our Informa1on Session, and applicants are later reminded that they will be taking the screen when they receive a Mentor Training email reminder. 41

The Diana Screen® is endorsed by Foster Family‐based Treatment Associa1on (FFTA) Alper Insurance Services First Nonproﬁt Insurance Co. ClearRisk SafeWise And used by: Juvenile Deten1on Centers Boys & Girls Clubs Church Diocese Mentoring Agencies The Insurance Industry 42

The Diana Screen® is a powerful tool for protec1ng children and your organiza1on. It is a powerful addi1on to your exis1ng child protec1on policies, procedures and systems. 43

For more informa1on on The Diana Screen® Call Whitney Gabriel, JD Na1onal Director of Child Safety (510) 263‐5313 or Abel Screening, Inc. (404) 874‐4772 44

Webinar Special Order SAFE online at www.mentoringins1tute.org and use promo code CAPMONTH to receive 50% oﬀ!

Ques1ons?

Thank you! Slides posted to SlideShare Link and brief survey included in follow‐up email

www.mentoringins8tute.org 650‐559‐0200 hFp://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends‐for‐Youth/105093182858863 hFp://twiFer.com/friendsforyouth hFp://www.friendsforyouth.blogspot.com/ hFp://www.youtube.com/user/FriendsforYouthOrg

The Diana Screen: An Effective Screening Tool

by Friends for Youth, Inc. on May 11, 2011

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The Diana Screen: An Effective Screening Tool — Presentation Transcript