WHAT’S HAPPENING?
11/23/25 at 3PM – The Kansas City Metro Men’s Chorus will provide an entertaining afternoon of choir music as a benefit for Voices of Courage on Sunday, November 23 at 3PM at Clair United Methodist Church. This men’s choir performs all around the region, raising funds for charities like ours as their mission. Clair UMC is located at 2 SE 68th Road in St. Joseph. We hope to see you there!
SOME INFORMATION ABOUT COCO!
Last month, we introduced you to Coco, our facility dog. She is pictured here being very serious about finding just the right look for Halloween.
Since she started working, Coco has assisted with six forensic interviews. She is also learning how to work with some of our child clients during therapy sessions. No surprise to anyone – the kids love her!
No one is perfect, and Coco is no exception. She has some health issues we are learning to deal with here at the CAC. Mainly, she has some urinary tract issues that require special food and medication that are both quite expensive.
If you would like to help Coco and her health issues, you can go here to on our website to donate directly to her care.
IN THE KNOW
In order to meet our mission of not only protecting children experiencing abuse, but providing prevention education to our community, our Executive Director was recently on KQ2’s Live at 5 program to discuss grooming. What is it? How can you, as a caregiver, spot grooming behaviors in the people around your child?
To learn more about grooming behaviors, check out this article from our website.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WHY DOES PREVENTION EDUCATION MATTER?
It is one of the most powerful tools we have to keep children safe. When children, caregivers and communities are equipped with knowledge, they are better able to recognize unsafe situations, set healthy boundaries and seek help early.
FOR CHILDREN – Prevention education teaches them age-appropriate ways to understand body safety, identify trusted adults and speak up if something makes them uncomfortable or afraid. Lessons like this empower children with the confidence and language they might not otherwise have.
FOR ADULTS – Prevention education increases awareness about the signs of abuse and the ways grooming can occur. Abuse is often perpetrated by someone the child or family knows and trusts! Education helps caregivers, teachers an community members learn how to respond appropriately and report concerns before abuse escalates. This is critical!
FOR COMMUNITIES – Prevention education helps create a shared responsibility for child safety. It helps break the silence and stigma surrounding abuse, replacing it with understanding, vigilance and proactive protection. What a better community in which to raise children!
Simply put, prevention education saves children from harm before it happens. It turns awareness into action and ensures every child grows up in a community that knows how to keep children safe.
Melissa Birdsell
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In order to keep children safe, youth serving organizations must have policies and procedures in place that will prevent child abuse from happening. In a recent blog post by the National Children’s Alliance (our accrediting body) titled How Are Youth Serving Organizations Keeping Kids Safe? they discuss how some simple modifications and expectations are showing promise in reducing child sexual abuse when those institutions commit to long-term implementation of strict boundaries and codes of conduct.
If your youth serving organizations doesn’t have these boundaries or codes in place, contact us! We can help guide you in drafting a simple code of conduct and discuss how to set strict boundaries within your organization that can help keep children safe while in your care.
#itisyourbusiness Missouri Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline 800-392-3738