Understanding Young Child Sexual Abuse

The prevalence of young child sexual abuse is alarmingly high, the impacts are profound, and the system is woefully underprepared to address the problem. And, there are substantial barriers that impede our ability to address the issue: believing that young children can be sexually abused, misunderstanding the nature of early childhood memory, lack of knowledge and skill interviewing children under five, and lack of collaboration across the mental health, legal, and child welfare systems. This presentation is aimed at inspiring professionals take action to address young child sexual abuse by knowing how to intervene within their role, reaching out to cross system partners to collaborate and “speaking the unspeakable.”