Applying an Implementation Framework to the Dissemination of a School-Based Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Child Safety
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• School-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs are a primary strategy in the U.S.
• Despite proven effectiveness, widespread implementation is hindered by infrastructure and policy gaps.
• The RE-AIM framework guides pragmatic implementation assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the multi-county implementation of the Safe Touches school-based CSA prevention program.
• To assess program reach, effectiveness, and facilitator adoption.
• To identify factors influencing large-scale implementation of CSA prevention in schools.

Main Methods:

• A pragmatic application of the RE-AIM framework across organizational, child, and facilitator levels.
• Measurement of children's CSA knowledge at four time points (pre, post, 6-month, 12-month).
• Anonymous facilitator surveys post-implementation to assess adoption and feasibility.

Main Results:

• Safe Touches reached 14,235 second-grade students across 718 school districts over 1.5 academic years.
• Significant increases in student knowledge were maintained at 6 and 12 months post-workshop (p <.001).
• 29 disclosures of maltreatment were reported; facilitators found the program feasible and beneficial with negligible negative impacts.

Conclusions:

• Systematic school-based CSA prevention effectively reaches numerous students and enhances knowledge.
• The Safe Touches program demonstrates feasibility for large-scale implementation and facilitates disclosures.
• State funding allocation for CSA prevention programs as standard educational costs is recommended to enhance public health impact.