Subject: FACT Spring Family Fridge🌷

Welcome to FACT’s Family Fridge!

Think of this newsletter as FACT’s family refrigerator! This is where you’ll find all the important news, upcoming dates, and highlights of the great work around Virginia.

a graphic of a refrigerator, the door is open with various groceries inside and on the outside of the fridge are magnets of FACT's license plates

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month & Sexual Assault Awareness Month

As April comes to a close, we are highlighting some recent projects that aim to address child abuse and sexual assault.

If you or anyone you know are in need of services, please see the statewide hotlines below:

Expanding Access to National Expertise in Preventing Child Abuse

An outline of Virginia with text that says the first state section of Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children

FACT is proud to announce that Virginia has been designated the first State Section of the Association of Professionals Solving the Abuse of Children (APSAC), marking a significant step forward in strengthening the Commonwealths’ response to child abuse and neglect.

APSAC is a national organization that brings together leading researchers and practitioners dedicated to preventing and addressing child maltreatment. Through this new State Section, Virginia professionals will gain direct access to APSAC’s members-only network, cutting edge research and multidisciplinary collaboration opportunities.

FACT was instrumental in creating APSAC’s first State Section in the country. In addition, FACT purchased 20 APSAC memberships to ensure that eligible professionals across Virginia can participate, removing barriers to entry and expanding access to the latest knowledge and best practices. FACT will assist with coordinating monthly member meetings, creating a consistent forum for learning, collaboration and application of research.

By investing in memberships and convening professionals across disciplines, we are strengthening the network of people working to prevent child abuse through evidence-based strategies.

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Virginia: A Preliminary Framework for Collaboration

Last year, the FACT Child Abuse & Neglect Advisory Committee worked in partnership with stakeholders and field experts to create a foundational state plan to provide a framework for the prevention of child sexual assault. The plan includes core components, opportunities, examples of what success may look like, and helpful resources.

No one group or organization can end child sexual abuse and exploitation. This plan is intended to be used as a preliminary, informative guide for policy makers and advocates to address child safety and wellbeing challenges through a state-based framework – representing the first step in a unified position on child sexual abuse prevention efforts across state partners.

Click here to read the Foundational State Plan

In order to expand these prevention efforts on the local level, FACT established a grant program in FY25. $10,000 grants were awarded to nine Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) across Virginia to support evidence informed and promising practices at the local level for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Addressing Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children

Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) occurs when a child engages in behavior that is developmentally inappropriate or harmful to another child. These cases often fall outside traditional systems of response. As a result, many cases go unreported, inconsistently tracked or lack access to appropriate treatment.

The financial and human impact of early intervention is significant. Treatment for a child with problematic sexual behavior typically costs between $1,500 and $1,800 per child - compared to over $300,000 per year for a youth in the juvenile justice system, according to the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.

When children receive appropriate treatment, recidivism is extremely low. These are not children we should be losing in the system; they are children who need a coordinated, informed response.

“These cases can be uncomfortable to talk about but avoiding the conversation only increases the risk that children fall through the cracks. With the right tools, training, and coordination, communities can respond in ways that protect all children and lead to better outcomes.”

-FACT Executive Director, Nicole Poulin

With a $110,000 investment, FACT supported the research, development and community-based rollout of a training program and toolkit designed to help localities better identify and respond to PSB cases. The effort builds on FACT’s earlier partnership with Justice 3D, which examined Virginia’s policies, protocols and legal framework.

In January, the first train-the-trainer session was held in Staunton, Virginia with Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) members from: Alexandria, Fluvanna County, Washington County, Waynesboro, and Staunton.

Founder and CEO of Justice 3D, Nancy Oglesby, presenting slides to MDT members

Trainer Elysse Stolpe speaking with MDT members

FACT Executive Director, Nicole Poulin, with Flint the service dog who also attended the training!

You can show your support FACT while driving around town! Through our license plate program, we receive $15 each year for our Kids First license plates and share the revenue from the star, heart, and hand license plates with Virginia Department of Health’s Safe Kids Coalition.

Click here to learn more about our license plate program

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Subject: FACT Spring Family Fridge🌷

Welcome to FACT’s Family Fridge!

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month & Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Addressing Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children