Child Safety First
Closing the Gap in Best Practices for
Prevention and Response to Sexual Abuse of Minors in Jewish Organizations
Jumpstart Report – Issue Six – Summer 2017
Jumpstart presents original research into just how prepared Jewish organizations are to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse (CSA). As part of our Child Safety Initiative (see below), Jumpstart surveyed executive directors of Jewish overnight camps and day schools to better understand how Jewish youth serving organizations (YSOs) grapple with child safety issues. Further review of the data and consultation with funders, camp and school association leaders, as well as leading researchers and child safety advocates, has led us to a series of data-driven assessments that we believe ought to shape policy discussion and action among funders and operators of YSOs. The responses to our survey suggest that overnight camps and day schools may have critical gaps in their anti-CSA programs. These gaps — and the organizations’ lack of awareness of these gaps — create vulnerabilities that sexual predators can exploit.
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