One in Ten

Latest Episodes:

America’s Inconsistent Response to Child Sexual Abuse Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

If you haven’t already read Out of the Shadows, both the country report and the most recent edition, which is focused on U.S. state-by-state analysis, run—don’t walk—to get a copy. As child abuse professionals, you’ve probably wondered how the U.S. and, in fact, your state stack up on child sexual abuse prevention and intervention. The Out of the Shadows Index aims to answer that question by examining the legal framework, public policy, and also investments by states and countries. In today’s episode, we speak with Araceli Irurzun Pérez, research analyst at Economist Impact and a lead researcher on the Out of the Shadows report. As you will hear, the results are a bit surprising and turn upside down assumptions that we might have about the landscape within and across states.

Are these responses predictable by political affiliation? Nope. Or exclusively about financial resources? No, sir. And yet, one of the chief findings was that, while Children’s Advocacy Centers bear much of the burden for child sexual abuse prevention and intervention in the U.S.—and, indeed, in every state—they are woefully under-resourced.

Want a roadmap to improve child sexual abuse prevention and intervention in your state? Then please take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:51)
Surprising findings (6:18)
What’s lacking in most countries (10:25)
What some countries do well (11:56)
The U.S. pilot project (19:34)
What we need to do next (29:49)
Advice for child abuse professionals (33:46)
For more information (37:11)

Links:

Araceli Irurzun Pérez, research manager at Economist Impact and a lead researcher on the Out of the Shadows Index

Out of the Shadows - US Pilot: Shining a Light on Prevention of and Response to Child Sexual Exploitation Abuse in the US (2022), Economist Impact, London, UK

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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In Bad Faith: When Clergy Abuse Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Clergy have a uniquely intimate place in the lives of people of faith: present at baptisms, weddings, sick beds, and funerals. They’re with us when we’re at our worst and at our best, and life’s highs and lows. And while most clergy view this as a sacred trust with parishioners, others—as we have learned—sadly use that access and trust to abuse children.

Anna Segura-Montagut, Ph.D., joins us to discuss a research study that moves beyond news accounts, books, and movies to explore critical questions when working with survivors of clergy abuse. How is survivors’ belief in God affected by the abuse? And how does that impact resilience? How is their trust in institutions affected? How does that impact their access to the very social and community supports needed to heal from that abuse? And most importantly, how do we walk besides these survivors in their own healing journey even as we struggle with our own feelings about faith and faith communities?

Topics in this episode:

Research decisions (1:37)
Similarities and differences (5:03)
Impact on belief (9:43)
Advice for child abuse professionals (15:25)
Entrapment (18:19)
Implications for clergy and the church (20:26)
Future research (23:51)
What survivors need (25:44)
Reason to hope (31:17)

Links:

Anna Segura-Montagut, Ph.D., clinical psychologist; assistant research scientist, Family Translational Research Group at NYU Dentistry Center for Oral Health Policy and Management

“An Exploratory Study on Mental Health, Social Problems and Spiritual Damage in Victims of Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy and Other Perpetrators,” N. Pereda, L. Contreras Taibo, A. Segura Montagut, F. Maffioletti, Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 31(2):1-19. DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2022.2080142, May 2022

Sherry Hamby, Ph.D., appeared on One in Ten on February 14, 2020. Her interview was later republished on August 6, 2020, as part of our “Best of the Best” series. “Greater Than the Sum—Multiple Adversities in Children’s Lives”

Victoria Banyard, Ph.D.

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Why Aren’t More Child Sexual Abuse Cases Prosecuted? Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

If you’re a child abuse professional, at one time or another you’ve wondered, “Why was this case prosecuted but that one wasn’t?” Or felt frustrated because even though everyone on the multidisciplinary team believed the child had been abused, the case still couldn’t move forward.
These questions and discussions are a routine part of case review and everyday life on a multidisciplinary team. But they are also often a black box to everybody else: The teacher that reported the abuse, the community, and even the family itself. What would it mean if we could unpack those decisions and better understand how these decisions are made—and, more importantly, improve cases so that more are made? How might it change the way we think about justice and its role in healing if we truly come to grips with how very rare it is in real life? And how might we better support children and families that do go through the criminal justice process so that that in itself doesn’t add to the trauma?
Dr. Stephanie Block from UMass Lowell joins us to discuss her recent research into why more child sexual abuse cases aren’t prosecuted.
Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:54)
Research foundation (4:28)
The hypotheses and findings (7:57)
Caregiver support (14:08)
Unexpected findings (22:41)
Prosecutors’ view (27:07)
Research and solutions (32:52)
Advice to policy makers (34:43)
For more information (38:22)

Links:
Stephanie Block, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychology, UMass Lowell

“Predictors of Prosecutorial Decisions in Reports of Child Sexual Abuse,” Block, S.; Johnson, H.; Williams, L.; Shockley, K.; Wang, E.; and Widaman, K. Child Maltreatment, 2022 Vol 0(0) 1-12. DOI: 10.1177/10775595221074375

“Rare Justice: Why Aren’t More Cases Prosecuted?” Teresa Huizar, National Children’s Alliance research into practice message, March 21, 2022
Ted Cross, Ph.D., recently joined us on One in Ten to discuss “The Future of Possible in Children’s Advocacy Centers” (August 25, 2022)
For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Best of the Best: Are We Solving the Wrong Problem in Child Welfare? Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

While we’re on vacation, here’s one of our favorite episodes: “Are We Solving the Wrong Problem in Child Welfare?” When you think of federal child welfare policy, maybe you expect a discussion of foster care and other post-abuse interventions. If so, this conversation with Jerry Milner, former head of the Children’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is going to blow your mind. Because after more than 40 years in child welfare, Milner's leadership of the Children’s Bureau turned a very, very different direction. He explored questions like: What would happen if we turned over our investment and focused on primary prevention instead? And are too many children separated from their parents unnecessarily through foster care? And, more importantly, what role do our own values of equity and belief in family support play not only in the lives of kids but in the life of our public policy? Milner is reimagining the child welfare system of the future. Take a listen to this interview, originally published on July 29, 2021.
Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:21)
Why primary prevention? (4:04)
Why it's hard to change (10:37)
Systemic inequities (16:45)
Different forms of neglect (21:49)
The consumer voice (31:52)
What’s next? (35:19)
Our podcast website (39:24)

Links:

Jerry Milner, DSW, is practice director of Family Integrity and Justice Works at Public Knowledge, and the former head of the U.S. Children’s Bureau

Administration for Children, Youth, and Families

Children’s Advocacy Centers

“$20M diverted from police training facility to mental health facility in Prince George’s,” by Brad Bell, April 19, 2021, ABC7 News

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

Family First Prevention Services Act

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And come visit our podcast website at oneintenpodcast.org.

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Best of the Best: Faith, Trauma, and the Problem of Evil Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

While we're on vacation, here's one of our favorite episodes: "Faith, Trauma, and the Problem of Evil." Many survivors of child sexual abuse struggle with questions of faith: Why did this happen to me? How do I understand what happened to me in the context of my faith? How do I make meaning of these traumatic events going forward?

While these might sound like strictly theological questions, child abuse professionals respond every day to questions of faith, trauma, and the problem of evil. How do we address with victims, survivors, and the frontline professionals working with them the deep need to make meaning of these traumatic events? We talk to Victor Veith, Director of Education and Research at Zero Abuse Project and a renowned writer and trainer, about the intersection of faith and child protection. How can we help children when they have spiritual questions? And how can we help child protection professionals wrestling with the trauma they bear witness to every day?
This was the second episode of One in Ten. It was originally published on May 13, 2019.

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:35)
Faith-related questions in child sexual abuse cases (3:11)
Addressing spiritual questions (5:17)
Ways to address faith—and barriers (9:34)
Adopt a Social Worker (19:43)
Corporal punishment (21:29)
Advice for child abuse professionals (30:11)
For more information (32:33)

Links:

Victor Vieth, Chief Program Officer, Education and Research, for Zero Abuse Project and a founder of the National Child Protection Training Center. He is a former prosecutor and has a master’s degree in theology

Child Maltreatment: An Introduction, Cindy Miller-Perrin and Robin Perrin

On This Rock: A Call to Center the Christian Response to Child Abuse on the Life and Words of Jesus, by Victor I. Vieth

HALOS

Care in Action Minnesota

CAST, child advocacy studies minor provides students with real-world experience in a classroom setting

Julie Valentine Center, Greenville, South Carolina

“Religion in child sexual abuse forensic interviews,” Amy C. Tishelman, Lisa A. Fontes, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 63, 2017, pp. 120-130.

Office for Victims of Crime

No-hit zones

Academy on Violence and Abuse

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The Future of Possible in Children’s Advocacy Centers Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

We are complete nerds when it comes to research. This podcast was founded on it, and many listeners receive our weekly research-to-practice briefs. Over the last two decades, a growing evidence base has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) model. And no one has contributed more to that evidence base than Ted Cross through his sustained research over 20 years. Because of research partnerships, we know more about forensic interviews than ever before. More than about evidence-based mental health treatment than ever before. More about forensic medical evaluation than ever before. And yes, more about the difference CACs make in their own local community than ever before. But there are still significant research gaps, and the CAC model is still evolving and adapting every single day.

What do we still need to learn to improve our work? How is the CAC model evolving to meet current needs, and future needs, and ever-changing needs? And how can we partner with researchers to improve our practice? Take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:59)
The flexibility of CACs for community response (9:26)
Different potential partners (16:58)
Unanswered questions (26:33)
Advice and new partners for CACs (33:15)
Polyvictimization (42:47)
Vacation and future episodes (44:27)

Links:

Theodore P. Cross, Ph.D., research professor at Children and Family Research Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“The Child Victim as Witness Research Report,” Whitcomb, D.; De Vos, E.; Cross, T.P.; et al, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (October 1994)

“Practice in U.S. Children’s Advocacy Centers: Results of a Survey of CAC Directors,” Cross, Theodore P.; Whitcomb, Debra; Maren, Emi. Children and Family Research Center, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (March 2022)

“Do Children’s Advocacy Centers improve families’ experiences of child sexual abuse investigations?” Jones, L.M.; Cross, T.P.; Walsh, W.A.; Simone, M. Child Abuse & Neglect (2007)

Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County

Wynona’s House

“Faith, Trauma, and the Problem of Evil,” with Victor Vieth (May 13, 2019)

New Jersey Children’s Alliance

For more about polyvictimization: “Greater Than the Sum—Multiple Adversities in Children’s Lives,” with Dr. Sherry Hamby (originally broadcast February 14, 2020, as “Mending the Tears of Violence”)

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The Unique Vulnerability of Youth Athletes Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

Over the past five years, sexual abuse scandals in sports have continuously been in the news. Whether swimming, tae kwon do, or most famously gymnastics, the variety of sports that have had such scandals point to a very uncomfortable truth that sports has inherent child protection issues, and that these unique vulnerabilities require unique prevention strategies to keep youth athletes safe. Courtney Kiehl, former elite gymnast, abuse survivor, and now an attorney and advocate for child victims and adult survivors of child sexual abuse, joined us to discuss what makes youth athletes so vulnerable, and how we can help.

What coaching strategies create toxic cultures, which discourage kids from speaking up about concerns? How does the lack of accountability at the club level allow offenders to move location and keep right on coaching? How does the weight of adult expectations—coaches, parents, and, yes, us, the viewers—make it so very difficult for kids to disclose even the most harrowing abuse? And where is there reason for hope and action to create a future for elite sport, and indeed all sport, that is healthy and safe? Take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:46)
What good coaching looks like (6:53)
What makes athletes vulnerable (12:52)
Who regulates sports (19:20)
The bystander problem (28:17)
What all athletes need (32:34)
Parenting advice and the weight of expectations (33:52)

Links:

Courtney Kiehl, Esq., is an attorney at Paul Mones PC in California, a legal firm that specializes in representing victims of child sexual abuse. Prior to joining the firm, she founded A.C.H.E. (Abused Children Heard Everywhere) as a response to her own experience with sexual abuse by her gymnastics coach. She served as a fellow for CHILD USA’s Game Over: Commission to Protect Youth Athletes.

Game Over Commission; in January 2022, the commission released a case study on the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC)

National governing bodies

U.S. Center for SafeSport

Related episodes: “The True Cost of Olympic Gold,” about the Game Over Commission’s report; an interview with Prof. Marci A. Hamilton, founder and CEO of CHILD USA and (February 25, 2022)

“Radically Vulnerable: Achieving Justice for Survivors” with Prof. Hamilton (September 30, 2019)

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The Limits of ACEs, Live Panel Discussion Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

The 1998 CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study helped build public understanding of the consequences of untreated childhood trauma. All these years later, does this tool tell the complete story? In this panel discussion recorded at National Children’s Alliance’s 2022 Leadership Conference, we explore what ACEs can—and can’t—accomplish in terms of influencing public support for policies that benefit kids. How can ACE screenings be used (and misused)? And what’s next for public health messaging that matters. Join Dr. Ernestine Briggs-King and Dr. Jonathan Purtle for a panel discussion moderated by NCA CEO Teresa Huizar in our first live-to-tape episode of One in Ten.

Topics in this episode:

Origin stories (2:07)
What’s good and bad about ACEs (5:39)
Public policy messaging (14:15)
ACEs and racism (22:42)
Protective factors and resilience (24:58)
The six messages (29:08)
What we’re curious about (36:48)
Audience questions (39:54)

Links:

Ernestine Briggs-King, Ph.D., is a clinical/community psychologist; the director of research at the Center for Child and Family Health; director of the Data and Evaluation Program at the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress; and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine

Jonathan Purtle, Ph.D., is associate professor of public health policy and management and director of policy research at NYU’s Global Center for Implementation Science

CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (1998), Vincent J. Felitti, MD, FACP; et al

Previous episodes on related topics:

“Reframing Childhood Adversity,” with Julie Sweetland from FrameWorks Institute (April 14, 2022); includes a link to the “Reframing” study

“Greater Than the Sum—Multiple Adversities in Children’s Lives,” with Dr. Sherry Hamby (August 6, 2020; originally broadcast February 14, 2020, as “Mending the Tears of Violence”)

“The ACEs Message and Its Unintended Consequences,” with Dr. Jonathan Purtle (May 20, 2021)

“The Hidden Cost of Resilience,” with Dr. Ernestine Briggs-King (July 17, 2020; originally broadcast January 10, 2020)

“Bonus Content: Universal Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences,” with Dr. David Finkelhor (May 21, 2020)

“Beyond ACEs,” with Dr. Lisa Amaya-Jackson (December 4, 2019)

“The Science of Storytelling,” with Nat Kendall-Taylor from FrameWorks Institute (June 28, 2019)

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Collateral Damage: Kids and the Internet Privacy Wars May 26, 2022

Show notes

Justin Fitzsimmons, associate vice president at the National White Collar Crime Center, joins us to raise the alarm about the way in which technology companies, social media outlets, and online privacy advocates are now purposely pitting adult privacy rights against the protection and safety of children. Think end-to-end encryption is totally innocuous? What if that means that pedophiles can endlessly trade child sexual abuse images online with impunity? And how do we—as advocates for children—keep issues of child protection front and center for policy makers, for tech and social media, and ultimately for all Americans?

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (1:43)
Trends in technology-facilitated crime (2:45)
The privacy problem (6:56)
Our tech-driven lives (14:22)
What law enforcement needs (18:55)
What parents need to know (27:17)
What child abuse professionals need to do (34:23)
Don’t let technology scare you (41:40)
For more information (45:52)

Links:

Justin Fitzsimmons is associate vice president at the National White Collar Crime Center (nw3c.org), former president of the Board of Directors at National Children’s Alliance, and an expert on technology-facilitated crime.

CACs: Children’s Advocacy Centers

CSAM: child sexual abuse materials

ICAC: Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program

New York Times articles “The Internet Is Overrun with Images of Child Sexual Abuse. What Went Wrong?,” “How Laws Against Child Sexual Abuse Imagery Can Make It Harder to Detect,” and “Tech Companies Detect a Surge in Online Videos of Child Sexual Abuse”

NCMEC: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

NDAA: National District Attorneys Association

Common Sense Media

The Connected Parent

HealthyChildren.org

See also our previous episode, “Predators in Our Pockets: The New Digital Hunting Grounds”

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The Fear of False Allegations May 12, 2022

Show notes

If you’ve ever worked anywhere near the criminal justice system, you know how heartbreaking it is when a case goes to trial and you have a clear disclosure and great victim testimony and really solid corroborating evidence—and the jury acquits. In a child sexual abuse case, what would make a jury hear all of that and still acquit? Tayler Jones-Cieminski and other researchers set out to explore that very question, especially one specific aspect of juror beliefs: the myth about the prevalence of false allegations. What would happen at trial if there were an increased fear of false allegations? And does gender have anything to do with it?

Topics in this episode:

Origin story (3:05)
Disparity between evidence and verdict (7:17)
Fear of false allegations (11:49)
Implications for criminal justice system (24:32)
Role for juror education, public education (28:33)
Advice for child abuse professionals (31:30)
Future research (34:41)
Sharing the credit (38:40)
For more information (40:35)

Links:

Tayler Jones-Cieminski is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Chicago

“Jurors’ Gender and Their Fear of False Child Sexual Abuse Accusations Are Related to Their Belief in Child Victims’ Allegations.” Tayler M. Jones, Bette L. Bottoms, Kajal Sachdev, Jonathan Aniciete, and Karis Gorak (2021): Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2021.1931612

Bette Bottoms, Ph.D.

OJJDP, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Tamara Haegerich, Ph.D.

Kari Nysse-Carris, Ph.D.

“How Accurate Is Our Memory After 20 Years?” is our interview with Gail Goodman

Thomas D. Lyon, Ph.D.

Michael E. Lamb, Ph.D.

Jonathan Golding, Ph.D.

Voir dire

“Child victim empathy mediates the influence of jurors’ sexual abuse experiences on child sexual abuse case judgments: Meta-analyses.” Tayler M. Jones; Bette L. Bottoms; and Margaret C. Stevenson. (2020). Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 26(3), 312–332. DOI: 10.1037/law0000231 Also available from the University of Evansville.

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