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Trigger Stories - Preventing Institutional Child Abuse Through the Development of Positive Norms for Staff

NCJ Number
102405
Date Published
Unknown
Length
80 pages
Annotation
This manual presents stories of staff-resident interactions and staff behaviors in juvenile secure care facilities to stimulate staff discussions of norms for the care and treatment of residents.
Abstract
Issues raised by the stories include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, failure to provide adequate supervision, sleeping on duty, a resident allegation of staff abuse, and racism. Discussion questions follow each story. The exercises can be presented and discussed in 15-30 minutes, and they can be assigned as homework and discussed at staff meetings. The leader focuses discussion on the norms for staff behavior that emerge from the discussion, so that staff members are aware that these are standards they have set for themselves in situations similar to the ones they have been discussing. The leader should obtain a commitment from staff to confront other staff when they violate norms they have set for themselves. Feedback should be elicited at staff meetings to determine how new norms are working in practice.