Newsletter

The Authority Introduces Praesidium Partnership

Sexual abuse is a serious issue affecting millions of individuals yearly, sparing no generation or demographic. To assist in abuse prevention solutions for its member agencies, the Authority has partnered with Praesidium, a sexual abuse prevention program. The fully-funded program offers abuse protection systems within agencies to help protect residents and contribute to safe communities.

Praesidium is a leader in abuse risk management. For more than 30 years, it has worked globally with thousands of organizations across industries to help them assess, prevent, and respond to sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults.

“Praesidium’s experts have a proven track record of success, making them the ideal partner for the Authority in preventing sexual abuse,” said California JPIA Senior Risk Manager Melaina Francis. “With its unique and comprehensive suite of products, Praesidium is committed to creating a culture of safety and well-being for all.”

Read More

The partnership will include access to a variety of resources:

• Downloadable written resources, including:
  • Model policies
  • Screening and selection toolkit
  • Crisis response toolkit
• Online training
• Access to Praesidium’s helpline

During the Authority’s 28^th Annual Risk Management Educational Forum, Praesidium Director of Strategic Alliances Candace D. Collins, JD, summarized barriers to reporting, provided an overview of programming, and offered a sneak peek into the curriculum and resources now available to the Authority’s members through Praesidium.

“Our mission at Praesidium is to help protect those in your care from abuse and preserve trust in your organization,” said Collins. “Through Praesidium, Authority members have access to tools designed to create and maintain a culture of safety.”

Having analyzed thousands of cases of abuse, Praesidium built a scientifically based framework for identifying abuse risk in organizations and methods to mitigate the risk. The Praesidium Safety Equation® methodology identifies eight organizational operations that provide opportunities to decrease the risk of abuse by employees, volunteers, and other program participants.

“Praesidium’s comprehensive approach and extensive knowledge and research sets them apart from other organizations,” Francis added. “Praesidium’s Safety Equation methodology prioritizes a proactive and preventive approach to abuse management, rather than simply reacting to incidents after they occur.”

The California JPIA will host an introductory leadership workshop, “A Roadmap to Preventing Sexual Abuse in your Programs,” from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. on October 12, 2023. The in-person event on the Authority’s campus in La Palma will introduce key concepts related to abuse risk management and train participants to facilitate agency-wide conversations about how, why, and what abuse protection systems exist within their agencies.

“It is vital for agencies to understand how to effectively mitigate the risk of abuse in their organizations and create a safe environment for all,” said Francis. “Our new partnership with Praesidium represents an opportunity to share best practices and gain valuable insights from experts in the field.”

For additional information or to register, please visit the workshop website.

< Back to Full Issue Print Article