Understand, Recognize and Respond to Grooming Behaviors Brendan Rooney April 8, 2025

As caring adults, we want to create supportive and safe spaces for youth to thrive and grow. This training will focus on recognizing the signs that an adult’s relationships with a child are becoming increasingly unhealthy and may escalate toward being sexually abusive. Learning to understand, recognize and respond to these grooming behaviors is a proactive step in creating sexual abuse-free environments. In this training, participants will: a) distinguish healthy behaviors from boundary violations and pre-offending behaviors; b) develop skills to address concerning behaviors at home, in the community, or within their organization; c) develop proactive policies for addressing concerning behaviors within their organization; and d) learn what policies to look for in an organization’s parent handbook or volunteer guide. This training is useful for educators, special education teachers, paraprofessionals, social workers, health care professionals, home health providers, residential care staff, mentors, volunteers for children, coaches, parents, caregivers, grandparents, and foster parents.