“Safe and Secure”: a Draft OCSA Curriculum Created Based Upon a Qualitive Study on Current CSA Curriculum and Effective Teaching Strategies

Abstract

Technology is an inescapable tool, utilized even by young children. Technology contains many positive attributes and yet exposes children to a festering danger; online child sex abuse (OCSA). OCSA is a subcategory of child sex abuse (CSA), where a child is abused through online relationship with an adult. OCSA should be seen as a current and pressing issue in society, as OCSA related crimes have been dramatically increasing in recent years. A common solution to protecting children from the dangers of CSA crimes is providing CSA education. Further, the school system and classroom teachers have the primary mode of delivery for these for programs. Therefore, an analysis of current CSA curriculum with OCSA preventative education was conducted. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the effectiveness of CSA programs, in providing OCSA education. The study revealed that current CSA curriculum is ineffectiveness at providing OCSA specific education, leaving children at risk for this branch of CSA. To solve this need, a draft curriculum entitled, “Safe and Secure,” was developed to provide OCSA preventative education. The development of this curriculum utilizes evidence-based strategies, proven effective for other CSA programs. The goal of this curriculum is to provide free and effective OCSA education for school use. Further research beyond this study must be conducted to measure this draft curriculum’s classroom effectiveness.