Training Program Design Checklist

Each youth-serving organization is unique, and each community has its own set of values, strengths, and challenges. Whether you use online or onsite training options, there are steps you can take to make sure they’re applied with maximum effectiveness, including:

• Set goals that are measurable and match the training with your organization’s mission, the services you provide, and the ages of children/youth served.
• Select a framework consistent with your organizational needs.
• Ensure training is participatory (either by means of an onsite facilitator, or an individual who can be contacted after online training is accomplished).
• Utilize and reflect varied learning styles.
• Build on participants’ knowledge.
• Ensure the material is accurate, current, and specific.
• Use trainers experienced in working with particular groups (staff, community members, families, children/youth, etc.) and with the topic.
• Create a safe environment for learning and discussion.
• Evaluate the training to ensure effectiveness and fidelity, using reliable evaluation tools such as Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation ^{1 2} and others listed below. 
• Make the training an element of ongoing professional development.
• Ensure that your training is:
  • Adaptable and responsive to the needs of different audiences, including employees, volunteers, and families.
  • Culturally responsive and includes the voices of children, youth, families, and communities.
  • Trauma-informed in its approach.
  • Open to providing opportunities for facilitated discussions and role play.
  • Reinforced through regular supervision and dialogue.
  • Periodically evaluated to ensure goals and standards are met. You can find several sample questionnaires and surveys from various organizations here.
  • Repeated on a regular (annual) basis and updated as necessary

What is Trauma-Informed Prevention?

According to the Massachusetts Sexual Violence Prevention Plan, prevention strategies must be based on an understanding that any population selected for prevention activities will include people who have already experienced sexual abuse or who have abused others. Prevention programs will, therefore, commit to avoiding re-traumatizing, blaming victims, or colluding with abusive behavior/attitudes. They should also ensure that those delivering prevention activities have sufficient knowledge, skills, and connection to specialized assessment and treatment services to be effective bridges to those services when disclosures do occur.

Additional resources for training toolkits include:

• CDC’s list of sexual violence prevention strategies 
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) document Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Programs for Children 
• NSVRC document Preventing Child Sexual Abuse – A National Resource Directory and Handbook 
• NSVRC document Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Programs for Adults 
• CDC Sexual Violence Prevention Technical Package 
• The Universities of Washington and California Training Toolkit 
• The Sex Abuse Treatment Center Prevention Toolkit
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Focus on Prevention  

¹ https://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com

² https://educationaltechnology.net/kirkpatrick-model-four-levels-learning-evaluation/

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