Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Council of Bartholomew County, Columbus, Indiana

Programs & Services

CAP Council is community awareness program. It is a primary, child abuse prevention program which strives to educate and influence the entire population of Bartholomew County, to eliminate the incidence of child abuse and neglect and infant mortality by promoting positive parenting practices on both macro and micro levels. Our goal is to prevent abuse or neglect BEFORE it happens.

CAP Council serves the entire population of Bartholomew County, targeting:

• Children, ages 7-10, through educational puppet programs in elementary schools & after school programs;
• Pre-teens, ages 12-13, through interactive performances in middle schools;
• Parents of school age children through take-home literature;
• Teens (who perform the puppet programs) through educational presentations in high schools;
• parents of Infants & Toddlers through parenting, child safety and prevention literature, distributed via home visit programs, family serving agencies and community festivals/fairs;
• Professionals and Community-at-Large through training workshops, April Awareness activities, displays and publicity.

For Children & Youth

• Kids on the Block: Puppet programs for 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade students that provide exposure to child abuse & neglect, sexual abuse (good touch/ bad touch), stranger safety, resisting peer pressure, non-violent conflict resolution & impacts of prejudice & stereotyping topics. To get more information and learn how to schedule a performance see the Kids on the Block page.
• Project Equality is a bullying prevention curriculum for 5th and 6th grade students to teach students respect for themselves and others. This 8 week curriculum is available for groups or classrooms and includes a parent/guardian workshop.
• Act-Out Ensemble Interactive Theatre is a bullying prevention, anger management, communication & assertiveness skills curriculum program intended for 7th grade students.
• Project Equality is a sexual assault prevention curriculum for 7th to 12th grade students. this program teaches youth about respect, communication, healthy relationships and safety. this 8 week curriculum is available for groups or classrooms and includes a parent/guardian workshop.
• Classroom Presentations feature child abuse & neglect as a prevalent social problem, family violence and its effects on children; shaken baby prevention, kids on the block volunteer recruitment presentations. The presentations are intended for 9th to 12th grade students.
• Teen Volunteer Opportunities are available for the Kids on the Block program, for the April Awareness activities, to serve on committees and task forces and for senior projects.

For Parents

CAP Council provides extensive literature and a library of films and books on positive parenting practices, child safety, child development as well as literature on recognizing and helping traumatized children. The Council also provides training and workshops for parents. See page on Training and the "Kids on the Block" program for workshops available thru the Council. Also, see the list of brochures and literature.

For Professionals

CAP Council offers brochures, literature and films are available for professionals in the community who work with children or families. For more details, see the list of brochures and literature.

CAP Council also provides community-wide training and workshops of varying length designed to suit the needs of professionals, volunteers and staff. In-service workshops may be tailored to the specific staff needs or chosen from a selection of topics on the Training page.

For the Community

CAP Council has been striving to eradicate child abuse and neglect in Bartholomew County since 1988. CAP's Programs are always offered free of charge or for a minimal fee to cover expenses only.

Community Events are held in April for Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. Displays and literature are available throughout the community year-round. CAP Council also provides a presence and literature at a variety of Community Events, Fairs and Festivals. For information about CAP Council community activities and April Awareness events see the Events page.