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Evaluability Assessment
Adam King
Liberty University
CJUS 801: Criminal Justice Program Evaluation
Dr. Stacey White
8/30/2025
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Abstract
Child sexual abuse is a common but devastating problem across the world. Effective training to
those who have guardianship of youth is needed to combat the issue. This paper presents an
assessment of the evaluability of child sexual abuse training for teachers. This training will focus
on indicators and teach education professionals what they mean and when to report. A scope
and purpose is outlined highlighted by the need for the training to be annual to ensure
saturation of knowledge. SMART goals were kept in mind during the creation so that the
program stays focused and can evaluate progress every year after completion.
Keywords: Child sexual abuse, indicators, teachers
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Child Sexual Abuse Indicators
Child sexual abuse is a widespread problem across the globe. The Centers for Disease
Control estimates that one in four girls is sexually abused and one in twenty boys (Centers for
Disease Control, 2024). Other estimations have that number at 25% for boys and 33% for girls
(Singh et al., 2014). Disclosure of sexual abuse by a victim leads to investigations, but there are
other ways that sexual abuse victims can disclose without knowing it. Overt sexual behavior in
young children where it should not be suspected, is a strong indicator of child sexual abuse
(Slusser, 1995). Physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators also exist that could be spotted
and reported. Physical indicators consist of excessive itching or scratching in the genital region.
Emotional signs include mood changes, new fears, hyperactivity, and the onset of sleepiness
due to nightmares. Behavioral indicators include bed wetting, self-injury, detachment, running
away, and social issues with peers (Queensland Government, n.d.). Training that empowers
those with guardianship over children to understand child sexual abuse indicators will ensure
that children who are abused are found earlier and justice is delivered to the offenders.
Scope and Purpose
The scope of this training would best be implemented in conjunction with the school
system. Law enforcement personnel and child advocacy center personnel with vast knowledge
of child sexual abuse would spend time within the school system to conduct the training. This
training would need to be done on an annual basis to ensure that all employees that the school
adds receive the training. Even those who have taken the training in years past would need to
take part every year. Local child advocacy centers and law enforcement from the area would be
able to share personal stories of how they have uncovered child sexual abuse victims in the
area.
These stories would be critical to underscoring the scope of the problem and the fact that it
occurs all over the country. The purpose of the program would be to increase confidence in
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school personnel to identify potential child sexual abuse victims. If confidence and knowledge is
increased the hope would be that accurate referrals follow, and child victims are uncovered.
Program Template
Per Vito and Higgins (2015), the scope and purpose of the program need to be
understood before moving on to establishing goals and objectives. Once those are established,
evaluation questions can be created to understand if the program has met its intended marks.
Criminological theories will also need to be worked in the various areas around the program.
Understanding the theories will allow for better evaluation of the program and the effect it had
on the target audiences.
Goals and Objectives
Goals do not need to be arbitrarily thought of and applied to the topic. They need to be
scrutinized over and tailored to the program. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic,
and time-bound (SMART) are qualities that effective goals will have. Smart goals have been
utilized in programs since the 1980s and are a commonly cited method of planning and
evaluation across different disciplines. Goals also need to be written once the program creators
have a basic understanding of what they are attempting to do. This means that detailed goals
are not authored at the beginning of the process, but further in after research has been
conducted
(Bjerke & Renger, 2017).
Goals
The program sits in a bigger, more challenging space where the elimination of child
sexual abuse would be ideal. Understanding that this program in and of itself is not going to
eliminate child sexual abuse is an important realization to understand. The goals of the program
keep that unfortunate reality in mind. Goal number one is to enhance early detection by
equipping teachers with information and real-world examples of indicators of child sexual
abuse. The second goal aims to increase reporting times to the appropriate authorities. Finally,
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fostering an environment where teachers are comfortable talking about their opinions on
potential abuse victims.
Objectives
Objectives should be measurable and in line with the goals. They are the engines that
get your program’s goals across the finish line. The following are objectives that will be utilized
with
SMART planning in mind to facilitate the realization of the program goals.
- At the end of training, 75% of teachers will have improved knowledge of CSA
indicators.
- Teachers will be able to identify indicators in behavioral, emotional, and physical
behavior patterns.
- Self-efficacy surveys will allow teachers to demonstrate improved confidence in
abuse situations.
- The school system will implement, through its continued learning programs,
additional child sexual abuse training.
These objectives will measure the effectiveness of the training and let the evaluators have a
guage to measure the accomplishments.
Evaluation Questions
1- How confident do you feel in recognizing the indicators of child sexual abuse?
2- What are some barriers that exist in identifying indicators of child sexual abuse?
3- What are the reporting measures that are currently used by the school?
4- What resources or training would help you identify and report child sexual abuse?
5- What do you understand about your role as a mandatory reporter? Was it fully told to
you the extent of what it means to be a mandatory reporter when you were hired?
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Theories
Child sexual abuse indicator training has a straightforward goal. To identify and report
possible victims of child sexual assault. Two theories could be utilized to understand how a
program targeting child sexual abuse indicators. Routine Activities Theory and Ecological
Systems Theory fit in with the program’s goals and methods.
Routine Activities Theory
Routine activities theory works out like a math equation. If there is a motivated offender
with a suitable target where there is a lack of guardianship, then crime chances are higher.
Traditional sex crimes targeting older women can be affected by making the target less suitable
or increasing guardianship in various ways (Zhu et al., 2025). This training targets those who
oversee children. By making them more knowledgeable in the realm of child sexual abuse, their
guardianship side of the equation is increasing. Unfortunately, this will not prevent actions from
the offender, but could prevent revictimization over time if the indicators are caught early and
reported.
Ecological Systems Theory
Ecological Systems Theory came to be as a method to understand how systems can work
to address juvenile issues and handle them. This system states that the social systems that
youth are involved with affect their well-being and health. The different systems interact with
each other at varying levels. Teachers are in the immediate social impact group and can
influence the youth more than those in groups in a lower system (Sheerin et al., 2023). A child
sexual abuse program directed at teachers and other staff would affect one of the higher
portions of the ecosystem. Ecological Systems Theory is primarily about how these systems
interact and affect outcomes. Even if only one system was affected, it could impact the comfort
level of a child to disclose sexual abuse to other areas within the system.
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Biblical Perspective
In the synoptic gospels, Jesus gives his disciples strong imagery when speaking about
those who lead children astray. In Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, and John 17:2, Jesus says that
those who cause little ones to stumble should have a millstone placed around their neck and
drowned (Christian Standard Bible, 2017). Popular culture paints Jesus as meek and mild, and
these passages push against that narrative and use extreme language to deal with those who
harm children. Throughout the Bible, children are discussed as gifts from God and a “heritage
from the lord” (Christian Standard Bible, Psalm 127:3, 2017). They are to be protected, and from
my perspective, the Bible is abundantly clear on that. Any program that seeks an end to child
sexual abuse seems to it would be working under the grace of God.
Conclusion
Child sexual abuse is rampant across the globe and increasing guardianship to those who
are victimized by it could potentially increase prosecutions and identification of victims. This
program intends to arm teachers with the knowledge and confidence to understand child sexual
abuse indicators and report them. These behaviors consist of physical, emotional, and
behavioral conditions. With SMART goal methodology in mind and the understanding of the
criminological theories involved the program will be able to evaluate its own success and know
what changes need to be made to further improve the safety of our children.
References
Bjerke, M. B., & Renger, R. (2017). Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation and
Program Planning, 61, 125-
127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.12.009
Center for Disease Control. (2024). About Child Sexual
Abuse. https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/about/about-child-sexual-abuse.html
Christian Standard Bible. (2017) Holman Bible Publishers. Nashville,
Tennessee
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Queensland Government. (n.d.). Indicators of child sexual abuse and barriers to disclosure. Child
Safety Practice Manual.
https://cspm.csyw.qld.gov.au/practice-kits/child-sexual-abuse/workingwith-children/
seeing-and-understanding/understanding-indicators-ofchild-sexual-abuse-and?
utm_source=chatgpt.com#Indicators
Sheerin, K. M., Brodell, R., Huey, S. J., Jr, & Kemp, K. A. (2023). Applying ecological systems
theory to juvenile legal system interventions outcomes research: a measurement
framework. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1177568.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1177568
Singh, M. M., Parsekar, S. S., & Nair, S. N. (2014). An epidemiological overview of child sexual
abuse. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 3(4), 430–
435. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.148139
Slusser, M., (1995). Manifestations of sexual abuse in preschool-aged children. Issues in mental
health nursing, 16(5), 481-491. https://doi.org/10.3109/01612849509006947
Vito, G. F., & Higgins, G. E. (2015). Practical program evaluation for criminal justice.
Waltham, MA: Elsevier.
Zhu, X., Liang, B., & Hu, M. (2025). Sex offending against children and minors in china: An
empirical application of the routine activities theory. China (National University of
Singapore. East Asian Institute), 23(2), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.56159/chn.2025.a962197
