The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has trained nearly 25,000 people in ways to spot and prevent sexual abuse within the church and the larger community.

“The word is out and the message is out that the archdiocese is serious about protecting children,” said Rita Herken, coordinator for the archdiocese’s prevention programs.

Herken is responsible for overseeing the programs mandated by the reforms within the church following the national sexual abuse scandal that emerged in 2001.

Dioceses nationwide are required to institute such programs, which include training all staff and volunteers in ways to spot signs of sexual abuse.

Herken said the programs are a “best practice to prevent wrongdoing and promote right doing.”

The archdiocese has spent more than $400,000 on training since 2003, which also includes programs for children promoting an “always tell” approach to sexual abuse.

“We need and want to protect the children in our care,” she said.

David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center in New Hampshire, helped other dioceses institute and create the programs, and said the programs are a big step in the right direction.

The church is doing “as much or more as any youth-serving organization is doing,” Finkelhor said.

Finkelhor points out that the number of overall allegations of sexual abuse made to church officials has declined since the implementation of the new programs. In 2004, the church reported 898 new allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, and that number declined to less than 400 in 2009.

Finkelhor cautioned, however, that each diocese handles the new programs differently.

“There’s a fair amount of discretion in terms of how they’re being implemented,” he said. “Some dioceses have done quite a bit more than others.”

But the wide scope of such programs has clearly promoted a new awareness in the church about sexual abuse, Finkelhor said.

“The level of deterrence out there right now is tremendous,” he said.