Experiential Learning Opportunities

Georgia Center for Child Advocacy

Wednesday, April 1st / 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m
Thursday, April 2nd / 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy was established as a private, non-profit agency in 1987 with a purpose of championing the needs of sexually and severely abused children through prevention, intervention, therapy and collaboration. One of the oldest Children’s Advocacy Centers in the country, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy operates two non-residential programs, one located in Fulton County and one in DeKalb County.

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy provides professional forensic services and psychotherapy at no cost to child victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse, as well as for children who are witnesses to homicide. The Center works within a multi-disciplinary environment and facilitates case coordination with law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, and medical services. In addition to these services, the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy has a state wide child sexual abuse prevention program with a goal of training one million adults throughout Georgia by 2020 to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

GCCA staff will guide participants on a tour of the facility showcasing the child friendly environment, state of the art forensic interviewing equipment, play therapy and psychotherapy areas, and will be available to answer questions about the work of the Center. A case study will be offered to illuminate the ways in which both the concepts inherent in the Center and the physical space involved can have a major impact on child abuse cases. Current research will be shared on the advantages for the child and the protective systems in utilizing such a Center.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Protection Center

Tuesday, March 31st / 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 2nd / 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

As an accredited member of both the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia and the National Children’s Alliance, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Protection Center provides services to suspected victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect throughout Georgia. The Center works collaboratively with law enforcement agencies, child protective services, the legal system and other community professionals to provide a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to management of suspected child maltreatment cases.

Children’s Child Protection Center Child Abuse Prevention program also provides training and education to child abuse professionals. In 2008, more than 2000 participants were trained on the prevention, identification, treatment, and investigation of child maltreatment.

Recently Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Protection Center collaborated with community partners to develop and oversee a statewide medical network consisting of qualified professionals who will provide timely evaluations to children within their own communities. The Child Protection Telemedicine Network will include the use of telemedicine, which allows off-site experts to participate in real-time examinations at a local medical site, to engage in subsequent detailed review of cases with the local provider, and provide continuing education sessions to non-medical professionals involved in child maltreatment investigations.

On your visit to the child advocacy center, a Child Protection Center staff member will guide a tour of the child-friendly clinic, highlighting the case coordination conference room, the forensic interviewing facility and recording suite, and the forensic medical exam room. Participants will be introduced to the team of trained professionals who work together to provide developmentally-appropriate care and promote healing, including physicians, pediatric nurse practitioners, patient care technicians, intake coordinators, forensic specialists, child life specialists, chaplains and family advocates. Following the tour, a brief presentation will be given on forming a multidisciplinary team to investigate child abuse.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Health Odyssey Museum

Thursday, April 2nd / 10:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m..

The Global Health Odyssey Museum features award-winning permanent and changing exhibitions that focus on a variety of public health topics, as well as the history of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants will take a guided tour in the temporary exhibit area and receive detailed information on the history and mission of the museum. Three temporary exhibits are scheduled to take place during the Conference. The first exhibit, Design for the Other 90%, highlights the myriad of problems confronting the majority of the world’s population who do not have access to such basic services as food, clean water, healthcare, education, affordable transportation, and shelter. The exhibit offers examples of unique ways to address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world’s poor. The second exhibit, High-Tech Trash: A Photo-essay by Peter Essick, is a visual documentary of the exponential growth and global trade of “e-waste” and the resulting environmental, social, and health-risks for workers and citizens worldwide. Finally, Your Genes and Your Choices, is designed to help visitors view genes from a biological, global, historical, and medical perspective. Visitors are challenged consider the role of genes in causing disease and the relationship between lifestyle choices and genes in impacting overall health.

Please Note: Valid government-issued ID (Driver’s license for US citizens; non-citizens must bring passports) is required for entry onto the CDC campus. While visiting the CDC campus, visitors are asked to limit photography to the Global Health Odyssey exhibit space.