Selection, Engagement, and Seduction of Children and Adults by Child Molesters

Cory Jewell Jensen, MS, Center for Behavioral Intervention

Participants gain the opportunity during this seminar to examine the etiological and operational aspects of child molestation, as well as to study, via multiple videotaped interviews with offenders, the specific strategies sex offenders use to seduce and manipulate child victims, adult caretakers, and the community at-large. The session also addresses the current rate of child sexual abuse, the possible number of offenders living in our communities, and the increasing trend in sexually deviant behavior associated with the Internet.

Preparing Leaders to Facilitate Design and Improvement Teams in Child Welfare Organizations

Jessica S. Strolin, PhD, Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work; James Caringi, MSW, Hal Lawson, PhD, and Katharine Briar-Lawson, PhD, University at Albany, State University of New York

Focus in this seminar is on intra-agency design and improvement teams as an approach to combating workforce turnover. Following a short overview of the rationale and actual operation and achievements of these teams, attention shifts to a new training curriculum for team facilitators. Utilizing experiential exercises, role play, videos, plus adultresponsive capacity-building exercises, this seminar prepares child care workers, supervisors, and administrators to implement design and improvement teams in their agencies.

Using an Expert Domestic Violence Case Consultation Model to Improve Outcomes for Families

David Mandel, MA, David Mandel & Associates

In addition to describing the rationale and history behind the development of a network of domestic violence consultants, this seminar provides an overview of the case consultation model, addresses systems issues relating to the creation of a new child protection oriented domestic violence resource, and presents case examples and outcomes. Participants explore the impact of expert domestic violence consultations on child protection practice, as well as examine the pros and cons of establishing a similar resource in their own area.

The Medical Evaluation of Abuse: An Overview for Non-Medical Professionals

Sue Skinner, MD and Patricia Reilly, MSN, PNP, CARES Northwest

Relevant for those who work with children but are not professionals in the medical field, this seminar explains medical history taking and the physical examination. Participants also learn about various laboratory and radiological studies, the medical differential diagnosis, and how a medical diagnosis is made for each type of abuse. The session incorporates specific case presentations, photos of physical findings, and videotaped interviews.

Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: Parent-Teacher Partnerships in Child Care

Nancy L. Seibel, MEd, NCC, LPC and Donna Britt, EdD, Zero to Three; Lana Messner, MSEd, Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

This seminar identifies a means of expanding the network of prevention and family support services to include child care providers in the primary prevention of child maltreatment. Based upon Zero to Three’s experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating the Partnering with Parents project, participants learn how to introduce this prevention approach in their own communities or states. Presenters incorporate the perspective of a project participant to demonstrate how the training and materials provided served to support a comprehensive systems change effort in Kansas.

The Nuts and Bolts of Family Group Decision Making

Lisa Merkel-Holguin, MSW and Anita Horner, BA, American Humane Association

At this time, over 200 U.S. communities are implementing family group decision making (FGDM) initiatives, a significant increase from the five communities identified in a 1995 survey. Geared toward beginners or those with limited information on the topic, seminar presenters identify the factors contributing to the interest in this approach and utilize video presentations and stimulating exercises to challenge participants to fully consider FGDM as a practice in child welfare.