Presenter: Nancy Grechko (dos Santos), Psy.D.
Complex trauma affects the nervous system and our ability to regulate our emotions, behavior, and relationships. In this workshop, participants will learn how to identify more nuanced forms of trauma and dissociation as well as their impact on the nervous system. The Window of Tolerance framework will be utilized to better understand and identify arousal states and traumatic responses in clients as well inform treatment interventions.
Intuitively, we know exposure to IPV affects a child’s attachment but let’s look at the “how”. This workshop will provide concrete explanations for why and how childhood attachment can become disrupted. An overview of IPV will be provided as well as developmental trauma, attachment, and impact of IPV on children. Objectives: Identify the nuances of IPV beyond physical violence Identify the impact of IPV on the caregiving system Identify the impact of IPV on children’s attachment
Presenter: Andrew Campbell / Campbell Research & Consulting
This training will highlight key concepts for ending generational cycles of familial abuse, explore how concepts from initiatives to end generational cycles for other public health issues are also relevant, explain the importance of working at this issue from both directions (separate but equally effective programs for victims and perpetrators) and identify key areas of intervention for family violence professionals (law enforcement, court systems, animal welfare, education, medical, faith-based, etc.) in efforts to end abuse in the home. Ending generational cycles of familial abuse not only results in improved health outcomes for all humans and animals who currently reside in the home, but for the generations who follow as well.
Based on the presenter’s recent publications in Social Sciences (2022), the Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2021 & 2020), Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments (2021), and book on the topic (2021), this presentation will describe the specific emotional and physical risks of harm for all children, adults, and animals residing in homes where family violence occurs. Key points of emphasis include protecting pets to best protect their humans too, improved attention to and understanding of the damaging effects of emotional abuse, and the need to expand community partnerships to include critical (often left out) organizations in the fight to end family violence.
In addition to increased risk for victims, concerns for the safety of first responders at the scene of these incidents will also be addressed. Key concepts including how DV perpetrator pet abuse may signal increased risk for police officers and others involved in cases of family violence will be explored. New data from a partnership between the presenter, child welfare agencies, and law enforcement agencies in several communities will be highlighted to provide unique perspective regarding the overlapping nature of these different forms of abuse and ways different disciplines can better support one another.
This workshop provides a unique take on domestic violence prevention, identification, and intervention by enabling participants to develop a multi-disciplinary perspective of violence in the home. Results from my national domestic violence survey of victim serving agencies across multiple disciplines will be discussed. Discipline-specific (and shared) barriers to working with victims of domestic violence will be identified (legal, church, law enforcement, education staff, social services, medical, animal, dv shelter). Participants will learn of critical concepts for overcoming these barriers, developing a multi-disciplinary response, and promoting data-driven, effective and efficient community-inclusive methods to better identify and assist these victims of violence.
Participants will learn of the bi-directional relationship between community violence and family violence. Findings from the presenter’s review of 58 school shooting incidents occurring in the U.S. since 1990 will be discussed along with case study examples of serial killers and recent mass shooting incidents. Participants will learn of common trends in behavioral and social histories of perpetrators of mass violence including exposure to family violence and other adverse childhood experiences. Additionally, the presenter’s study of youth suicide and comparisons between teen suicide notes and school shooter journal entries will be discussed.
Participants will learn how exposure to community violence can increase risk of abuse in homes throughout the community. The many ways community violence impacts children will be highlighted, along with a discussion on how these effects often create strain on the child-caregiver bond/relationship. Reported rates of domestic violence in communities impacted by major mass violence incidents will be compared both before and after the event to further explore connections between violence in the community and abuse in the home.
Finally, participants will learn of collaborative, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing violence/abuse in the home and community with an emphasis on child mental health and ending cycles of violence and abuse. Topics include expanding the list of adverse childhood experiences, appropriately responding to children in “emotional distress”, the relationship between harm in the home and committing acts of violence in the community, child perpetration of animal cruelty, bullying and its impact on child mental health, religion and school shooters, and preventing future acts of violence in schools.
Children don’t just witness domestic violence, they EXPERIENCE it. Even when not the direct target of the abusive act, seeing a parent, sibling, grandparent, or pet targeted by abuse can have a significant long-term emotional and psychological impact on children. In fact, many childhood survivors of domestic violence often indicate wishing THEY had been the target of the abuse, rather than having to watch their loved ones be targeted by the abuser.
This presentation will discuss the specific threats of physical, psychological, and emotional harm for children living in a home where partner abuse/domestic violence occurs. Common misconceptions will be addressed, including the idea that a child can be too young to be affected by abuse in the home, physically observable signs of injury are an appropriate estimator of victimization, and the idea that children who do not actually see a violent act occur are not significantly harmed by it.
In addition, participants will learn of multi-disciplinary initiatives and concepts that relate to improving prevention and detection of domestic violence occurring in homes where children reside and mitigating the harmful impact of witnessing and experiencing the abuse of a loved one. Other topics to be discussed include: the various forms of child emotional maltreatment, toxic stress, child-caregiver attachment, “emotionally unavailable parents”, the effects of witnessing threats or violence against animals living within the home, caregiver risk factors for domestic violence and emotional maltreatment, how to better identify victims, and what to do once victims have been identified.
Presenter: Robert Peters
Despite the presence of corroborating evidence in every child sexual abuse case, child protection professionals often miss the full potential of this vital component. This webinar taught by a former prosecutor will equip attendees to maximize various underutilized avenues of corroboration, focusing on forensic interviews, internet of things (IoT) devices, numerous other forms of digital evidence, and tools for practitioners.
Cases involving youth with problematic sexual behavior are tragically common for prosecutors, forensic interviewers, and other MDT members. However, addressing these cases effectively presents complex challenges and considerations. This webinar, taught by a former prosecutor, will provide relevant research and tactics for appropriate intervention and prosecution.
The rise of generative artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the landscape of criminal investigations. This 2-hour webinar, led by a former prosecutor and a child exploitation detective, will equip investigators with the core knowledge and skills necessary to leverage AI wisely and effectively.
Religious or spiritual themes are often weaponized by perpetrators to justify the abuse of children, and are invoked to avoid accountability and consolidate power within faith communities. This webinar will cover best practices, recent trends, and practical tips and corroboration strategies for MDTs to navigate these issues.
This workshop equips participants with practical strategies to navigate and transform conflict into highly-functioning, empathetic multidisciplinary team. It explores MDT leadership principles of psychological safety and shared decision making and conflict transformation theory. Attendees will gain practical skills to analyze conflict origins, employ a strengths-based approach to conflict transformation, lean into the power of the uncomfortable, and productively engage in accountability conversations.
Presenter: Cory Jewell Jensen
Sex crime investigators, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, medical staff, child welfare workers and child/victim advocates should be familiar with the various theories about the etiology of pedophilia and development of pro-offending attitudes, plus the more typical patterns of sexual offending (rape, sexual assault, computer crimes against children and sexual trafficking) committed by juvenile and adult sex offenders. This presentation will highlight (via video taped interviews with various sex offenders) some of the more common pathways to developing and maintaining deviant sexual interests and criminal sexual behavior. In addition, the presenter will review various studies that examined the number of detected vs. undetected offenders and sexual crimes occurring in our communities, the true rate of false allegations and the average degree of “cross-over” or “crime switching” behavior sex offenders engage in. The misconceptions about “re-offense” and “recidivism” rates and the expected outcomes for sex offender treatment will also be addressed.
Participants will examine (via film clips of interviews with various types of sex offenders) some of the specific strategies offenders describe using to target, seduce and exploit children and adults. Information was collected from several thousand adult sex offenders who were involved in long-term, court mandated sex offender treatment. In addition, a variety of similarly focused research studies will be reviewed. The areas of focus include offender descriptions of “grooming” tactics (how and why they: targeted certain children, adults, families and youth serving agencies, then seduced and manipulated each of these individuals/agencies, inhibited disclosure, detection and reporting. A variety of video clips, research studies and anecdotal interview data from numerous sex offenders will be utilized to illustrate each stage. Although this presentation is not for the “faint of heart,” it provides crucial information related to trauma and the need to improve training and skill in forensic interviewing, investigation and prosecution.
Participants will have an opportunity to review Oregon’s grassroots prevention project – “Protecting our Children: Advice from Child Molesters.” Initially developed by two veteran sex offender treatment providers, “PYC” has grown into a multi-state, multi-disciplinary child abuse prevention campaign. The project was designed to educate parents, youth service staff, educators, community volunteers and the faith community about child sexual abuse, offender behavior, risk management and more effective prevention strategies. Workshops challenge public misperceptions about children’s ability to protect themselves and promote the idea that all adults must be informed and take an active role in confronting offender behavior and promoting child safety. Information about grooming behavior, internet crimes, victim advocacy, reporting, sexual behavior between children and talking to children about child sexual abuse are covered. Potential project benefits such as jury education and early intervention with potential offenders are expected. Classes are taught by child abuse detectives, child/victim advocates, prosecutors, probation/parole officers and sex offender treatment providers.
Participants will have an opportunity to review Oregon’s grassroots prevention project – “Protecting our Children: Advice From Child Molesters.” Initially developed by two veteran sex offender treatment providers, “PYC” has grown into a multi-state, multi-disciplinary child abuse prevention campaign. The project was designed to educate parents, youth service staff, educators, community volunteers and the faith community about child sexual abuse, offender behavior, risk management and more effective prevention strategies. Workshops challenge public misperceptions about children’s ability to protect themselves and promote the idea that all adults must be informed and take an active role in confronting offender behavior and promoting child safety. Information about grooming behavior, Internet crimes, victim advocacy, reporting, sexual behavior between children and talking to children about child sexual abuse are covered. Potential project benefits such as jury education and early intervention with potential offenders are expected. Classes are taught by child abuse detectives, child/victim advocates, prosecutors, probation/parole officers and sex offender treatment providers.
Presenter: NCMEC
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) like many new technological advances before it brings with it exciting new opportunities as well as new risks. How should the accessibility of GAI change our internet safety messages for children, youth, and parents? At the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, we receive reports that include youth produced content depicting children of all ages. Investigating these cases is difficult enough, but how can we prevent a crime when the victim is the one creating the images used to exploit them or when the images of the child are created using GAI? This workshop will include an interactive discussion of how we must update prevention messaging to children, adolescents, and adults about youth produced content and nonconsensual image sharing using a developmental perspective. We will then discuss how to apply a trauma-informed approach to tailoring prevention messages to specific age groups regarding self-generated and GAI materials. Additionally, we will share free resources that can be used in your community to address these issues with children of all ages.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offers a wide array of resources to support MDT professionals in their work. We offer free turn-key prevention resources, online and in-person training, specialized case resources for investigators, technical assistance, peer support for parents and caregivers, and much more! In addition to sharing information about these services, we will discuss recent trends that have informed new materials and services available to you to leverage in your work and share with your MDT members.
Presenter: Dr. Bart Klika
Child sexual abuse is a preventable public health problem. Many states across the US have enacted state policies to help create safer environments for children. These policies largely focus on teaching children and adults about the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse and creating policies in education settings to minimize the opportunity for child sexual abuse to occur. To date, little research has examined whether these policies are creating safer environments for children.
In this presentation, Dr. Klika will present findings from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) project evaluating child sexual abuse prevention policies across the US. A project overview will be provided along with specific data on child sexual abuse prevention policies in Connecticut.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe the scope of educator sexual misconduct in the US.
- Participants will be able to describe 3 policies for the prevention of child sexual abuse.
- Participants will know which child sexual abuse prevention policies are enacted in Connecticut.
Research shows that concrete and economic support policies, like childcare subsidies and paid family leave reduce violence in the home. This presentation will begin with an overview of research on concrete and economic support policies as a child maltreatment prevention strategy. Next, Dr. Klika will describe results from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant examining the role of childcare subsidies and paid family leave in reducing child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. The presentation will conclude with opportunity for questions and discussion.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe 3 policies that have been shown to reduce violence.
- Participants will be able to explain how concrete and economic support policies are related to reductions in violence.
- Participants will be able to identify opportunities to strengthen concrete and economic support policies in Connecticut.
Presenter: Dr. Sundes Kazmir & Dr. Lisa Pavlovic
This workshop will discuss multi-disciplinary approaches to the evaluation of sexual abuse in three groups: bilingual children, LGBTQ+ youth, and adults with disabilities. The workshop will review a single child advocacy center’s experiences caring for three special populations, and discuss lessons learned from our clinical care and multi-disciplinary approach in order to strengthen our collective response.
Presenter: Roberta Senter, Danielle Giambrone, MA
This workshop will provide you with an overview of Love146 programs.
Presenter: Nathan Earl
This 90-minute training explores the labor and sex trafficking of boys and men through a trauma-informed, equity-driven lens. Participants will learn about the scope and prevalence of male trafficking, including systemic vulnerabilities and key risk factors often overlooked in mainstream narratives. The session emphasizes how to recognize and engage male survivors, highlighting the importance of person-centered approaches and the impact of stigma on recovery and access to services. Practical, community-driven solutions and policy considerations will be discussed, offering participants tools to improve prevention and response within their own sectors. By the end of the session, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the issue, build urgency around existing service gaps, and leave with clear strategies to support collective action. Designed for professionals in health, education, justice, and social services, this training encourages active participation and offers a powerful call to reimagine how we support male-identified survivors of commercialized violence.
Workshop Goals and Objectives: By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Understand the Scope and Prevalence Grasp the extent of labor and sex trafficking of boys and men. & Identify key risk factors and systemic vulnerabilities that contribute to this issue.
- Recognize and Engage Survivors. Learn how to identify males who have been or are at risk of being impacted by labor and/or sex trafficking, and engage them effectively within their sectors. Understand the importance of person-centered approaches and the impact of stigma on recovery.
- Explore Solutions and Policy Considerations & Gain insights into feasible, community-driven solutions to prevent and address human trafficking. Discuss policy recommendations that can make a tangible impact on systemic responses
- Foster Urgency and Action & Develop a sense of urgency regarding the gaps in current responses and the need for collective action.
Presenter: Brendan Burke
The State of Connecticut has established a Child Fatality Review Panel (CFRP), which is charged with reviewing unexplained or unexpected circumstances of the death of any child under the age of 18 who has received services from a state department or agency addressing child welfare, social or human services or juvenile justice. Workshop will be a data driven discussion on the causes and manners of fatalities, a review of trends and preventive efforts, with a focus on unsafe sleep deaths and suicides.
Workshop Goals and Objectives
Educate attendees on the Child Fatality Review Process and provide insight into child fatality data and preventions efforts.
Presenter: Doug Edwards
Fathers are a social and emotional resource for Moms, children, and communities. Good fathering includes healthy relationships that enhance prevention. We will look back and start from early childhood to trace the preventive elements of fathering along with the skills and assets family men bring to the lives of children. We look forward to finding ways to address unconscious bias about family men while highlighting the value of fatherhood in your work. Together, we’ll have a lively interactive conversation using a multi-sensual approach, with research, music, photos, and videos.
Presenter: Chris Marino
Compassion fatigue can occur when helping professionals open our hearts and minds and dedicate efforts to care for others who may have experienced traumatic events. But providers aren’t the only ones at risk. Children and their caregivers are also highly susceptible to compassion fatigue throughout their engagement in treatment and other victim services post-disclosure of abuse. In this session, we will discuss how managing this type of burnout can improve outcomes in trauma-focused evidence-based treatments (EBTs) as well as with engagement in victim advocacy services. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their past and current cases and consider the impact compassion fatigue may have had on themselves, their clients and/or the caregivers involved in services. A discussion on the impact compassion fatigue may have on client engagement and service outcomes will be held, and we will conclude with a brief review of strategies to support children and caregivers care for themselves while they care for one another while engaging in trauma-focused treatment and other victim services.
Presenter: Chris Newlin
Parents and caregivers, when faced with emerging allegations involving the abuse of their child, are suddenly confronted with a situation for which they are poorly prepared. This is not significantly different from other situations involving parents’ reactions regarding the well-being of their children. However, the ambiguity of child abuse allegations creates heightened challenges, and this same ambiguity is also a challenge for MDT members involved in the investigation and intervention. This session will identify the difference between belief and ambivalence and how all professionals involved in child abuse cases can assist parents to be supportive and engaged with their children. This webinar will also highlight the role of manipulation on whether parents believe and suggest some new investigatory strategies which may be employed by MDT members.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences research, conducted in the 1990’s, has dramatically informed our understanding of the long term impacts of child maltreatment and exposure to other potentially traumatic events. This presentation will review the structure of this seminal research and share key findings from the ACEs research with a particular focus on physical health, mental health, and worker performance. As informative as this research is, the use of ACE scores for providing direct clinical services is very limited, and the use of evidence-based trauma assessments will be briefly reviewed. Additional research focused on the long term impacts of child maltreatment on our nation’s health and economy will be reviewed, and this content can be dramatically effective for convincing policy makers why they must invest in the multidisciplinary response to child abuse and child abuse prevention activities.
The forensic interviewing field is rapidly evolving with increasing research and practice improvements occurring almost daily. Additionally, instead of forensic interviewing being a task completed by a child protective services or law enforcement investigator, it has become an actual career position with most CACs employing Forensic Interviewers. With this rapid increase of knowledge and practice around forensic interviewing, how can we expect Judges to stay abreast of these practice improvements. This presentation is intended to summarize best practices around forensic interviewing and also to provide an overview of how trauma can impact brain functioning and children’s participation in forensic interviews.
Presenter: Danielle Williams, Sharmese Walcott, Alex Beck, and Lisa Murphy-Cipolla
This workshop will provide participants with practical tools for effective courtroom testimony. Through an interactive mock trial based on a real-world child abuse investigation, presenters will illustrate the roles and expectations of fact and expert witnesses. Participants will gain insight into courtroom etiquette, legal terminology, and strategies for clear and credible communication on the stand.
Learning Objectives
Understand how to respond to a subpoena
Equip participants with the knowledge and confidence to testify effectively in court
Enhance understanding of courtroom dynamics, expectations and professional conduct
Provide practical strategies to prepare for direct and cross examination
Strengthen participants’ communication skills for clear, credible and confident testimony
Presenter: Yanique Grant-Buchanan
Recent events have caused the world to be hyper-focused on the ever-present issue of race. Direct care practitioners are increasingly faced with problems stemming from racial trauma – some from the standpoint of not understanding its effects, and others who are themselves combating its wounds. The Racial Trauma: Road to Healing training is meant to guide participants in effectively tackling these issues and guide others to begin their healing. The objective of this training is for participants to assess racial trauma & learn tools to effectively treat it within the populations that they serve. The first half hour of the training consists of an introduction to the concept of Racial Trauma and what it entails. During this segment, participants learn how to define Racial Trauma, identify Racial Trauma in children, and identify ways in which it differs from other common traumas. The participants will learn what constitutes “complex trauma” and the symptoms associated with it. In the second half hour to an hour, participants will learn various trauma concepts and ways in which they can begin to do the healing work. This training gives action steps for addressing the discomfort surrounding racial topics and lays out ways in which the participants can work with children and adults that are affected. Participants will learn how to adapt to a mindset of cultural competency and how to adequately add antiracist language as well. They will be given proactive ways to address their own biases and stereotypes, as well as ways to avoid unintentionally re-traumatizing the various populations that they serve.
Rafael Decampo and Kate Morgan
In this case study, Detective Rafael Dacampo (Hartford Police Department) and Prosecuting Attorney Kate Morgan (G.A. 14) will delve into how an undercover underage persona profile on a social media platform resulted in weeks’ worth of inappropriate communications, an eventual meeting with the intentions to engage in sexual acts with a minor and the arrest and subsequent conviction of the suspect.
Dr. Jennifer Lusa
The primary goal of this workshop is to strengthen practitioners’ knowledge and awareness of vicarious trauma (VT)—including its signs, associated risks, and effective strategies to minimize its impact. Through reflection, discussion, and practical exercises, participants will gain tools to better recognize how VT shows up in their personal and professional lives and learn approaches for both individual and organizational support. By the end of this training, participants will be able to describe how vicarious trauma impacts emotional wellbeing, physical health, cognitive processes, and the quality of personal and professional relationships. They will be able to explain the individual and employment-related factors that increase susceptibility to VT and recognize organizational indicators that may contribute to it. In addition, participants will leave with the ability to design a personalized self-care plan that identifies at least three strategies to mitigate VT. They will also be able to discuss multiple ways in which organizations can better support employees in recognizing, preventing, and addressing vicarious trauma.
Submit a Workshop Proposal
Experienced and dynamic presenters from the fields of law enforcement, child welfare, children’s mental health, teachers, forensic interviewers, medical professionals, legal and child advocacy centers and community partners who are invested in the field of child abuse are invited to submit workshop proposals for the seventh annual conference on child abuse hosted by the Connecticut Children’s Alliance (CCA). The workshops are expected to be 90 minutes. This year’s conference will offer three tracks: Strengthening the MDT Response, Child Abuse Prevention and Human Trafficking.
