This educational activity is designed to provide current and best practice sessions relating to the prevention, treatment and detection of child abuse and neglect.

To improve the interdisciplinary response to child maltreatment and to promote effective child maltreatment strategies and prevention efforts.

Multiple risk factors have been identified at various levels that contribute to child maltreatment risk.  Individually, these risk factors include a lack of understanding of child needs and development, parental experience with maltreatment, low socioeconomic status, single parent households, and multiple dependent children.  At the community level, neighborhood violence and social disadvantage have been found to contribute to child maltreatment.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are inclusive of traumatic experiences that occur before a child reaches the age of 18; these experiences have been linked to negative impacts and outcomes later in life.  2011 and 2102 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data indicates that 58% of adults in the state of Wisconsin have experienced an ACE and out of those who have experienced an ACE, over 60% have experienced multiple ACEs.  A strong association between ACEs and poor health and social issues have been demonstrated and reinforced through years of BRFSS data; these findings demonstrate a need for further research and education.  

In addition to impacts on the child and family, traumatic experiences can have an impact on child welfare workers who provide support and treatment to child maltreatment victims and their families.  Vicarious trauma, or secondary traumatic stress, can result from repeated exposure to client’s experiences of traumatic events and their symptoms often mimic PTSD.  To reduce the impact of vicarious trauma, it’s important that child welfare workers are given the tools to remain healthy and resilient while continuing the work that they do.

Participants in the 2016 conference will engage in sessions to increase awareness and education levels regarding child abuse and neglect issues as well as ongoing prevention and treatment efforts.  These sessions, presented by field experts, can be utilized to inform future programming and work towards the reduction of child abuse and neglect across communities.  “Transforming Trauma – How to do this work and not completely lose our minds” will presented as the day one keynote; during this session, participants will learn about trauma stewardship and resiliency for workers in the child maltreatment field.

Various workshops will be offered throughout the conference; these include but are not limited to sessions on parent-child interaction therapy (a treatment that focuses on children who have experienced abuse and their parents/caregivers; including strategies that parents/caregivers can use to help their child engage in positive behaviors), mandated reporting to improve child safety, child sexual abuse in a technological world, and dirty homes and assessing neglect.

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin. The Medical College of Wisconsin is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this live activity for a maximum of 14.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with extent of their participation in the activity.

The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this activity for up to 14.5 of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals.