Trying to stay up-to-date on the latest research and literature can be a time-consuming process without the right tools and knowledge. This workshop will give you the tools and knowledge needed to locate the information you need for continuing education, peer review, proving your case to funders and community partners, and much more. The Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) has been redesigned for ease of use and expanded to give you more options for full text publications than ever before. Learn about the tools and knowledge that can save you time and effort.
Suggested Session Track: Research & Innovative Practices
CACs have done a great job over the past 25+ years in enhancing CAC services offered to children and families. However, in Texas, it became clear that not enough attention and resources were being dedicated to strengthening and sustaining the MDT. This led to MDT members sometimes failing to understand and appreciate the value of the CAC and thereby made the CAC/MDT model increasingly vulnerable. CACTX developed an initiative to address this issue, which led to new staff who are dedicated to assessing and strengthening the MDT and facilitating a coordinated approach that begins earlier on in the investigation.
Suggested Session Track: Chapter
Collaborations, partnerships and alliances are now widely applied approaches to mission growth and sustainability. Such strategic action can be successful if it is planned for growth rather than reactive for survival. Strategic mergers take collaborations and partnerships a step further. This session will explore reasons to consider a new strategic direction, examine the factors that influence the likelihood of success, and help identify potential challenges in the process. In addition, participants will learn about a nonprofit organization that has successfully integrated several organizations under one umbrella organization to maximize results.
Suggested Session Track: The Business of Child Advocacy
Digital forensic imaging is part of most forensic medical examinations and has been for at least 10 years, yet administrators, coordinators, examiners, detective prosecutors and judges know little about the advancing technology. During this interactive introductory session, attendees will participate and learn about the capture, long term storage and the secure transmission of forensic data.
Suggested Session Track: Research & Innovative Practices
As Executive Directors, we all have a goal of reducing employee burnout and improving employee retention. Many trainings discuss the issue of vicarious trauma and how it impacts staff. This training takes the next steps and uses what we know about vicarious trauma to inform agency polices. In this session, you will learn the techniques that an Executive Director can use to build resiliency in your staff members and how to make it affordable for your center. You will have the opportunity to discuss with colleagues and brainstorm what will work for your team.
Suggested Session Track: The Business of Child Advocacy
A national study found that childhood physical abuse rates were over 8 times the rate of sexual abuse; 84% of offenders were adults living in the home (Finkelhor et al., 2014). The NCA strategic plan recognizes the role of CACs in serving children with physical abuse histories. This presentation will describe research support and referral criteria for an evidence-based treatment for these children and caregivers: Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Kolko, Brown, et.al.). Case examples will illustrate implementation of AF-CBT at a CAC. Lastly, administrative considerations for implementing this treatment, which includes physically abusive caregivers, will be discussed.
Suggested Session Track: Research & Innovative Practices
Nowadays more CACs and Chapters collect and have access to big data sets, not only from OMS and GAP maps but from other research sources as well. Please join us for a conversation about how to manage, analyze, and interpret data from large scale data sets. We will share tips on how to utilize the data to strengthen your practice and meaningfully interpret both positive and negative results.
Suggested Session Track: Research & Innovative Practices
This briefing will be a background/primer on current CAC-related legislation in Congress. The session is an opportunity for all attendees to ask questions and prepare for their Hill Day meetings. We will also provide real examples of what to expect in the Hill meetings, as well as how to answer curve ball questions from lawmakers and staff.
Suggested Session Track: All Conference Attendees
