MOLINE, IL (February 12, 2019) — Child abuse happens in all communities, in all neighborhoods, and has the potential to occur in any household. Every 10 seconds, a child in the United States experiences abuse. Every day, between four and seven children will die as a result of abuse. Half of these children experience abuse before their fifth birthday, with the greatest risk occurring during the first year of life. In 2015, the number of children abused in the Quad Cities was enough to fill 20 school buses.
Yet none of this has to be the case. Child abuse and neglect are 100 percent preventable.
Educating local professionals on applicable, relevant skills to invest in building resilient children is the purpose behind the Child Abuse Council’s Annual Conference. The 16th Annual Children Exposed to Violence Conference is Thursday, March 7, 8AM-4PM, at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.
“We’re proud of the diverse group of professionals who come together every year at this time to learn, grow and better serve our communities,” said Brooke Hendrickx, the Child Abuse Council’s Community Education Program Manager and Conference Director. “This year we will focus on the impact of trauma on the brain and development, the importance of positive relationships to building resiliency, and communicating across barriers such as poverty. Experts from our region and across the nation will offer 10 different sessions attendees can choose to attend.”
The conference will feature two nationally recognized speakers. Frank Grijalva, MSCC, MSPH, will open the conference with a discussion over the trajectory of abuse and neglect. Mr Grijalva also will facilitate two breakout sessions on trauma and trauma resolution. Dr Donna Beegle, is the closing featured speaker. She will host two breakout sessions that will look at poverty myths and communicating more effectively across poverty barriers, as well as close the conference with a session on her story about growing up in poverty in America.
Other conference topics include rebuilding parent-child relationships, the effects of abuse and neglect on attachment, minimizing the impact of childhood trauma in the classroom, and implicit bias. The conference carries 5.6 Continuing Education Credits for healthcare and social service professionals.
The conference was made possible through the sponsorship of UnityPoint Health — Trinity and Scott County Regional Authority, which are working together to ensure the children in our community have healthy and safe childhoods.
About the Child Abuse Council:
The Child Abuse was organized in 1977 through the efforts of citizens and professionals concerned about child abuse and neglect in the Quad Cities. Its philosophy has always been one of community effort and cooperation. We have a local commitment to Prevent Child Abuse Illinois and Prevent Child Abuse Iowa and have many programs and services that help children and their families. More information about the organization and the Annual Conference are at www.childabuseqc.org.
