Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is hosting a webinar on April 25, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., via Zoom as part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The webinar will include three talks to engage agency-level leadership and workforce representatives from children and youth services, public health, early intervention, and behavioral health settings wanting to learn more about preventing child fatalities.
“Child Maltreatment Fatalities” will be presented by Emily Putnam-Hornstein, the John A. Tate Distinguished Professor for Children in Need at the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and faculty co-director of the Children’s Data Network. For nearly two decades, Putnam-Hornstein has partnered with public agencies to carry out applied research to inform child welfare policy and practice. Her analysis of large-scale, linked administrative data has provided insight into where scarce resources may be most effectively targeted.
“Preventing Firearm Injuries and Deaths Among Children and Youth” will be presented by Rebeccah Sokul, assistant professor of social work at the University of Michigan. This talk will focus on firearms within the child welfare system and include strategies that can prevent firearm-involved deaths among all children and youth. Sokul is a behavioral scientist who studies youth trauma exposure. Her research seeks to ease the burden of adversity experienced in childhood and adolescence, with a central focus on reducing youth violence exposure and involvement.
“Motivating Elected Officials to Act on Child Fatalities Using Research, Citizen Advocacy and Media Relations” will be presented by Rich Gehrman, founder and executive director emeritus of Safe Passage for Children in Minnesota. The presentation will explore how to raise public awareness of child fatalities to ensure your state’s child welfare system is a legislative priority by working with investigative reporters, doing original research, and organizing citizen advocates.
Social work hours and a certificate of participation are available. The webinar is free, but participants are required to register here.
This annual webinar is being also being sponsored by the Human Development & Family Studies Vladimir de Lissovoy Program Support Endowment.