Phil Arkow
The Links Between Child Abuse & Animal Abuse:
Compelling Research and Implications for Prevention, Assessment, Intervention and Treatment
Children’s exposure to family violence is considered a public health issue affecting millions of children each year with serious social, cognitive, emotional and developmental outcomes. One aspect of family violence which has received sufficient scholarly and social services attention to have emerged as a specialty interest area is what is popularly called “The Link” between animal abuse and other forms of family violence including child abuse and neglect. This workshop will describe the ubiquity of pets in children's lives and in the ecology of family systems; how children’s exposure to acts of violence against animals is a deleterious family value that is transmitted intergenerational; how cruelty to animals is a deviant behavior indicating a need for mental health services as well as a potential indicator of victimization and the development of criminal trajectories; and how the protective factor that animals can have on the functioning of children warrants animals being included in child welfare interventions.

Catherine Munster
Update of West Virginia Law on Child Abuse and Neglect
This seminar addresses the new state Supreme Court cases, statutes and rules that affect children and families who are the subject of Chapter 49 cases in circuit court.  The workshop focuses on new cross-disciplinary policies, rules, cases and statutory initiatives essential to the appropriate and timely resolution of these cases. 

Anita Horner
The Nuts and Bolts of Family Group Decision Making
With the advancement of numerous family involvement models, it is important to review what defines the FGDM approach. This presentation outlines the principles and philosophies embodied within FGDM and the processes to coordinate family meetings. The primary family involvement models used in the United States will be described and compared. Individuals with little exposure to, or knowledge of, FGDM are encouraged to attend.

Anita Horner
The Many Facets of Family Engagement
Family engagement is a prerequisite for helping the family achieve its goals. NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Welfare identifies engagement as one of its standards: “Social workers in child welfare shall engage families as partners in the process of assessment and intervention.” This session will focus on engagement approaches with parents, children, youth, extended family and kin, and include group discussion regarding effective strategies to successfully engage families.

Drs. Pamela Mulder and Marianna Linz
Appalachian Practice: Issues, Barriers and Benefits
For this workshop, Drs. Linz and Mulder will present information describing the current situation for disabled children and their families in rural Appalachia. The topics will include current statistics and information about the socio-economic and socio-cultural barriers that service providers encounter when they attempt to help meet the needs of these families. A significant focus for this workshop will be on the need for culturally sensitive service provision which builds on the many strengths and positive characteristics and attributes common to this region, including resiliency and strong family values. Participants will be encouraged to share insights that they have gained from their own experiences and to actively engage in open discussion.

Dr. Pamela Mulder
Motivating and Inspiring Community Volunteers
Taken from the tenets of Social Psychology, this workshop will cover simple, cost effective, “down to earth” ways of getting local businesses to serve as volunteers in community based projects that your organization wants to promote. It is possible to convince community members to get involved and stay involved in activities ranging from fund raising events to serving on advisory boards. Participants will leave the workshop with some concrete options they can readily implement; participants will also be encouraged to share their own ideas and experiences with those who attend this session.

Dr. Marianna Linz
Pediatric Mental Illness
The intent of this session is to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice with respect to how professionals understand and respond to the mental health needs of children.  The presenter will share knowledge and expertise of her professional prospective and highlight materials and resources available.  The workshop will include strategies and examples of ways that mental health practitioners and the juvenile and family court can work together to ensure the well-being of children and adolescents in foster care.

Dr. Barbara Becker-Cottrill and Dr. Jennifer McFarland Whisman|Teams, Dreams and Strategies: Working Together Toward a Common Vision  Part 1
Positive Behavior support (PBS) is a dynamic process of working with individuals who have severe to mild challenging behaviors. PBS utilizes a team approach for the development of an individualized comprehensive positive behavior plan. This presentation will offer participants an overview of positive support with an emphasis on strategies that keep teams working together and moving forward as they develop and implement plans for the focus child. Person-centered strategies will also be presented as an important first step in bringing teams together as they begin the PBS process. Brief case study examples will illustrate the process and the outcomes.

Dr. Barbara Becker-Cottrill and Dr. Jennifer McFarland Whisman
Teams, Dreams and Strategies: Working Together Toward a Common Vision  Part 2
Positive Behavior support (PBS) is a dynamic process of working with individuals who have severe to mild challenging behaviors. PBS utilizes a team approach for the development of an individualized comprehensive positive behavior plan. This presentation will offer participants an overview of positive support with an emphasis on strategies that keep teams working together and moving forward as they develop and implement plans for the focus child. Person-centered strategies will also be presented as an important first step in bringing teams together as they begin the PBS process. Brief case study examples will illustrate the process and the outcomes.

Dr. Jennifer McFarland Whisman and Dr. Barbara Becker Cottrill
Communication Strategies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are more common today than previously believed. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control (which West Virginia was a part of) reported that an average of 1 in 150 children born in 1992 and 1994 had an ASD. ASD has become an urgent health concern in the United States. The importance of learning about ASD and its characteristics was never more important than now. Learning about strategies that help children with ASD overcome the challenges they face is most important. Communication deficits are one of the hallmark symptoms of individuals with ASD. They can range from mild to an absence of any spoken language. This presentation will begin with a brief overview of the communication characteristics of children with ASD. Effective, research-based practices for teaching communication to children with ASD will be reviewed, illustrated and discussed.

Dr. Jim Kaplan
The Role of the Medical Examiner in Child Death Investigations
As an important part of our effort to protect children here in West Virginia, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is charged with determining the circumstances of certain deaths which occur in our state, as specified under West Virginia State Law §61-12-8. This workshop examines the State Medical Examiner system which  provides the people of the State of West Virginia effective medico legal death certification, the process by which our office determines the cause and manner of death for purposes of legal resolution of matters both criminal and civil; recognizes, documents and presents crucial forensic data to our court system, and compiles statistics on injury and disease that are essential for effective public safety and health policy development.

Elizabeth Yennie
Empowering Children to Spurn Emotional Bullying: Words Do Hurt Me
This workshop will explore ways that parents, teachers, and youth leaders can empower children so that the effects of emotional bullying are minimized. We will explore the reasons students initiate bullying, why some students appear to be immune to it, and how important it is for adults to take words seriously. Emphasis will be on how to teach children the tools to deal with bullying, to empower both the victims and the bystanders of emotional bullying so that meaningful dialogue can be achieved.

Lisa M. Justis
Recognizing and Responding to Secondary Trauma
At the end of this session, participants will be able to define secondary trauma; describe common responses to secondary trauma; recognize their own reactions and be able to identify individual strategies for responding to secondary trauma.

Nora J. Baladerian, Ph.D.,
Burnout: Risk Reduction and Treatment
Professionals who are exposed on a daily or frequent basis to traumatic scenes, discussions, images, and other material must find healthy ways to manage the emotional and psychological toll this can exact.  This session will identify sources of burnout and both Administrative and personal tactics to avoid burnout (aka vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue) and utilize practical treatment strategies when burnout begins or even has been present over time.  This is both a didactic and interactive presentation

Nora J. Baladerian, Ph.D.,
The Hidden Joys of Working with Non-Verbal Children
Conversing and communication with non-verbal children is both a challenge and a joy. Learning about children who are non-verbal, identifying causes of non-verbal status, and identifying ways to communicate with these children is the topic of this interactive workshop.  Both myths and stereotypes will be identified, as well as a variety of ways to have some level of communication will be explored.

Ron Smith
Team Building: Prevention Resource Officer Program
The Prevention Resource Officer (PRO) Program is a cooperative effort between schools and law enforcement to improve student’s attitudes and knowledge of the criminal justice system and law enforcement officers.  The program also aims to prevent students from committing crimes; provide mentoring resources; and to provide the school and community with a safer environment. The PRO program seeks to combine school safety and child advocacy to assure a better school experience for all West Virginia Youth.

This workshop will give participants the opportunity to listen as one of the founders of the PRO program describes issues of the past and future of this great program.  Case studies, such as school violence and shootings, will be discussed.

Ron Smith
Underage Drinking and its Wake of Damages
Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; yet drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents. This workshop evaluates prevention programs and identifies effective and ineffective ways to reduce drinking problems among young people.  Case studies examined.

Talia Divita and WVSP
WV Child Protection Unit Part I
Discussion of a special unit of the State Police called the Child Abuse and Neglect Investigations Unit. It consists of six state police officers, including the Officer in Charge, whose purpose is to focus on identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminal child abuse and neglect cases in coordination with Child Protective Services (CPS).

Talia Divita and WVSP
WV Child Protection Unit   Part 2
Discussion of a special unit of the State Police called the Child Abuse and Neglect Investigations Unit. It consists of six state police officers, including the Officer in Charge, whose purpose is to focus on identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminal child abuse and neglect cases in coordination with Child Protective Services (CPS).

Brad Bryant
The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program
An overview of the ViCAP National Database, which is a national repository of violent crime cases containing detailed case specific information regarding victims, offenders (suspects), occupation of the victim/offender, lifestyle of victim/offender, incident locations, condition of the victim, cause of death/major trauma, modus operandi, sexual activity, verbal interaction between victim and offender, weapons, vehicles, forensics, and other case related data to include a narrative summary of the case. Attendees will learn about the analytical support that the ViCAP Unit can provide to law enforcement agencies in their investigation of crimes against children to include homicide investigations, sexual assault investigations, as well as in their missing child and unidentified remains investigations.  The resources, databases, and analytical tools utilized by ViCAP Crime Analysts will be described.

Angie Scott, JD
Working Together to Interview Children
This session is an overview of forensic interviewing.  It will include a look at some of the major protocols in the United States, types of questions and questioning technique with an emphasis on narrative development.  Interactive activities will be built into the workshop to develop skills. 

Angie Scott, JD
Working With Adolescents and Other Malleable Victims
This session will look at the particular issues of interviewing and working with teens and other victims who may be heavily influenced by their perpetrators.   We will look at adolescent development, teens and sex, how teens experience abuse and how they disclose that abuse as well as interview tips and techniques.  Interactive activities will be included in this session to develop skills. 

Dr. Joan Phillips
A Pediatrician’s Overview of Child Sexual Abuse
"PeePees, Coochies, Pocketbooks, Hoses, Privates and Butts-What is normal and what to expect after abuse. Overview of anatomy and findings in sexually abused children. Review of current literature on normal physical findings in sexual abuse.

Shane Salter
Practice Tips, Supporting Forgiveness Work in Maltreated Children
Children who’ve been maltreated are interested in forgiving, and that may be an important part of moving on with their lives. This workshop will explore emotional healing, including forgiveness work, and from the perspective of a former foster child and adoptive parent, how it is severely compromised by (a) the lack of continuity in relationships (changes in foster parents, caseworkers, and therapists), so that the child never has time to build trusting relationships, and (b) the lack of a treatment plan for emotional issues that the therapist, foster parents, and caseworker are committed to across all the child’s milieus. A safety plan, a permanency plan, and a place to live are only the beginning of what the child needs to recover from abuse.

Karen Blackwell
When a Child Dies:  The Best Possible Response,
Class will give Child Protective Service workers, First Responders, Criminal Investigators, and those involved in the investigation of a suspicious child death, a basic understanding of the etiology of Child Homicide, it’s most common victims and offenders, as well as, specific tools to most effectively and collaboratively investigate the death of a child.  The lecture will be based on a multi-disciplinary approach to investigating Child Fatalities and briefly address the long-term issues of safety of surviving children/sibling/witnesses and the implications for the investigative professionals dealing with vicarious trauma as a result of responding to Child Homicide cases.

Karen Blackwell
The Compliant Victim
This presentation address the unique issues involved when interviewing child/adolescent sexual exploitation victims, compliant victims involving intra-familial, as well as, Internet crimes and the challenges that the interviewer may encounter.

Tessa Cooper
Joseph I. Ciccarelli
Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (CARD)
This workshop is designed to provide information about the origin, role, responsibilities and composition of the FBI’s CARD Teams.  The training and utilization of CARD will be discussed as well as their interaction with FBI Field Offices, Evidence Response Teams, Computer Analysis Response Teams and the Behavioral Analysis Unit.

A case study of the kidnapping, rape and murder of 12 year old Gabrielle Bechen, who disappeared from her Bobtown, PA home in June of 2006 will be presented. This will highlight the interaction between the FBI and state and local authorities including law enforcement, emergency service and child welfare agencies. The role of victim service providers, including the FBI’s Victim Specialist will also be discussed.

Denise Holtz
Psychological Profiling of the Child Abductor
Familiarizes attendees with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and the work it does in conjunction with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies related to child abduction and child sexual victimization.  Child sex offender typologies and the child sexual victimization continuum will be discussed in detail.  There topics will be illustrated with case presentations and research statistics.

Denise Holtz
Internet Crimes against Children and Teenagers
Workshop focuses on the FBI’s investigation of criminal activity targeted at children and teens on the internet.  Discusses aspects of software commonly used by predators and how law enforcement investigates these tools.  Attendees will learn how the distribution of child pornography continues to increase via commercial for profit web services and what is being done to stop it.

American Prosecutors Research Institute
Preparing Kids for Court
This workshop illustrates how policy, program, and service issues related to the well-being of at-risk children and adolescents in the courtroom impact judicial decision-making and outcomes for children, adolescents, and their families.  General areas of focus that will be covered include abusive relationships with adults including parents, adolescents with mental health and behavioral problems, and system changes that have made it more difficult to address the needs of children, adolescents, and parents involved in the child protection system, as well as the need for better integration of research into practice and policy.

American Prosecutors Research Institute
When a Child Takes it Back: Recantation in Child Abuse Cases
Class will discuss the disclosure process and the recent research on the topic. Attendees will learn the definition of recantation, how to prevent it from occurring and what to do when it does happen.  The investigation of recantations and how to handle it when it happens in the courtroom will also be discussed.

Debi Gillespie
Inside the West Virginia Division of Juvenile Services
Workshop will provide an overview of the West Virginia Division of Juvenile Services (DJS). The Donald R. Kuhn (DRK) Juvenile Diagnostic Unit in particular will be presented.  Additionally, some information will be provided about the overall juvenile justice system in West Virginia. 

The overview of DJS includes information on the agency’s eleven juvenile detention and correctional facilities and what the function is for each and how they interrelate.  We will also be discussing the role and history of the DRK Juvenile Diagnostic Unit, its relationship with the courts, probation officers, service providers, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, and other practitioners within the juvenile system. 

Pam Roush, Meredith Pride, Regina Woodcock, Debra Judy
WV Birth to Three - Growing Together
WV Birth to Three is West Virginia's system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and their families, in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This session will provide an overview of the WV Birth to Three System, including: the purpose of WV Birth to Three services, how children under age three and their families can be eligible for early intervention services, and the importance of coordination with other systems working with children and families.

David Hickey
A Beginner’s Guide to Keeping your Child Safe Online
This introductory course for parents and professionals will highlight the online dangers faced by all ages on the internet.  You will learn how to protect yourself or your family from predators and scams. Beginning with the fundamentals, we discuss common uses, risks of chatting, blogging and sites like MySpace, as well some common forensic techniques to help track suspected behavior.

Julie Rosof-Williams
The Our-Kids Medical Evaluation:  A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Child Sexual Abuse
The presentation will cover the psychosocial components of caring for children/ adolescents and their families when they present in acute or non-acute medical settings for sexual abuse examinations.   Utilizing the Our Kids interdisciplinary model, participants will learn the necessary skills for interviewing caregivers, conducting developmentally appropriate and forensically defensible medical histories, and providing pre-exam preparation.  Participants also learn what children recommend to professionals who refer children for medical exams and those who manage sexual abuse cases.