Impact

National Child Abuse Prevention Month event to discuss reporting process

National leader to speak on the importance of reporting child abuse

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Child abuse and neglect are substantiated in more than 1.2 million children each year in the United States. As a part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Penn State’s Network on Child Protection and Well-Being is teaming up with the Child Advocacy Center of Centre County (Mount Nittany Health) to raise awareness about the importance of child abuse reporting with hopes of significantly lowering that total.

“Stand Up, Step Forward to Keep Children Safe: Why Child Abuse Reporting Matters” will feature a panel of experts and advocates who will discuss what it means to be a reporter of child abuse. The community event will be at 7 p.m. on April 21 in the Ruth Pike Auditorium (22 Biobehavioral Health Building). Keynote speaker Teresa Huizar, executive director of the National Children’s Alliance, will lead the discussion on how everyone in a community plays an important role in keeping children safe.

Speakers will overview the reporting process and answer questions about what to do, what not to do, who to call, and what happens after they make a report. The speakers will also talk about how multidisciplinary investigative teams are created and how important these teams are to the safety of abused and/or neglected children. The event is free and open to the public. There will be a reception preceding the event at 6:30 p.m.

Joining Huizar on stage for this important community event are:

Kristina Taylor-Porter, director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Centre County

Jennie Noll, professor of human development and family studies and director of the Network on Child Protection and Well-Being

Anne Ard, director of the Centre County Women's Resource Center

Teresa Smith, coordinator of outreach and training at the Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center

 

Credit: iStock PhotoAll Rights Reserved.

Last Updated May 12, 2016

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