Hundreds Trained on Child Abuse Prevention
More than 550 professionals in the child advocacy field attended the 22nd an-nual Community Response to Child Abuse Conference, held October 6-7 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
The conference provided professional training and educational opportunities for teachers, medical professionals, dentists, law enforcement, social workers, mental health providers, youth service providers, the legal community, com-munity members, and child advocates.
Conference attendees noted:
- I’ve attended online the past couple of years, it was awesome to be here in-person this year.
- I’m happy there is the option to view remaining sessions online, it was hard to choose which breakouts to go to.
- There was good information and updates on what’s going on across the state.
- It’s a chance for South Dakotans working towards the same great cause to come together.
Did you miss out and still want access to the content? The on-demand, post-conference portal will be live in early November. Register now to receive access to conference session recordings, learning materials, and continuing education credits.
Wieseler Recognized with Outstanding Service Award
Among the highlights of the conference was the Outstanding Service Award, presented to Virgena Wieseler by Department of Social Services Secretary, Laurie Gill.
Virgena began her work with the Division of Child Protection Services as a Social Worker in 1981 and was soon promoted to Social Worker Supervisor and District Program Supervisor. In August of 1989, she became the Deputy Division Director for Child Protection Services before accepting the Division Director Position in November of 1999, a position she held for almost 18 years. Virgena completed her career by serving as the Chief of Family Services for the SD Department of Social Services. She dedicated her entire career to helping children in our great state find safety, support and services. Virgena was instrumental in aligning the state priorities with advancing sciences in child welfare. She assisted in developing the strategic plan for Jolene’s Law Task Force and was a founding member of the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment. Virgena advocated for the needs of children before the SD Legislature and was a constant voice of security and reason for advancing the needs of multidisciplinary teams.
Court Improvement Program
On October 26, Brittany Novotny, Tifanie Petro, Angela Lisburg, and Amanda Liebl will present on Multidisciplinary Teams. The conversation will cover: the Children’s Advocacy Center model overview, referral process and community partner engage-ment, benefit of the MDT model to each profession, how SD CACs work to create access to services, how forensic interviews support the needs of all agencies in MDTs, and challenges and successes of MDTs.
Register now to attend and receive the session re-cording.
SANE Opportunities
Trainings and resources available:
Understanding the Role of SANE Courtroom Testimony: Learn more
- For SANEs, attorneys, multidisciplinary team partners, and students
Fridays October 14, 21, and 28 virtual sessions
Friday, November 4 in-person mock trial at USD Knudson School of Law
Registration required to receive access to recorded online session
On-Site Technical Assistance: Learn more
- Site visits are now available to provide non-acute technical assistance.
Will create better understanding of rural healthcare facility challeng-es.
Provides tips for processes, protocols, and trainings.
SD Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Collaborative
Professionals, advocates, and parents attended a strategic planning session for the SD Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Collaborative on October 5. Participants represented the six key-areas of early childhood success: Medical/Disabilities, Legal/Safety, Prenatal/Parenting Engagement, Childcare, Dental, and Behavioral/Mental Health. The session included a panel presentation from five members of the ECCS Family Leadership Council, a review of a statewide parent survey, and the setting of objectives and priorities for the collaborative.
Fifty participants attended including: Sarah Aker, Medicaid Director, DSS; Janessa Bixel, President, SD Association for the Education of Young Children; Melanie Boetel, Behavioral Health Division Director, DSS; Sarah Carter, Administrator, Office of Early Child Services, DOE; Carrie Churchill, Home Visiting Program Manager, DOH; Melissa Fluckey, Statewide Training Coordinator, Division of Child Services, DSS; and Kayla Klein, Director, Early Learner SD.
This project was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a grant in the ECS portfolio. All funding in the ECS programs focus on improving processes and outcomes for families with children ages Prenatal-to-3 by building comprehensive early childhood systems that are inclusive of the health system.
CPCM Activity Highlights
During the month of August, in celebration of the newest Silverstar Car Wash location, Silverstar supported Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment by contributing a portion of sales and corporate match.
CPCM Assistant Director, Darla Biel, attended the SD Association of Healthcare Organizations annual conference.
SANE Coordinator, Teri Beeson, attended the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault’s Domestic Violence Institute.
