Prevent Child Abuse Iowa 2006 Annual Conference

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa Events
2006 Annual Conference

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa’s 25th annual conference was held May 8-9, 2006
at the Sheraton West Des Moines.

The theme of the 2006 conference addressed sexual abuse prevention. Workshops were designed to give conference participants practical information, expertise, and training on dealing with child sexual abuse. Read about the 2006 conference in PCA Iowa’s Spring-Summer 2006 newsletter.

Prevent Child Abuse Iowa's 25th annual conference, "Protecting Children is Everyone's Business," was held May 8-9 at the Sheraton West Des Moines. The keynote speaker was Dr. Stephen Bavolek, author of the Nurturing Parenting Programs and president of Family Development Resources, Inc. Dr. Bavolek is also executive director of the Family Nurturing Centers, International. The closing keynote speaker was Ron Willis, a mental health consultant and president of Green Porch Swing Productions who has provided workshops for educators, mental health professionals, medical staff, child care specialists, businesses, civic organizations, and parents across the nation on a wide range of management, treatment, parenting, and educational topics.

Conference Workshop Handouts available online.

Dr. Stephen Bavolek addressed a near-capacity crowd in his opening keynote “Parenting Instruction and Making Families Stronger.”	Beth Fleming, ISU Extension Family Life Field Specialist and Prevent Child Abuse Iowa board member, gave two well-received workshops.
Breaks during the conference provided participants with excellent networking opportunities.	Chris Corken discussed Dubuque’s multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with Drug Endangered Children.
Rose Sloven’s Discovery Toys exhibit is a perennial favorite at the conference.	Conference exhibitors got heavy traffic during break times.
Kim Greder with Iowa State Extension/empowerment, shared some informational resources with an attendee.	Gloria Johnson (left) and Lauri Carlson (right) talked about how Family Team Meetings help the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC).
Conference participants enjoyed their lunch.
Conference participants enjoyed their lunch.	Stephanie Trusty and Carrie Fitzgerald, both with the Iowa Department of Public Health, addressed Maternal Depression Assessment and Referral and ongoing trainings in conjunction with CPPC.
Neil Tift, with the National Practitioners Network for Fathers and Families, offered three workshops relating to fatherhood initiatives.	Ron Willis really connected with the audience.
Conference organizers Sara Patkin and Lisa Golly directed participants in the right direction.	The 2006 conference was the largest in several years.
Outgoing CPPC Associate Director Sherry Rindels-Larsen introduced Ron Willis, closing keynote speaker.	Steve Scott, executive director of PCA Iowa, thanked participants for all the work they do to prevent child abuse and protect children.
Mike Ferjak, senior investigator with the Area Prosecutions Division of the Iowa Department of Justice and certified instructor for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, spoke about the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and internet safety.	Jane Gilgun, Professor, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, presented two workshops on appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviors in children.