The two-day conference is free to Wisconsin professional service providers who offer hope, healing, and justice for victims of child abuse.

ELKHORN, WI, USA, February 28, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Through funds received from Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) – Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Grant, the Tree House Child and Family Center (Tree House) is partnering with Minnesota-based Zero Abuse Project to present a Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Youth Conference on Thursday-Friday, Mar. 7-8, 2024, at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin.

Children are quickly becoming the target of alarming levels of internet crime. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, more than 44,000 CyberTipline Reports of online enticement were made in 2021. In 2022, more than 80,000 reports were made—an increase of 82% in one year. These numbers highlight the critical need for best practices across a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of professional services that initially investigate and assess allegations of child exploitation.

When a law enforcement agency or Child Protective Services (CPS) receives a report of suspected child abuse, an MDT of professionals is mobilized to protect the child’s safety, assess the seriousness and veracity of the allegations, and put measures in place to help the child heal while prosecuting the alleged abuser. MDTs often include one or all the following involved in an investigation: law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, medical professionals, a forensic interviewer, an advocate for the child, an advocate for the non-offending parent(s), a CPS worker, Corporation Counsel, and follow-up care. MDTs function most effectively with joint training that reinforces current protocols, collaboration strategies, and best practices to provide hope, healing, and justice for victims of child abuse.

“Child victims who experience abuse have unique challenges on the path to healing. When that abuse includes technology or a virtual component, the healing may be even more complex,” says Tree House Program Director and Walworth County Sensitive Crimes Team (SCT) Coordinator Kayla Lauderdale. “Without established and consistent training to foster effective teams, the resulting process and procedure breakdowns within MDTs can heighten this trauma for the affected child and their family.”

Free to Wisconsin MDT members, the Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Youth Conference will provide attendees with the tools necessary to provide a thorough, trauma-informed response at the onset as a building block to successful prosecution and case outcome. Session topics will include child exploitation investigations, utilization of physical and digital evidence, digital crime scene preservation, live stream platforms and server community search warrants, child exploitation case testimony, and implementation of trauma-informed response and care.

The two-day conference will be led by trainers from Zero Abuse Project: Senior Attorney Kathleen Nolan, Forensic Interview Specialist Rachel Johnson, and Child Abuse Investigations Specialist Derek Cress. “Zero Abuse Project is dedicated to the goal of the elimination of child maltreatment in all forms,” says Nolan. “Online exploitation and technology-facilitated crimes require specialized knowledge and training in order to successfully prosecute offenders and engage victims in a trauma-informed manner. The Zero Abuse Project staff members responsible for bringing this comprehensive conference will educate and inform MDT attendees using extensive ‘in the field’ experience paired with content tailored to provide professionals the skills they need to achieve justice for the children and families of Wisconsin.”

In addition to funds received from the DOJ – CJA grant, the Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Youth Conference is made possible by grant awards to the Tree House from the Kikkoman Foundation and Delavan United Church of Christ Benevolence Fund.

“Since first opening the doors in 2013, the Tree House has served as a safe and comfortable facility where MDTs come together to discuss abuse allegations with children and families in a non-threatening, compassionate environment,” says Tree House Executive Director Koko Cooper. “We are grateful for funding and support that makes it possible for Tree House to provide MDT training that will elevate the level of services provided to child abuse victims in Walworth County and throughout the state.”

The Technology-Facilitated Crimes Against Youth Conference is limited to 150 MDT members, and the deadline for registration is Friday, Mar. 1, 2024. For conference information, please call the Tree House at 262-374-2242 or visit https://bit.ly/tfcayc2024.

Nichole Cooper
Tree House Child and Family Center
+1 262-755-8733
email us here
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