Niagara Falls conference to feature national experts on domestic violence and sexual offenses

More than 150 professionals from the fields of criminal justice, child welfare, victim advocacy, mental health and education will gather Wednesday at the Conference and Event Center Niagara Falls to gain lifesaving information for children and adults from local and national experts.

The occasion: the 21st annual Safe at Home Conference, a daylong sharing of emerging trends and practical issues in the field of family and interpersonal violence coordinated by The Child Advocacy Center of Niagara, a service of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

“This year’s conference addresses critical, timely information to promote the safety of children and adults across the lifespan,” said Child Advocacy Center Director Ann Marie Tucker. “Our expert faculty will help participants gain knowledge and develop skills related to danger assessment to prevent intimate partner homicide, technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation, elder abuse and working with adolescents.”

Keynote speaker will Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, an international expert on danger assessment and the Anna D. Wolf chair at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Campbell’s work focuses on violence against women and associated physical and mental health outcomes including intimate partner homicide, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, HIV/AIDS and abuse during pregnancy. She developed and tested the widely used Danger Assessment risk survey for women and has produced more than 250 publications including seven books.

Plenary speaker will be Justin Fitzsimmons, program manager of the high-tech training services division of SEARCH Group Inc. A nationally recognized legal authority on technology-facilitated crimes against children and an experienced prosecuting attorney, Fitzsimmons will discuss technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and present “Protecting Adolescents in an Increasingly Online World.”

The conference is sponsored by the Niagara County Family Violence Project and the Child Advocacy Center of Niagara, with support from the Niagara County Department of Social Services, the Niagara County Department of Mental Health, the Buffalo Bills, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Catholic Charities of Buffalo-Niagara Services Division and Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek.

A registration fee of $65 includes lunch and course materials. Pre-registration is required.

To learn more, visit www.cacofniagara.org or call 716-285-0045.