In conjunction with Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Awareness Month, Franklin County Community Education along with the Franklin County Children’s Policy Council will host the 3rd Annual “Making a Difference for Franklin County’s Children” Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Conference on Tuesday, April 10 at the A.W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville.
Heather Darracott, who serves as the family support educator for Community Education, said the conference is a great way for parents, educators and healthcare professionals to network and gain more ideas on ways to prevent child abuse in the area.
“By bringing all these people together in one setting, we hope to share information that will ultimately reduce child abuse, bullying and any other situation where a child would not be safe,” Darracott said. “Coming together for a conference right here in the area will allow the participants to bounce ideas off one another and figure out the best ways t prevent child abuse and neglect in whatever field they are in.”
During the conference, Darracott said participants would learn the different ways to identify the signs of child abuse and the procedures for mandatory reporting.
“For healthcare professionals or teachers, learning the signs of child abuse is vitally important,” she said. “These people may be the only ones who could identify the abuse and prevent it from happening.”
She said there would also be information given about bullying, which is a hot topic these days.
“Everywhere you look, someone is talking about bullying,” Darracott said. “Learning ways to identify and prevent bullying isn’t only beneficial for educators. Parents could really benefit by coming to the conference and discovering the ways to determine if their child is being bullied, what they can do to stop it, or just how the best ways to prevent bullying. You can never be too prepared or educated about something like this.”
In addition to these topics, Darracott said there would also be sessions about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome, the importance of parental involvement, Internet safety, and other important topics.
The last hour of the conference will also feature a Town Hall meeting to discuss the dangers of alcohol abuse, drinking and driving and texting while driving.
Speakers for the event include Bill Griffin; Kelley Parris-Barnes from Alabama Children’s Trust Fund; Judge Jimmy Sandlin; Judge David Breland; Judge Paula McDowell and Linda Tilly with Alabama VOICES/Kids Count.
“We hope the people who come to the conference can take the information they’ve learned and share it with others so we can make Franklin County a safer place for our children,” she said. “We have had good attendance in the past from people here in the county as well as people from outside the county.”
Darracott added that the conference would also be beneficial because continuing education units (CEUs) could be earned for those who attend.
“Many people are required to attend professional development conferences and classes throughout the year, and a lot of the time those classes can be expensive,” she said. “This is a great opportunity to earns some CEUs right here in our own backyard and at a great price.”
Anyone interested in attending the conference can sign-up from now through April 9. Participants must be signed up in advance to receive an accurate headcount for lunch.
Cost for attending the conference is $15, which includes a catered lunch by Whole Hog Express. Cost of CEUs is $10 for nurses and educators and free for social workers.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. on April 10 at the A.W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville. The conference will last from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
For more information or to register, call 256-332-1360, ext. 1308.