Several Childhelp team members recently attended the 41st International Symposium on Child Abuse, held March 17–20 in Huntsville, Alabama. Hosted by the National Children’s Advocacy Center, the Symposium brought together child maltreatment professionals from around the globe for expert training and networking. As a premier conference, it addresses all aspects of child maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, polyvictimization, exploitation, trafficking, intervention and prevention.
Childhelp hosted an exhibit booth and Program Manager of Curriculum Zuzana Urbanek and Speak Up Be Safe Program Manager Brook Ivy spoke with hundreds of attendees about the prevention curriculum, as well as other resources. Among the highlights was the overwhelming interest in Childhelp’s innovative new module — developed in partnership with Meta and other industry leaders — “Staying Safe from Online Harm,” a timely resource aimed at protecting children in digital spaces.
This year’s fully in-person event featured more than 130 workshops, providing attendees with cutting-edge insights and tools to tackle the challenges of child abuse prevention and response. Childhelp’s Vice President of Growth and Prevention, Dr. Stacy Vaughan, co-presented two workshops. The first workshop, “Putting the National Plan to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation into Action,” provided participants with information on the plan, which was developed by Prevent Together: The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. The comprehensive plan provides a strategic framework to align efforts and create a unified approach to prevention. Detailed case studies highlighted how prevention leaders across the U.S. are successfully using the plan, offering attendees actionable strategies for applying it within their own communities.
The second workshop, “Connection is Key: Field Building to Enhance Child Sexual Abuse Prevention,” delved into field building, a support method studied and supported by The Bridgespan Group to address large societal issues. Field building emphasizes the development of a coordinated infrastructure to amplify collective impact, focusing on knowledge base, actors, field-level agenda, infrastructure and resources.
“The 41st International Symposium on Child Abuse was an incredible opportunity for the Childhelp team to connect with experts, share our programs, and learn from others in the field. We’re proud to have been part of the conversations driving innovation and collaboration in child abuse prevention and intervention. We’re excited to bring these ideas and insights back to our work,” says Dr. Vaughan.
