Child Protection Center Presents at National Conference

August 4, 2021 – Sarasota

The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) was selected to provide three presentations at the Florida Network of Child Advocacy Centers’ 2021 Krimes Against Kids conference. This annual conference, comprised of over 50 workshops in a three day period, reaches professionals who work in the child welfare system across the country, including law enforcement, child protective service personnel, victim advocates, attorneys, therapists, counselors and social workers.

CPC’s Personal Safety and Community Awareness (PSCA) team, which also presented at last year’s conference, gave two presentations. Child Abuse Prevention: A Local and Informed Approach to Personal Safety Education was aimed for those who work in Child Advocacy Centers who are either looking to expand their prevention efforts or to implement prevention programming into their CACs.Encouraging Safe Practices: An Informed Approach to Protecting Children Online highlighted the risks that come with the use of the internet as well as the importance of discussing online safety with children.

“The pandemic has changed a lot, including kids having more access to technology,” said Ariane of the Personal Safety Team. “More access can mean greater risk, so it is important that online safety stays relevant and updated to what trends we are seeing throughout this pandemic.” Prior to COVID-19, it was estimated that 1 in 5 children will be solicited online at some point in their childhood. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has reported a 97% increase of enticement reports to the cyber tipline during the pandemic. PSCA will also be addressing this topic in the upcoming Prevent Child Abuse America national conference.

CPC’s Therapy Program presented “Self-Esteem in the Shadows of Abuse: Restoring Self & Safety,” addressing the impact of abuse on children’s self-esteem and self-identity, including correlation with symptoms and safety/risk factors, formal and informal ways to assess for self-esteem impacts, as well as individual and group treatment strategies for treating abuse-related self-esteem concerns. Amanda Jans, the Clinical Director of CPC’s Therapy Program, commented, “It is our hope in sharing this presentation that treatment providers have increased their awareness of the critical impact that abuse has on self-esteem, and the necessity of addressing self-esteem as a part of effective and comprehensive abuse treatment. In addition, we hope that they gained practical tools and an array of intervention ideas that they can implement immediately to enhance their direct work with clients.”

The Child Protection Center’s mission is the Prevention, Intervention, & Treatment of Child Abuse. CPC has been serving Sarasota & DeSoto Counties since 1980. In fiscal year 2020, CPC provided 66,698 services to individuals. For more information on CPC, visit www.cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277.