Child Protection Workshops

As part of their responsibilities as Prevention Specialists, HSS staff members Michele Keim and Erin Schmitz have organized a series of workshops for day care workers and staff at agencies that work with children. The overall theme is how staff at child caring agencies can help prevent or respond to child abuse and neglect.

The first workshop, What it Means to be a Mandated Reporter, featured Jay Reeves, an investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as presenter. The workshop reviewed the rules and responsibilities of mandated reporters such as child care workers and described the process of how reports are investigated. Fifty-five childcare workers attended this presentation.

The second workshop, to be held in April, is on the Six Protective Factors that Keep Families Strong. Presenting will be Tara Williams from Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. The presentation will explore six protective factors and how they relate to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. In addition, this workshop will explore how service providers can implement strategies that build protective factors in families and the community.