An application to offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for L.M.S.W.’s AND L.B.S.W.’s has been submitted and approval is pending.  Upon approval, we will provide CEUs at no charge to qualified individuals who attend the entire portion of the conference.  To obtain CEUs, forms will be available on site that will need to be completed as well as a sign in/sign out sheet that must be signed in order to receive the certificate necessary to receive CEUs.  In addition, those wishing to apply for Continuing Education Units must be seated in the training room at 9 a.m. and must attend the entire conference for which they have registered.  No partial credit will be allowed.  There are no exceptions to these requirements.

“Exposure to adult domestic violence” describes the multiple experiences of children living in homes where an adult uses a pattern of coercive and physically violent behavior to control an intimate partner. Several studies on children exposed to adult domestic violence indicate that children’s responses to violence vary.
Many exposed children become more aggressive and antisocial, as well as fearful and inhibited. Others show emotional health similar to physically abused children, but still others display resiliency to the negative effects of exposure and have no greater social or emotional problems than children never exposed to domestic
violence. The implication of these research findings highlights some key points:

• Children’s social environments and experiences vary greatly
• The impact of exposure to adult domestic violence also varies greatly, even within the same family
• Children have a variety of both protective and risk factors present in their lives
• This varied group of children deserves varied responses from the community

• Increase knowledge and understanding of the needs of children and families involved with the child welfare system who experience domestic violence
• Increase knowledge of assessment options and services in Michigan
• Improve advocacy for the families and children involved with the child welfare system
• Improve collaboration across systems

• Lawyer-guardians ad litem
• Prosecutors and assistant attorneys general
• Parents’ attorneys
• Family and district court judges, referees, friend of the court personnel, and other involved court staff
• Department of Human Services (DHS), tribal, and private agency child welfare workers who work with families and children involved in the child welfare system
• Domestic violence service providers
• Batterers’ intervention program staff
• Legislators and policy makers
• Law enforcement personnel
• Other related child welfare professionals

THERE IS NO REGISTRATION COST TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE. The cost of the conference is generously funded through the Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice (GTF). All training materials and lunches are provided. The Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice has generously agreed to
reimburse DHS workers’ mileage and lodging as detailed in the L-Letter related to this conference announcement. For all others, mileage and lodging will not be reimbursed and are the responsibility of individual attendees.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. However, there may be some exceptions to ensure geographic diversity and participation across professions. A confirmation notice will be sent to you approximately two (2) weeks before the conference. Due to space limitations, restrictions have been placed on the number of individuals per agency and discipline able to attend this conference. You will receive a notice that will indicate whether you have been confirmed to attend. If you have not received a confirmation to attend but you believe you are registered, or for further information, contact Deborah Jensen at 517.482.7533 or by email at deborahjensen@childcrt.org.

Please return your registration as soon as possible to maximize your opportunity to attend. Your registration is a commitment to attend the entire portion of the conference for which you register. Please do not register to attend this conference unless you have scheduling flexibility and have received the necessary authorization to attend. If it is necessary to cancel after you have been confirmed to attend this conference, please contact Deborah Jensen at deborahjensen@childcrt.org or 517.482.7533 as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Registrations may be transferred to another individual with prior notice to
Deborah Jensen. Please note that onsite registration is not available.

Fill out and return the completed Conference Registration form no later than March 26, 2008. Please note that no registrations will be accepted after this date.

Special Note for DHS and Private Agency Foster Care Agency Staff
An L-letter or invitation letter has been sent to county DHS directors and agency directors outlining the number of staff per agency that will be allowed to attend this conference. Please make sure a signature from the supervisor designated to approve your attendance is included on your registration form. For DHS workers only, mileage and lodging will be reimbursed through a GTF grant as detailed in the L-letter related to this conference announcement.

Social Work Continuing Education Units An application to offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for L.M.S.W.’s and L.B.S.W.’s has been
submitted and approval is pending. Upon approval, we will provide CEUs at no charge to qualified individuals who attend the conference. To obtain CEUs, forms will be available on site that you will need to complete in order to receive CEUs. In addition, those wishing to apply for CEUs must be seated in the training room at 9 a.m. and must attend the entire conference for which they have registered in order to receive full credit. There are no exceptions to these requirements.

Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES)
This conference is MCOLES certified.

A limited block of overnight rooms has been reserved at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing and at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing, both at a rate of $65 per night. This block of rooms will be released back to the hotels after March 9, 2008, so make your reservation early. We cannot guarantee these rates after the March 9th deadline. Please note: You are responsible for your lodging expenses.

Kellogg Hotel: To make your reservations at the Kellogg Hotel call 517.432.4000 and reference the “Domestic Violence Conference” to ensure you receive the reduced rate. The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center is located on the Michigan State University campus at 55 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1022. Directions can be found by going to the following
websites:

• Campus Map: http://maps.msu.edu/
• MapQuest: www.mapquest.com

The Radisson Hotel is located in downtown Lansing at 111 N. Grand Ave, Lansing, MI 48933.

Directions can be found by going to the following website: www.radisson.com

If you have any questions, please call Deborah Jensen at 517.482.7533.

Justice Weaver was elected as a Leelanau County probate and juvenile judge in 1974 and has been a judge ever since.  In 1986 and 1992, she was elected to the Court of Appeals, and in 1994, to the Supreme Court.  In 2002 she was re-elected to the Supreme Court for an additional 8 year term.  From January 1999 to January 2001, she served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court with administrative oversight of all Michigan courts.

Four governors and five Chief Justices have appointed Justice Weaver to serve on numerous state commissions and committees including: the Trial Court Assessment Commission, the Task Force for Children’s Justice on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Commission on Criminal Justice, and the Committee on Juvenile Justice.

Justice Weaver is nationally recognized for her work in juvenile justice, and has appeared on Good Morning America and in People Magazine.  She was voted “Jurist of the Year” in 1999 by the Police Officers Association of Michigan.  In 2000, she received the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and has earned many other honors and awards.  In 2005, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and was named Alumnae of the Year for Newcomb College.

A PRIVATE FAMILY MATTER

PRESENTER:
Victor Rivas Rivers, Spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, DC

Victor's dramatic personal story also reflects an amazing portrait of a young man overcoming the odds. Born in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, he came with his family to this country at the age of two, enduring horrific child abuse and witnessing domestic violence on the level of torture at the hands of his father. At age fifteen, Victor took the then unprecedented legal action against his father, going on to live with a series of foster families.
Thanks to the intervention of his community, he turned his life around dramatically—going from hard-core gang-member to senior class President and lettering in four sports. He attended Florida State University on a full four-year football scholarship, where he was a team captain and scholar athlete, and was mentored by Coach Bobby Bowden, before his 1978-79 seasons as a free agent draft pick with the Miami Dolphins
In 1999 Victor became the national spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Today, having broken the cycle of violence, Victor Rivas Rivers is also a devoted husband and father—what he believes are his two most important roles. It is his indomitable spirit as an actor, athlete and as a human being that may have inspired director Taylor Hackford to call him, "A big man—in heart and soul." www.victorrivers.com; photo credit: APB
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THE BATTERER AS PARENT

PRESENTER:
Lundy Bancroft, Author, Batterer Intervention Specialist, Northampton, MA

Men who batter are psychologically harmful to children in a wide array of ways.  Witnessing acts of violence in the home has far-reaching implications for children’s emotional health and development.  Additionally, the batterer’s actions in the home can weaken family functioning by undermining the mother’s authority, sowing divisions between family members, and causing children to blame themselves and their mothers for the violence.  Men who batter also have far higher rates than do non-battering men of abusing children physically or sexually.  Child protective personnel and all professionals who work with families need to understand the toxicity that results from domestic violence, and the futility and destructiveness of blaming mothers for the problem.

SUPPORTING THE HEALING AND RECOVERY OF CHILDREN EXPOSED TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

PRESENTER:
Lundy Bancroft, Author, Batterer Intervention Specialist, Northampton, MA

Professional interventions, and assistance from other concerned members of the community, can have a large impact on the ability of children to heal emotionally and behaviorally from experiences of living with a perpetrator of domestic violence.  The top two goals are to help families achieve safety and to build strong mother-child relationships.  Next, children need supportive relationships with other caring adults and need assistance to process their experiences of witnessing abuse.  Children’s healing is linked to their empowerment so it is also important to find ways to help them develop critical thinking skills and an ability to understand that perpetrators, not victims, are responsible for abuse.

FATHERHOOD AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: CONSIDERING A RESPONSE TO MALE VIOLENCE AND ADDRESSING THE SAFETY AND SUPPORT ISSUES OF BATTERED WOMEN AND CHILDREN

PRESENTER:
Oliver Williams, M.S.W., M.P.H., Ph.D., Professor, University of Minnesota School of Social Work; Director, Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community, St. Paul, MN. When we think of the issue of domestic violence and the safety of women and children, we often believe that the remedy to the problem is merely to have the female partner leave the relationship with the children, grant her sole custody of the children, and order the male batterer to keep away. Yet, we know that one of the most dangerous times for battered women is when they leave the relationship. Also, battered women report, that the courts do not always grant sole custody to them, and although they may not want a continued romantic relationship with the batterer, they may want the batterer to maintain his role as contributor to the children and the children may want contact with him. Due to these real life challenges, it is important to consider how to keep battered women and children safe when domestic violence occurs and the marriage or romantic relationship ends. The purpose of this presentation is to explore these issues and discuss how these challenges may be addressed.

Oliver J. Williams, Ph.D., has worked in the field of domestic violence for more than 28 years and has provided individual, couples, and family counseling. He has been a substance abuse counselor, child welfare and delinquency worker, worked in battered women’s shelters, co-facilitated recovery groups for sexual
assault and battered women, developed curricula for batterers’ intervention programs and facilitated counseling groups in these programs. He has provided training across the United States and abroad on research and service-delivery surrounding partner abuse. Dr. Williams’ extensive research and publications in
scholarly journals and books have centered on creating effective service delivery, prevention, and intervention strategies to address violent behavior and its consequences. He serves on several national advisory boards and received numerous awards for his work addressing issues of domestic violence. Dr. Williams received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Michigan State University, a Masters in Social Work from Western Michigan University, and a Masters in Public Health and a PH.D in Social Work both from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.

SAFETY OF CHILDREN: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE PRACTICE

PRESENTER:
Jeffrey Edleson, Ph.D., Professor, University of Minnesota School of Social Work; Director, Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse
Jeffrey L. Edleson is a Professor in the University of Minnesota School of Social Work and Director of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (www.mincava.umn.edu).  He is one of the world’s leading authorities on children exposed to domestic violence and has published over 100 articles and eight books on domestic violence, groupwork, and program evaluation.  Professor. Edleson is the co-author with the late Susan Schechter of Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice (1999, co-authored with Susan Schechter, NCJFCJ).  Better known as the “Greenbook”, this best-practices guide has been the subject of six federally-funded and numerous other demonstration sites across the country. Professor Edleson has also conducted intervention research and provided technical assistance to domestic violence programs and research projects across North America as well as in several other countries including Germany, Israel, Cyprus, India, Australia, Korea and Singapore.

He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Panel on Research on Violence Against Women.  He is a consultant to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judge and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prof. Edleson is an Associate Editor of the journal Violence Against Women and has served on numerous editorial boards. He is Co-Editor of the Oxford University Press book series on Interpersonal Violence and the Sage book series on Violence Against Women.

His own books include:

• Working with Children and Adolescents in Groups, with Sheldon D. Rose (1987, Jossey-Bass);
• Intervention for Men who Batter: An Ecological Approach, with Richard M. Tolman (1992, Sage Publications);
• Ending the Cycle of Violence: Community Responses to Children of Battered Women, with Einat Peled and Peter G. Jaffe (1995, Sage Publications);
• Future Interventions with Battered Women and Their Families, with Zvi Eisikovits  (1996, Sage Publications);
• Evaluating Domestic Violence Programs (1997, Domestic Abuse Project);
• Domestic Violence in the Lives of Children: The Future of Research, Intervention, and Social Policy with Sandra Graham-Bermann (2001, APA Books); and
• Parenting by Men Who Batterer Women: New Directions in Assessment and Intervention with Oliver J. Williams (2007, Oxford University Press).

Professor Edleson is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and received his Masters and Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota and has practiced in elementary and secondary schools and in several domestic violence agencies worldwide.