Montclair State University

National Conferences

The Center for Child Advocacy sponsors an annual national conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. These conferences are made possible through funds provided by the NJ Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). They feature nationally known professionals in the field of Child Advocacy. They offer presentations, workshops, and poster presentations.

Adolescent Advocacy: Perspectives, Policy, Practice

April 13, 2012

This year's conference features two distinguished keynote speakers: Dr. Stacey Patton and Jessica Trombetta, LCSW. Participants will have the opportunity to attend workshops throughout the day on a myriad of subjects, including bullying, LGBTQI youth, child sexual abuse, immigration challenges, foster care, and online predators. Child advocates, child welfare professionals, attorneys, psychologists, educators, students, and all those concerned with issues that affect children are encouraged to attend.

Brochure

Keynote Presenters:

The Emotional Journeys of Adolescents in Care

Dr. Stacey Patton, a journalist, anti-spanking activist, founder of Spare The Kids, Inc., and an expert on the history of racialized childhood and public policy, will share glimpses of her emotional journey as an adolescent navigating New Jersey's foster care system. She will examine the various stages of grief that adolescent foster children move through, in addition to the dynamics of how children of color in care are routinely not viewed as grieving in response to abandonment, loss, abuse, and trauma. Instead, they are often viewed as problematic and in need of psychotropic or punitive control. Attendees will gain unique insights into the human side of these issues as they relate to child welfare policies and practices towards adolescents in care.

Dr. Stacey Patton is an author, journalist, academic, and an award-winning child activist. She attended Johns Hopkins University and New York University and received her PhD in U.S. history from Rutgers University. Her dissertation is titled - Why Black Children Can't Grow Up: The Construction of Racial Childhood in American Life, 1880-1954." Dr. Patton has worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and currently works for The Chronicle of Higher Education in Washington, DC. She is the author of That Mean Old Yesterday, a memoir about her experiences growing up in New Jersey’s foster care system. Her book also discusses the historical roots of physical discipline in black families. She has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, New York Newsday and is the recipient of numerous journalism awards and academic citations. This May Dr. Patton will be the 2012 recipient of the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award from Womanspace for her work on child abuse prevention. She has made numerous media appearances including NPR, The Brian Lehrer Show, Weekend America and more.

New Jersey Innovations fro Adolescent

Jessica Trombetta, LCSW, Director, Office of Adolescent Services, Department of Children and Families

The Office of Adolescent Services is a Department level office focused on prioritizing the needs of youth who are aging out/aging in, ensuring that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) staff has the resources they need to service these youth, and building strong collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders and advocates serving these youth. Most recently Ms. Trombetta served as an Associate Director at Family Connections Inc. where she supervised community-based programs and a therapeutic after school program that provided case management and clinical services to at-risk children, adolescents, older adults, and families. In this role, Ms. Trombetta gained extensive experience in working with youth involved with DCF, including DYFS and DCBHS. Additionally, she has provided direct clinical services and case management as well as clinical and programmatic supervision. Jessica earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Ithaca College and a Master's Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Direct Practice to Children and Families from Rutgers University. She is a licensed clinical social worker and clinical supervisor with extensive training regarding children and adolescents with complex trauma and family systems theory.

Power Point and Handouts shared by Presenters:

1. Juvenile Delinquency Practice: Yesterday, Today Tomorrow Powerpoint

Susan H. Curcio, JD
Adjunct Professor
Child Advocacy and Policy

Anne Crater, JD
Adjunct Professor
Child Advocacy and Policy (Cumberland County Initiative)

2. Immigration Experiences of Latino Adolescents: Developmental Challenges Powerpoint

Kristin Pitman, MA, LPC
Adjunct Professor
Child Advocacy and Policy

3. LGTBQI Youth in Foster Care Powerpoint

Handout: Finding A Common Language
Handout: Inclusive Language
Handout: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack II - Sexual Orientation
Handout: Tips for Professionals Who Work with LGBTQ Youth

Jeyanthi Rajaraman, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Family Representation Project
Legal Services of New Jersey

Monica C. Gural, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Youth Law and Domestic Violence Representation Project
Legal Services of New Jersey

Rachel Elkin, Esq.
Supervising Attorney, Education Representation Project
Legal Services of New Jersey

Any questions, please call 973-655-4188 or email chadconf@mail.montclair.edu

Crimes Against Children: the Multiple Faces of Child Victimization

April 15, 2011

This year's conference features two distinguished keynote speakers: Dr. Susan Cohen Esquilin and Mr. James Marsh, Attorney. Participants will have the opportunity to attend workshops throughout the day on a myriad of subjects, including bullying, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, online predators, and child trafficking. Child advocates, child welfare professionals, attorneys, psychologists, educators, students, and all those concerned with issues that affect children are encouraged to attend.

For full Conference Agenda view our brochure.

Location:
University Hall Conference Center, 7th floor
Montclair State University

Keynote Speakers:

Susan Cohen Esquilin, PhD, ABPP-Clinical

Dr. Susan Esquilin is a licensed psychologist, trained in developmental and clinical psychology at the University of Chicago. She holds a diplomate in clinical psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Esquilin's career has been devoted to teaching and service delivery in underserved areas, with a specialization in child abuse. She recently retired as professor of Child Advocacy at Montclair State and has served as a faculty member at Rutgers and the NJ Medical School (UMDNJ-Newark). Dr. Esquilin has been qualified as an expert witness in criminal, family court, and civil matters. Dr. Esquilin is a Past-President of the NJ chapter of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children and is the author of numerous scholarly articles about the professional role of psychologists in the area of abuse and trauma.

James R. Marsh, Attorney

A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and its acclaimed Child Advocacy Law Clinic, James Marsh is an experienced trial lawyer and frequent commentator and author on legal issues affecting children. Mr. Marsh is the founder, former executive director and current board secretary of the nationally recognized Children’s Law Center in Washington, DC which received the National Association of Counsel for Children’s Outstanding Legal Advocacy Award during his tenure. Mr. Marsh has represented clients in wrongful adoption, civil rights, RICO, Title IX sex harassment, §1983, special education, high stakes testing, student discipline, child welfare and adoption cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts. His current focus is representing victims of child pornography in criminal restitution and civil cases in federal courts nationwide. Mr. Marsh has appeared on Court TV, CNN, Nancy Grace and The O’Reilly Factor. His effort to obtain restitution for victims of child pornography was recently featured in the New York Times. Mr. Marsh has written numerous articles for professional journals and treatises and is the editor of the Child Law Blog.

Continuing Education Credits:

We will be offering continuing education credits for the following two workshops approved through NASW-NJ CE Approval Program.

1. Bullying: Developmental and Environmental Determinants and Interventional Implications
(1.5 non-clinical credits for social workers)

2. Finding a voice: Music and Drama Therapy for Child Survivors of Domestic Violence
(1 clinical credit for social workers)

Any questions, please contact Jacqueline Catalano at 973-655-4188.

Presentation Summaries and Bios

Power Points shared by Presenters:

1. Finding a Voice: Music and Drama Therapy for Child Survivors of Domestic Violence (handout)
Amy Clarkson, MT-BC

2. The Myths and Realities of online"Predators" and Predators (powerpoint)
Joseph Hanley, BA Candidate

3. Restitution for Child Crime Victims (handout)
James R. Marsh, Attorney

3. Sibling Abuse: Detection and Advocacy (handout) and (powerpoint)
Amy Meyers, PhD
*Although Dr. Meyers was not able to present at the conference, she was kind enough to share her powerpoint presentation and a handout *

4. Maternal Incarceration: It's Effects on Children and Families (powerpoint) and (handout)
Christina N. Semple, Doctoral Candidate

5. Bullying: Developmental and Environmental Determinants and Interventional Implications (powerpoint)
Anthony F. Tasso, PhD

Advocating for Children: Policy and Practice April 16, 2010

Key Note Speakers:

DAVID BILLINGS, DMin is a lead organizer and trainer with The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond's New York City Office. He has been with the organization for 30 years. He trains, lectures, and works with groups organizing to Undo Racism. He has been part of the Institute's work on reducing structural inequalities in Child Welfare. Billings is a historian of the nation's race construct and how it determines systemic disparities by race still today. Billings was born in Mississippi and for 35 years lived and worked in New Orleans. He has lived in New York City since 2004.

JOYCE JAMES, LMSW-AP is the Deputy Commissioner for Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Ms. James has received national recognition as the founder of HOPE (Helping Our People Excel) - a community initiative addressing the issue of over representation of African American children in DFPS. she has influenced Child Protective Services to take a close look at policies and practices that may contribute to the disproportionality of African American Children in the system. Ms. James has received numerous awards including the Betsy Rosenbaum Award presented to a Public Child Welfare Leader who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing child Welfare issues on behalf of children nd families. Ms. James is also a private Child Welfare Consultant.

JACKIE STAMPS, MSSW is the Service Region Administrator of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services working with community partners and mandatory reporting groups. She provides leadership in the delivery of services by a staff of 700 employees in a county with 700,000 residents. She directed pilot projects such as the Parent Advocate Program and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) Family to Family Initiative and the Community Partnership for Protecting Children. Her passion is around community engagement and policy and practice change in reducing racial disproportionality and disparities in the Child Welfare System. Ms. Stamps believes that families and care givers serve a vital role in permanency planning to protect the interests of foster children.

TERESA McELROY is a Birth Parent Advocate who has served as a parent advocate in Jefferson County's Kentucky's Parent Advocate Program for four years. She recently was hired by Easter Kentucky University as a full time family mentor of the START - Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team.

Presentation Summaries and Bios; Click here: Summaries/ Bios

Power Points:

1) An Innovative Integrative Group Therapy Approach for Treating Childhood Sexual Abuse: Game-Based Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy.
Craig Springer, PhD; Licensed clinical psychologist and founder of RDTC's group therapy and socialization program

Click here for Power Points for this workshop: PPT

Any questions, please contact us at 973-655-4188 or via e mail: chadconf@mail.montclair.edu

April 3, 2009

Families in Crisis: Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse and the Child

Keynote speakers: Dr. Evan Stark and Betsy McAlister Groves, MSW, LICSW

Click here for Conference Brochure

Power Point Presentations:

1. Keynote Address: Betsy McAlister Groves, MSW, LICSW

Shelter from the Storm: Supporting and Intervening with Children Affected by Domestic Violence

2. Keynote Address: Evan Stark, Ph.D., MSW

The Battered Mother's Dilemma: Rethinking the Connections Between Domestic Violence and Children's Welfare

3. Seminar: Anthony Tasso, Ph.D.

Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence: Personality Characteristics and Treatment

4. Presentation: Pauline Garcia Reid, Ph.D & Robert Reid, Ph.D.