Summit to focus on preventing child abuse

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on October 18, 2015

Preventing child abuse and teen dating violence will dominate the Biannual Safe Schools Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

"How Trauma Affects Learning" will be the focus of — "How Trauma Affects Learning" will be discussed at a Safe Schools Summit on Oct. 20 in Downingtown.

School administrators, school board directors, law enforcement and parents are invited to learn prevention and intervention strategies to ensure all children in Chester County are provided a safe and secure learning environment, said a press release from the Chester County Intermediate Unit.

The Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) coordinates the Safe Schools Summit in partnership with Chester County Chester and local law enforcement. This will be the fifth Safe Schools Summit since the first was held in January of 2013 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The summit, which typically draws hundreds of local school and law enforcement officials, will be held in the auditorium of Downingtown STEM Academy at 335 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The evening will feature two keynote speakers: Deb Ryan, head of the Chester County Child Abuse Unit, and Amelia Rayburn, a children’s counselor and advocate with the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. The keynote speeches will be followed by a moderated panel discussion with audience participation.

Other participants will include Terry Stewart, from the Chester County Intermediate Unit Homeless Children’s Initiative, and Joan Duvall-Flynn from the NAACP Education Committee.

The summit, which will include light dinner fare from 5 to 6 p.m., will focus on several key areas of child abuse/neglect and teen violence, including: how abuse and trauma affects learning; how schools and law enforcement can work together; what happens after child abuse is reported; and, an examination of child abuse from the viewpoint of law enforcement.

Registration is required for this event. Register at www.cciu.org/sssregister2015. For those who are unable to attend the event, it will be live-streamed via CCiTV.