Highlights from 2012 Leadership Institute on Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect Check out these great highlights from the 2012 Leadership Institute on Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect, Sept. 11-13, 2012, at the Charleston Civic Center.
MEDIA ADVISORY Jan. 10, 2012
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE WV URGES LAWMAKERS TO PROTECT CHILDREN Charleston, WV – On the eve of the Legislative Session Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia (PCAWV) and other children’s advocates are having breakfast with members of the State Legislature and urging them to adopt legislation in response to the recent child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State.
PCAWV is calling on lawmakers to adopt a multi-faceted response including increased funding for prevention programs and training, expanded requirements for reporting suspected abuse, and increased penalties for failing to report abuse.
The keynote speaker for the breakfast, Jetta Bernier, is a national expert on policies to prevent child sexual abuse. Ms. Bernier directs the Enough Abuse Campaign (http://www.enoughabuse.org), a growing, nationally recognized initiative to prevent child sexual abuse that has been working in Massachusetts since 2002.
Click Here for More (pdf) _____________________________________________________________________ Join us for "The #1 Question: Is it good for children?" Legislative Breakfast - Jan. 10th at the Charleston Marriott
Our guest speaker, Jetta Bernier, is a national expert on preventing child sexual abuse such as the high profile cases that have occurred at Penn State and elsewhere.
Jetta Bernier directs the Enough Abuse Campaign, a growing, nationally recognized initiative to prevent child sexual abuse that has been working in Massachusetts since 2002. The Enough Abuse Campaign is a comprehensive citizen education and community mobilization effort, which the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has hailed as "a trailblazing effort." Its emphasis on community collaboration, according to the Ms. Foundation, "truly sets it apart from previous efforts."
We hope you will plan to join us for this important conversation about how we can protect every child in West Virginia from the tragedy of child sexual abuse. Please click this link or email pcawv@teamwv.org to RSVP today. _____________________________________________________________________
Charleston Daily Mail Features Interview with PCAWV
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter, Jared Hunt, recently interviewed Prevent Child Abuse WV State Coordinator, Jim McKay, about the ongoing child abuse scandal engulfing Penn State University.
McKay commented that situation should be a wake-up call for communities to reassess how they prevent child abuse before it occurs.
"It's a failure on so many levels, but perhaps it's an opportunity for us in communities to ask ourselves: What can we do more?" McKay commented.
"It underscores the fact that children should not be responsible for their own safety," McKay said. "It's really a community responsibility - it's up to adults to keep children safe."
AAP Expands Guidelines for Infant Safe Sleep In an updated policy statement and technical report, released Tuesday, Oct. 18th, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is expanding its guidelines on safe sleep for babies, with additional information for parents on creating a safe environment for their babies to sleep.
Three important additions to the recommendations include:
Breastfeeding is recommended and is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.
Infants should be immunized. Evidence suggests that immunization reduces the risk of SIDS by 50 percent.
Bumper pads should not be used in cribs. There is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment.
The report also includes the following recommendations:
Always place your baby on his or her back for every sleep time.
Always use a firm sleep surface. Car seats and other sitting devices are not recommended for routine sleep.
The baby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed (room-sharing without bed-sharing).
Keep soft objects or loose bedding out of the crib. This includes pillows, blankets, and bumper pads.
Wedges and positioners should not be used.
Pregnant woman should receive regular prenatal care.
