Mother of abducted son to keynote Falls conference

“Safe at Home” will focus on child welfare, family violence and victim advocacy

Patty Wetterling, a child welfare advocate whose 11-year-old son was abducted in 1989 by a masked gunman, will keynote the Family Violence Intervention Project’s 17^th annual “Safe at Home” conference Oct. 22 at The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls.

Wetterling, who chairs the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, will deliver an address titled “There’s a Dream That We Dream How the World Should Be.”

Her presentation will aid law enforcement, child welfare, mental health and victim advocacy professionals to better respond to cases of child exploitation. Wetterling will also conduct a workshop to share investigative tools and ideas learned from the search for son Jacob, who is still missing, and from working with other families.

“Safe at Home: Seeking Solutions for Adult and Child Victims of Family Violence,” is a daylong conference featuring a national faculty of experts on domestic violence, child trafficking, trauma-informed care and medical-legal investigation. David Mandel, MA, LPC, who has provided training to increase the safety and well-being of families impacted by domestic violence for more than 25 years, will address child abuse and domestic violence interventions in his plenary presentation. Mandel’s Safe and Together™ Model specifically addresses policies and approaches to respond to cases of domestic violence involving children.

Project Director Madeline Hannon of ChildRight: NY/International Organization for Adolescents will focus on child trafficking including its relationship to domestic violence. A complete list of faculty members and workshops is available at www.cacofniagara.org.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is sponsored by Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s Child Advocacy Center of Niagara. Co-sponsors include the Buffalo Bills, Niagara County Department of Social Services, Niagara County Department of Mental Health and Catholic Charities of Buffalo, Inc. Niagara County Services.

Registration is open through Oct 15. For more information or to register, visit www.cacofniagara.org.

WHAT: Safe at Home: Seeking Solutions for Adult and Child Victims of Family Violence

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration required.

WHERE: The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls Street, Niagara Falls, NY

WHO:  Patty Wetterling, Chairperson, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; David Mandel, MA, LPC, Canton, Connecticut; Madeline Hannon, MSW, International Organization for Adolescents; Lisa Baehre, Niagara County Assistant District Attorney; Patricia Calleri, Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations; Susan A. Green, LCSW, Clinical Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work; Molly Maigret, RN, BS, SANE-A, NYSAFE; Peter Uzarowski, Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations.