Joyce Hatfield-Wise, JD and Jason Kutulakis, JD
This
presentation will describe the ChildFirst training program within the state of
Pennsylvania which is associated with the National Child Protection Training
Center in Winona, Minnesota.
Pennsylvania is the 17th state that has been certified to
provide this empirically supported training.
When multidisciplinary teams consisting of law enforcement officers,
caseworkers, prosecutors, child welfare solicitors, forensic interviewers, and
medical personnel work together, they can provide effective investigations of
child abuse allegations as well as effective prosecutions while always putting
the welfare of the child first. This
training program provides multidisciplinary team members with the opportunity
to learn how to properly respond to allegations of child abuse. Through on-site training, individuals learn
how to use team work that draws on the strengths of each profession to ensure
that the welfare of the child is always put first from the moment of first
contact through successful prosecution.