Lincoln (Neb.) - Sept. 23, 1999 - Protecting Nebraska's children from child abuse in the next century will be the theme of a conference for Nebraska professionals Oct. 26-29 in Kearney.
"Y2Kids: Protecting Nebraska's Children and Families in the 21st Century" will feature nationally known experts and policy leaders and will convene at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center, 110 S. Second Ave.
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a pediatrician who has led his rural state to a locally directed program to help children and families, will join U.S. Sen. Robert Kerrey (D.-Neb.), Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns and other state officials in discussions regarding policy for protection against and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Other guest speakers will include another pediatrician, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officials and experts who will discuss the investigation, diagnosis, prosecution, treatment and legal issues surrounding child abuse and neglect.
Johanns will address the conference after dinner Oct. 26. In "Responsibility of State Government for Child Protection: Working With Local Citizens for Safe and Healthy Children," he will discuss how state government and local citizens can share the responsibility of ensuring safe and healthy families, essential to the success of the child protection system in every Nebraska community.
Dean will speak at an Oct. 27 lunch. In his address, "Programs for Families: Realistic Ways to Help Families Before They Are in Crisis," he will discuss the programs that have been passed and implemented in Vermont and their impact on the families they serve.
Kerrey will speak after an Oct. 28 dinner. His speech, "The Federal Government and Safe Children: Federalism, Resources and Policy Formulation," will discuss how it is important for citizens and state and local officials to understand and participate in federal activities regarding child protection. He will discuss how Nebraskans can become better informed and heard by policymakers in Congress.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Governor's Commission for the Protection of Children, the Nebraska Court Improvement Project and the Center on Children, Families and the Law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is aimed toward the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services' protection and safety workers, judges, attorneys, law-enforcement personnel, medical and school professionals, and members of Nebraska's county child abuse and neglect teams.
"The number of outstanding and knowledgeable speakers committed to the conference will make it one of the premier conferences of its kind anywhere in the nation this year," said Michael Steinman, chair of the Governor's Commission for the Protection of Children and associate dean and professor of political science in the UNL College of Arts and Sciences.
Registration and other information about the conference is
available through Chris Wiklund, conference coordinator, at the
Center on Children, Families and the Law, telephone (402) 472-
3479 or e-mail (cwiklund1@unl.edu). Registration through Oct. 1
is $50 for one day, $75 for two days or $100 for the full
conference. Registration fees after Oct. 1 are $60, $90 and $125.
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For questions regarding these releases, contact:
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u
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825