Join us for a panel of experts on the topic of Child Neglect, led by Jennifer Jones from Prevent Child Abuse America.

Date: April 12, 2023

Time: 10am-12pm

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F1AzVU1HSJSH98_1-rXXLA

Presentation Overview:

Investments in primary prevention will expand access to the resources, opportunities, and relationships that children and families need to thrive. Child maltreatment is preventable and with strategies and policies that enhance the well-being and strengths of families, child abuse and neglect can be prevented from happening in the first place.  We can ensure that families have what they need, when they need it, in the communities where they live, offered without stigma, and BEFORE they find themselves in crisis. In this session you’ll hear about creative solutions across states to address child neglect through legislative changes in the definition of neglect, approaches to support families and reduce stress, and engaging communities in efforts to address family needs.

Kelly Crane, State Policy Specialist, Prevent Child Abuse America

Kelly Crane has worked in the field of prevention and child welfare for more than 20 years. Her policy activities center on providing leadership, strategic planning, guidance, and support to advance the goals and mission of Prevent Child Abuse America and Healthy Families America. Kelly facilitates informative advocacy and educational campaigns, cultivating positive public and political will, and connecting allied political champions and stakeholders to each other. She supports the federal policy team and distills national priorities into effective state advocacy strategies for the PCA America network.

Prior to joining PCA America, Kelly worked at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where her policy and research activities centered on providing consultation and capacity building to states and jurisdictions with a focus of promoting improved outcomes for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. Kelly also worked for the National Conference of State Legislatures, where she provided customized facilitation, technical assistance, and testimony to senior state policymakers, addressing policy and systems reform issues related to child welfare. She also brings experience working within a state system involved in program development, program implementation, and evidence-based practices through her tenure at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

Kelly holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and BA in Psychology and Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Kelly resides outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and two young children.

Gabriel McGaughey, MSSW, Director of Child Well-Being at Children’s Wisconsin

Gabriel McGaughey is the Director of Child Well-Being at Children’s Wisconsin and a founding Co-Director of the Institute for Child and Family Well-Being (ICFW). In these roles Gabriel focuses on disseminating and translating research and other evidence into system changes in child welfare, mental health, and other systems. Gabriel holds a masters’ degree in social work, with a background in quality improvement, data analytics, and program administration in the child welfare system.

Through the ICFW Gabriel has advanced the implementation of  interventions like Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Mobility Mentoring, while also advocating for science-informed policy and procedural innovations. Gabriel’s current work has focused on systemic interventions to prevent family separations for reasons of neglect through the Strong Families, Thriving Children, Connected Communities initiative.

Ali Faruk, Policy Director, Families Forward Virginia

Mr. Ali Faruk brings 15 years of experience in civic engagement, non-profit management, and public policy. His work experience includes Policy Director at Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, an Aide in the Va House of Delegates, and several years in health policy at the Va Department for Aging and Rehab services and the Va Department for Medical Assistance Services. Currently Ali is the Policy Director at Families Forward Virginia, a statewide nonprofit that provides Home Visiting Programs, Family Support and Education, Professional Development, Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs, Advocacy, Public Awareness/Public Education.

He has served on many non-profit boards including the Va Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Mental Health America of Virginia, where he served as Chair of the Policy Committee, the Virginia Autism Council, and the Community Building Committee of the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg where he served as Chair of the Health Council. Ali is currently a member of the Board of Long Term Care Administrators. Ali Faruk holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology and a Master of Public Administration Degree from VCU. He is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond as well as the Commonwealth’s Virginia Executive Institute.

Jill Seyfred, Executive Director, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky

Jill Seyfred has been employed by Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky since 1984, receiving her master’s degree in social work from the University of Kentucky in 1985. She is originally from Michigan and received her undergraduate degree from Hope College – home of the Tulip Festival! Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky is Kentucky’s leading statewide child abuse prevention organization, and she has served as their Executive Director since 1988.  PCAK is part of a national network of Prevent Child Abuse America Chapters and throughout the years, Jill has served in leadership positions on the state and national levels. She has been appointed as a member of KY’s Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Board by three different Governor’s, and currently is serving an appointment on KY’s Child Support Guidelines Commission and KY’s Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, as set forth by Senate Bill 8 in the 2022 General Assembly.  

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