Welcome Letter
Dear Colleagues:
The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to host our second biennial conference, One Child, Many Hands: A Multidisciplinary Conference on Child Welfare. We have expanded our programming by an extra day to bring you a diverse array of cutting-edge work from the multiple disciplines that touch the lives of children, youth and families. This year we are featuring over 80 presenters from across the country, representing a variety of fields and settings. The Field Center would like to thank the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who is serving as the conference’s Lead Sponsor.
We are offering an exceptional program this year, with our conference-wide presenters addressing “An Opportunity to Heal.”
Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Past President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, opens the conference with a Keynote Address on healing of the child entitled The Power of One. The Conference Plenary will focus on healing of professionals with a panel addressing the Secondary Trauma of First Responders to Violence Against Children. Moderated by Dr. Charles Figley, Director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute and Editor of the Journal Traumatology, this is certain to be a powerful session. A mini-Plenary, featuring Dr. Paula Jaudes, President and CEO of La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago, will address the Health of Children in the Child Welfare System.
The conference’s opening and closing luncheons offer compelling addresses as well. Amy Berg, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker of the documentary on sexual abuse, Deliver Us From Evil, will speak on the use of film as an agent of social change. Dr. David Sanders, Executive Vice President of Systems Improvement at Casey Family Services and former Director of Los Angeles’ child welfare system, will close the conference with a Keynote Address on Healing of Our Systems to Heal Our Children.
We invite you to join us on Wednesday evening for a Documentary Film Festival and reception with filmmaker Amy Berg, to be held at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. This very special event is included in your conference registration.
The Field Center’s interdisciplinary team looks forward to sharing an “Opportunity to Heal” with you.
Sincerely,
 Debra Schilling Wolfe, MEd Executive Director |
 Richard J. Gelles, PhD Faculty Director |
 Cindy W. Christian, MD Faculty Director |
 Alan M. Lerner, Esq. Faculty Director |
 Carol Wilson Spigner, DSW Faculty Director |