As part of the city’s continued Safe Long Beach efforts, the city’s inviting families of Long Beach to convene and discuss how to best support children who have been exposed to violence, they announced today.
The Strengthening Families Conference will be held Saturday, May 14 from 8:30AM to 2:30PM at Long Beach City College, Building E, hosted by the City of Long Beach and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
“The safety, health, and well-being of Long Beach youth and families has to come first,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “This event provides another great opportunity for parents, mentors, and professionals to come together and discuss challenges facing our young people, and how to support more positive outcomes for everyone.”
The conference will serve to broadly ensure the safety and well-being of all young people, a release issued by the city stated.
Various workshops will target parents, caregivers and professionals who work with youth and families, including:
- Identifying the impacts of child abuse and neglect
- Building the social and emotional competence of children
- Identifying and reducing domestic violence
- Preventing child maltreatment through family and community assistance
- Understanding adolescent behavior and development
- Combating loneliness and isolation
Keynote speaker Casey Gwinn, J.D., president of Alliance for Hope International, is scheduled to present the findings of the nationally recognized Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, which explores the importance of mentorship to help break the generational cycle of family violence, a release stated.
While the conference is free to the public, all mental health professionals will be charged $30 for continuing education credits. Limited childcare will be available, and the event offers a continental breakfast and lunch.
Register to attend by May 13, 2016, at http://conta.cc/1SoA104. For more information, contact Viriya Nghiem at [email protected] or 562.497.3377. To learn how you can become a foster or adoptive parent, visit www.shareyourheartla.org or call 888.811.1121.
Last year, the City of Long Beach was awarded a Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Enhancement Grant to help fund awareness and training efforts to address the needs of youth. This conference supports the goals and objectives of the OJJDP grant, according to the city.
Safe Long Beach is a product of the Safe Long Beach Violence Prevention Plan, which was approved by city council in May of 2014 and addresses a broad safety agenda aimed at reducing all forms of violence, including domestic abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, hate crimes, bullying, gang violence, and violent crime.
For more information on Safe Long Beach, go to www.lbvpp.com.
Long Beach City College, Building E, is located at 4901 East Carson Street.
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