Protecting Our Children Conference to Unite Community Professionals

Full day seminar will focus on the importance of different sectors working together to better identify, evaluate and protect victims of child abuse

Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, in partnership with the Kane County Health Department and the All Our Kids (AOK) Early Childhood Network, is hosting a conference to focus on child abuse, child maltreatment and child human trafficking.

The full day symposium will take place on Friday, February 7, 2020 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Waubonsee Community College Academic and Professional Center, IL-47 in Sugar Grove. The goal is to unite area physicians and other health care providers, social workers, law enforcement, educators and lawyers on how to better identify and report child abuse or neglect.

“We are very proud of the Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital Child Protection Team for helping to bring this conference to fruition,” said Trina Krischon, Child Life Specialist with Northwestern Medicine. “The identified need to provide all professionals working with children a comprehensive education on the importance of recognizing and reporting suspected cases of child abuse has created tremendous momentum with this very worthwhile endeavor.”

In 2018, there was a 7.5 percent increase in agencies referring children to the Kane County Child Advocacy Center. The CAC believes this increase to be a result of greater awareness on how to respond to and report such abuses, rather than an increase in actual criminal