ACYF Administration on Children, Youth and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families
	1. Log No. ACYF-IM-HS-96-12	2. Issuance Date: 05/31/96
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: NCCAN Conference Announcement

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: All Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Eleventh National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect--"Weaving a National Commitment: New Challenges and Strategies for Protecting Children"

INFORMATION: The Eleventh National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect will be held from September 16-21, 1996, in Washington, DC at the Washington Hilton and Towers.

This conference is sponsored by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. The Eleventh National Conference will offer a variety of plenaries, mini-plenaries, workshops, skills seminars, think tanks and pre-conference seminars that address issues related to prevention, intervention, and treatment in the areas of program, research, policy, and practice. The experiences and perspectives of experts from different disciplines, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and geographic regions will be integrated into every aspect of the Conference as we address the issue of child maltreatment.

The Eleventh National Conference presents an opportunity to reinforce Head Start's commitment to building communities that are caring and supportive of young children and their families. Participants will have an opportunity to learn how communities, parents and professionals can work together to address child maltreatment.

In addition, a host of special activities will be featured to celebrate the accomplishments made by all those who have dedicated their lives to preventing and treating child maltreatment. Included in the activities, the ACYF Commissioner's Award Ceremony will provide an opportunity to applaud the efforts of an individual from each State and Territory who has made a significant contribution toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.

To date, NCCAN has sponsored ten national conferences to help professionals and paraprofessionals address the issues of child abuse and neglect. The year 1996 marks the 20th anniversary of NCCAN's National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Previous conferences have attracted approximately 2,500 to 3,000 professionals from a variety of disciplines, including Head Start staff. Other participants have included social workers, physicians, lawyers, child advocates, teachers, parents, and community leaders.

Conference registration is $260 for those who register before July 15, 1996, and $295 for registration postmarked after that date. Conference registration materials can be obtained by contacting:

Eleventh National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
c/o Research Assessment Management
1300 Spring Street, Suite 210
Silver Spring, Maryland 20902
Telephone: (301) 589-8242

/S/
Helen H. Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau