• Why is Alberta Children's Services hosting a conference on the prevention of family violence?
• Is prevention the primary focus of this conference?
• Who is the conference geared towards?
• How does this conference differ from other family violence conferences?
• Does this conference provide assistance in obtaining the necessary Visa for out-of-country participants?

Why is Alberta Children's Services hosting a conference on the prevention of family violence?

Historically, family violence has been seen primarily as a problem affecting adults in intimate relationships and the elderly. While shelters and a justice response are critical components of a family violence strategy, they are limited in their capacity to prevent family violence.

Over the past five years, there has been an increase in research related to the impact of family violence on children.

We now know:

• Children who are exposed to violence in their homes can be profoundly affected - emotionally, cognitively, psychologically, and behaviorally. Even newborns are affected by the loud noises and tension in families experiencing violence.
• Intimate partner violence can escalate to physical child abuse in a high percentage of families.
• Family violence was present in over 70 percent of serious injuries and deaths of children.
• Approximately 50 percent of all calls to child abuse offices involve violence between the parents, although this is often not the reason for the call. When there is violence between parents, there is often also physical neglect, inappropriate discipline, emotional neglect, and/or exposure to drugs and alcohol.
• Homicide is the most common cause of death of pregnant and recently pregnant women.

Prevention of family violence is prevention of child maltreatment.

Is prevention the primary focus of this conference?

Yes. It is important to understand that prevention falls into three categories:

• Primary – initiatives that prevent it from happening
• Secondary – intervening early to minimize impact and future incidents, and
• Tertiary – or treatment to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Who is the conference geared towards?

We expect the conference will attract researchers, legislators, academics and professionals, from a wide range of disciplines, who may work directly or indirectly to eliminate family violence and its impact.

How does this conference differ from other family violence conferences?

This conference will examine family violence in its social and legal context from a global perspective with an emphasis on innovative prevention policies and practices.

Does this conference provide assistance in obtaining the necessary Visa for out-of-country participants?

Not directly. Information is available on-line to help out-of-country participants obtain a Visa on the Government of Canada website: http://canadainternational.gc.ca/