We help make our families and communities safer when we work together to end family violence.

Please join us for Minnesota's Inaugural Conference on Family Violence on Friday, October 14^th from 9:00am to 12pm CST to explore family violence, which encompasses the interrelationships among animal abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and elder abuse.

Our five presenters include experts in their fields sharing their research, findings, and discoveries as we work to help make our communities safer for all and help end family violence.

Virtual Conference Schedule and Details:

9:00 – 10:00am Plenary Session featuring Andrew Campbell (via Zoom):

Andrew Campbell is an inspiring author and advocate who has raised awareness nationally of family violence, which is the interrelationships among child maltreatment, domestic violence, and animal abuse.  He has presented his findings at hundreds of conferences and training events over the past several years, including to physicians, first responders and advocates.

In his keynote presentation Andrew will share his most recent research and publications focusing on the intertwined nature of child maltreatment, domestic abuse or Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and animal abuse.  This includes his work on animal abuse as an indicator of IPV and child maltreatment, and as a signal of risk to first responders. Andrew will also talk about his latest book “Not without My Pet”, and the healing role that animals play in mitigating the impact of family violence.

Following this plenary session we invite you to join in a Breakout Room session of your choice, focusing on specific issues related to family violence:

10:15 – 11:30am Breakout Sessions (via Zoom):

Breakout Room #1: Andrew Campbell will discuss the lingering impact of the Covid pandemic on child maltreatment and IPV.

Breakout Room #2: Victor Vieth, Director of Education and Research at the Zero Abuse Project and noted child welfare author will discuss the role of faith communities in identifying and addressing family violence.

Breakout Room #3: Phil Arkow, National Link Coalition Coordinator, will introduce participants to the organization’s 25 years of research and activism on the relationship among various forms of family violence with his presentation: “Connecting the Dots: Animal Abuse as a Risk Factor for Child Abuse and Other Family Violence,”

Breakout Room #4: Ann Olson, Executive Director of Animal Folks, will share their advocacy in Minnesota for animal victims of abuse and the connections between their work and that of child advocates.

Breakout Room #5: Charles Hempeck, Executive Director of AnnaMarie’s Alliance in St. Cloud, Minnesota will describe how pet friendly policies and space helps victims decide whether to remove themselves and their children from an abusive relationship.  Anna Marie’s Alliance recently renovated their domestic violence shelter which now includes space for sheltering pets.

11:30am – 12pm Wrap-Up and Future Opportunities

We hope you can join us. Please click Register above to receive your login details via email.

Can't join us? Please consider supporting our work for vulnerable children by making a contribution above.

Looking forward to having you join us,
- All of us at Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota

Visit our homepage at safepassageforchildren.org
Send us a message at [email protected]