Joyce Hatfield-Wise, JD and Jason Kutulakis, JD
This presentation will describe the ChildFirst training program within the state of Pennsylvania which is associated with the National Child Protection Training Center in Winona, Minnesota. Pennsylvania is the 17th state that has been certified to provide this empirically supported training. When multidisciplinary teams consisting of law enforcement officers, caseworkers, prosecutors, child welfare solicitors, forensic interviewers, and medical personnel work together, they can provide effective investigations of child abuse allegations as well as effective prosecutions while always putting the welfare of the child first. This training program provides multidisciplinary team members with the opportunity to learn how to properly respond to allegations of child abuse. Through on-site training, individuals learn how to use team work that draws on the strengths of each profession to ensure that the welfare of the child is always put first from the moment of first contact through successful prosecution.