Major international conference on domestic abuse to be staged

‘From Hurt To Hope’ will include local and international professionals working in the field of domestic abuse; child abuse; sexual assault and elder abuse and takes place at Ulster University’s Magee campus on June 4 and 5.

The conference will focus on family justice and best practice in multi-agency team working in key areas, including investigation; documentation; prosecution; advocacy and research.

Hosted by Foyle Family Justice Centre, the conference will showcase the advantages of the internationally acclaimed Family Justice Centre approach and the interagency collaboration which is currently being developed in Derry by Foyle Women’s Aid.

There are more than 130 Family Justice Centres (FJCs), with 100 more in development. Keynote speakers include Casey Gwinn, whose vision of a comprehensive centre for services to victims of family violence became a reality in San Diego in 2002.

He is currently President of Alliance for HOPE International and one of the top 45 public lawyers in America.

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Alliance for HOPE International, Gael Strack’s Strangulation workshop will provide an overview of current understanding of non-fatal strangulation assaults.

The conference will give delegates the opportunity to hear directly from survivors; unique access to pioneers in victims’ services; challenging and participative workshop sessions; learn cutting edge and best practice approaches. It is designed for anyone working with victims and survivors of domestic abuse, including victims’ services, health professionals, counsellors, criminal justice and legal professionals, social services and policy makers.

Early bird discounts and booking are available at www.foylefjc.org which also contains the full conference agenda, list of speakers and workshops.