The two-day conference begins today from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and continue on Friday June 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 12. Representatives from 15 CD-CP sites will attend the conference. Sites represented include New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford and Guilford, Conn.; Chelsea, MA, Rochester NY, Baltimore, MD, Charlotte, Chatham County and Raleigh, NC; Clearwater, FL; Nashville, TN; Sitka, AK; and Providence, RI.

The CD-CP Program was established in 1991 and formed the basis of the NCCEV, established in 1999. The program is directed by Steven Marans, the Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychoanalysis and psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center. NCCEV's goals are to raise public awareness about the effects of exposure to violence, provide training and technical assistance in the CD-CP Program model to communities nationwide, and to serve as a national resource center for professionals and the public on children's exposure to violence.

Central to the CD-CP Program is an round-the-clock acute response consultation service, where mental health professionals along with police respond to crises. Children and families exposed to violence and trauma are provided with clinical services at the scene of the incident with follow-up, and with referral for ongoing services.

"We are strongly committed to furthering the program's goals of nurturing child development in the face of psychological trauma," said Marans.

Conference topics include recent developments at individual sites, challenges to the work, and ongoing activities to encourage sustainability of the program. The meeting provides a yearly forum for communities trained in the Child Development-Community Poli
'"/>

Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
17-Jun-2004