Failure to Protect: Institutional Response to Child Maltreatment
10:30 AM - 12:00 PMThu
Speakers
Amy Russell
Executive Director
Research tells us that resilience is enhanced in children and youth who participate in extracurricular activities, sporting organizations and religious activities. However, multiple recent cases identifying child maltreatment in youth-serving organizations may give pause to caregivers who seek to protect their children from institutional maltreatment. This workshop will discuss various types of youth-serving organizations and institutions that fail to adequately respond to child maltreatment that occurs within its purview; how abuse is enabled in youth sport and youth support settings; and how institutional changes can mitigate these issues. Issues of perpetrator protection and institutional loyalty will be discussed, and suggestions will be offered as lessons learned from recent high-profile cases.