Children’s Cove Holds Annual Champions for Children Conference

HYANNIS – Cape Cod’s child advocacy center marked 20 years of helping local children with an annual event on Thursday.

Children’s Cove, a department of Barnstable County that provides services to childhood victims of physical and sexual violence, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation and trafficking, held their 16^th annual Champions for Children Conference at the Doubletree by Hilton in Hyannis.

Local lawmakers and public officials were on hand and the group was presented with citations recognizing their work over the last two decades.

Organizers describe the conference as an opportunity for professionals to get together and gather information on the latest practices and approaches in the field of child abuse treatment.

20 presenters put on a series of discussions and workshops as part of the event. The speakers came from a variety of backgrounds, such as the medical field, law enforcement, and social work.

“Anyone knows working in this field is really difficult,” said Children’s Cove Director Stacy Gallgher, who said the keynote presenter discussed the issue of vicarious trauma. “We need to be able to take care of ourselves. It’s those sorts of sessions that we are having.”

Since being established in 1997, Children’s Cove has worked with thousands of children in need on the Cape and Islands. They are one of the oldest child advocacy centers in Massachusetts.