Child Protection Webinars

Scared child hiding under table trying to get away from yelling adult

Child abuse, neglect and exploitation are more common than you may think. In the United States, at least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year. In the state of Georgia, there are more than 9,000 confirmed victims of child abuse each year and over 700 victims of child sex trafficking.

In this webinar series, The Stephanie V. Blank Center invites experts in a variety of fields—as well as other professionals, caregivers and adults who have a vested interest in ensuring children experience safe, stable, nurturing relationships—to discuss the role adults play in preventing child maltreatment.

Who should participate in the child protection webinar series?

While certain webinars may cater to a specific field or audience, such as healthcare or social work, all webinars are applicable to a variety of audiences, including parents and other caregivers.

The Child Protection webinar series aims to:

Focus on addressing the underlying issues that lead to child abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Provide education on building safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments.
Teach professionals and caregivers to identify areas where adults can protect and improve the lives of children, with the ultimate goal of helping prevent child maltreatment.

Why participate in the child protection webinar series?

In addition to learning strategies to prevent child maltreatment and make safe, stable, and nurturing environments possible for all children for all children, participants in our 1.5-hour trainings will also receive:

Certificate of Attendance or Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)

1.5 NCPD credit for nurses
1.5 CME credit for MD/DOs, PA/NPs
1.5 core credit for social work, LPC and LMFT
2.0 POST credits for law enforcement

Resources that participants can share with families and staff members

Available child protection webinars

Please be sure to read webinar descriptions carefully and use personal discretion when choosing webinar topics, as certain topics may be difficult for some viewers.

January 2026

Healthcare and Human Trafficking
Tuesday, Jan. 13, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Angie Boy, DrPH
Human trafficking has significant impacts on a victim’s life, including their healthcare. Join this webinar to learn how the healthcare system interacts with victims and survivors and how providers can help prevent trafficking in their communities.

February 2026

Anime and Youth: Understanding Its Impact on Adolescent Perceptions of Sexual Behavior
Tuesday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Jermaine Wall, LICSW-S, JSOCC
This youth-focused presentation explores the influence of anime on adolescent perceptions of problematic sexual behaviors. It integrates cultural, ethical and media analysis to bridge the gap between popular media and clinical perspectives on youth mental health.

Having Difficult Conversations with Kids About Relationships
Tuesday, Feb. 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Traci Hurley, CFLE, and Anne Huegel, MEd
A critical part of preventing exploitation and abuse is helping youth identify vulnerabilities, build safety plans, and understand the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. In this presentation, we’ll discuss how adults can navigate these types of conversations with teens and tweens. We’ll also equip participants with communication tools they can use to help youth understand the importance of recognizing red flags in all relationships.

March 2026

Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse in Georgia
Tuesday, March 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Traci Hurley, CFLE
During this webinar, we’ll focus on how to recognize risk factors or signs that physical and sexual abuse, neglect, child endangerment and sexual exploitation may be occurring. Participants will also learn about the mandated reporting laws relating to child abuse in Georgia and policies and procedures to report suspected child abuse.

April 2026

Part I: Understanding Child Development
Tuesday, April 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Lauren Gordon, LPC, CPCS, RDT, and Traci Hurley, CFLE
Join this webinar to learn why kids behave the way they do and how understanding child development can help adults use less reactive discipline, manage expectations and build stronger relationships with the youth in their lives.

Part II: Applying Child Development in Everyday Moments
Tuesday, April 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Lauren Gordon, LPC, CPCS, RDT, and Traci Hurley, CFLE
In the heat of the moment, it can be hard for adults to navigate a child’s challenging behavior. Join this webinar to learn how to apply child development knowledge in these stressful moments, what appropriate boundary pushing looks like and how to practice repair when things don’t go the way we'd hoped.

May 2026

Tech and Mental Health
Tuesday, May 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Lauren Gordon, LPC, CPCS, RDT, and Traci Hurley, CFLE
Join this webinar to learn about the impact technology has on youth mental health and how adults can help youth create safe spaces and interactions online. We’ll discuss warning signs of risky behavior and how establishing trust and connection with youth can help build a foundation for setting limits and appropriate boundaries.

The Intersection of Nutrition, Food Insecurity and Mental Health
Tuesday, May 19, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Verena W. Brown, MD, FAAP, dipABLM, NBC-HWC, CSE
This webinar will explore how food insecurity and inadequate nutrition can impact a child’s brain development and mental health through the lens of the gut–microbiome–brain axis. Participants will learn how environmental and biological factors can shape outcomes in childhood well-being and how clinicians can apply insights from the AAP policy on food insecurity to support at-risk populations.

June 2026

Lock and Learn: Keeping Kids Safe With Smart Storage
Tuesday, June 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Amanda Batlle, DNP, MPH, CPNP-PC, NPD-BC
Join this insightful and potentially lifesaving webinar on firearm and medication safe storage practices to protect kids from unintentional injuries. Learn how to properly store firearms and medications at home and how to have conversations with other adults about firearms in homes where youth visit and play.

July 2026

Providing Quality Education Early in Life
Tuesday, July 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Anne Huegel, MEd
Join this webinar to learn about the connections between quality, early childhood education and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. This webinar will explore how parental engagement in educational settings can enhance parenting practices and lead to positive outcomes for youth.

August 2026

Psychological Maltreatment
Tuesday, Aug. 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Angie Boy, DrPH
Psychological maltreatment is one of the most pervasive forms of child abuse, but it’s also the most misunderstood. Join this webinar to learn about the types of psychological maltreatment, its impact on children and how communities can work together to prevent it.

October 2026

Domestic Violence and the Impact on Children
Tuesday, Oct. 6, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Angie Boy, DrPH
Join this webinar to learn about the correlation between domestic violence and child abuse, the process for reporting a child witnessing domestic violence, and resources for adult domestic violence victims.

Introduction to Keeping Kids Safe in a Digital World
Tuesday, Oct. 13, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Traci Hurley, CFLE
Learn about the types of technology children use, how they use them and simple ways to make them safer. Participants will learn about different social media apps kids and teens use, online harassment and digital citizenship, and steps they can take to protect kids from online risks.

Deep Dive to Keeping Kids Safe in a Digital World
Tuesday, Oct. 20, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Traci Hurley, CFLE
Join this webinar to dive deeper into the world of technology and focus on larger issues affecting youth online. Participants will explore the stages of online grooming, various types of exploitation and newer harms, like generative AI and sharenting.

November 2026

Practicing Body Safety During the Holidays
Tuesday, Nov. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Anne Huegel, MEd, and Traci Hurley, CFLE
The holiday season can be a special time to connect with loved ones, but it can create opportunities for uncomfortable interactions and even boundary violations. Join this webinar to learn how to talk with youth about hard topics, like body safety, consent and sexual abuse.

December 2026

Turning Trauma Into Trust: Practical Strategies for Child-Centered Forensic Medical Exams
Tuesday, Dec. 8, from noon to 1:30 p.m. | Faith Jones, CCLS
Without the right support, forensic medical exams can be confusing, frightening and retraumatizing. Learn practical, trauma-informed strategies that prioritize the child’s emotional and developmental needs during the exam process, all from a child life specialist. We’ll discuss how to prepare children for medical exams using medical play, developmentally appropriate language, therapeutic rapport-building, distraction and coping techniques.

On-demand child sex trafficking webinars

If you’d prefer to participate in our webinar series on your own time, you can register for these on-demand webinars:

The Medical Evaluation of Victims of Child Sex Trafficking
The Fundamentals of Child Sex Trafficking

Child Protection at Children's