Week-long child abuse training is now underway
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MISSION – The George Murdock Eastern Oregon Regional Child Abuse Conference kicked off Monday at Wildhorse Resort and Casino. The Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office and the Guardian Care Center have organized the event for the second year in a row.
The conference means that those who handle child abuse cases won’t have to travel to the west side of the state to learn about investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases. Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson said the conference is vital for those involved in probing the heart-breaking cases and it’s excellent it is offered to people close to home.
“Not only are they doing a local training,” he said. “It’s also giving back locally with the influx of people and spending dollars here in our community. It’s fantastic work by the Umatilla County DA’s Office.”
The conference was originally created for law enforcement officers and prosecutors. It now welcomes multidisciplinary team members and those who serve in child advocacy roles.
It also ends with a fundraising golf tournament for the Guardian Care Center. The 12th annual Golfing Fore Kids tournament Saturday at Wildhorse has a 2 p.m. shotgun start. Guardian performs forensic interviews of children where allegations of child abuse have been made, medical evaluations, mental health referrals and treatment, and full coordination of victims’ services that are available.
