CAFC Historic 2008 Domestic Violence Conference a Major Success

CAFC wrapped up a truly historic domestic violence conference that was held in Sacramento on February 15 and 16, 2008. See "Conference DVD catalog and Summary of Presentations and Speaker Bios" below to order training DVDs.

CAFC was proud to sponsor the conference, which was co-sponsored by the Family Violence Treatment and Education Association (FAVTEA). The conference also featured many of the speakers from the National Family Violence Legislative Resource Center (NFVLRC).

We also want to take this time to thank The Saxton Family Foundation for a grant that made this conference possible.

The conference quickly became an international event after its announcement. This was due to all of the internationally respected experts that presented at the conference, as well as attendees that came from all over the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. Easily 95 percent of those who had registered and attended the conference were with state, local and U.S. government agencies, including officials and staff from the Department of Health and Human Services.  It was also attended by a myriad of public health agencies, Social Services, law enforcement, treatment providers and family law practitioners.  The list goes on. In addition, several states had representatives from their Judicial Branches attend, including judges.

Because of the historic nature of the conference, Radio Station KFBK-AM 1530, in Sacramento interviewed Erin Pizzey, the founder of the shelter movement and one of the conference presenters. You can listen to the interview, which is also located in our News section.

After going through the post conference surveys, we learned that most attendees gave the conference overall scores ranging in the 4 & 5's (with 5 being the highest score). We have heard directly from many attendees who are mediators and evaluators in family courts, and they called the conference the best they had ever attended on the issue. Many of them have been in the practice for 30 years. One District Attorney wrote:

"I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and felt it was one of the best I'd ever attended (I've been attending DV conferences ever since the Judicial Task Force put on a statewide conference after the OJ case!)"

One of the presenters from Canada, who has done over 70 international scholarly presentations and published 23 peer reviews on domestic violence, e-mailed this:

"Thank you once again for an amazing experience! It was nothing short of awe-inspiring to see Straus, Pizzey, Mills, Dutton, etc. at one conference. You really pulled off an amazing feat. I will always remember that conference as a highlight of my career, as I am sure will many other attendees. Congratulations!"

Dr. Tonia Nicholls, Ph.D, BC Mental Health & Addiction Services and University of British Columbia

Another one wrote:

"I thought the conference was great. I was tremendously impressed by the openness of the attendees and the frankness of the presenters. Congratulations! I hope next year's conference builds on the momentum of this one and is an even bigger success."

And still another:

"This was the single best conference I have attended in my more than 30 year career. I have never seen such a stellar group of presenters in one conference! I am already looking forward to next year!"

John P. Condron, Court Approved Domestic Violence Evaluator, Child Custody Mediator and Parenting Coordinator, Idaho.

We certainly want to continue our efforts and begin to plan the next conference. This is where you can help. We need to start fundraising now to help offset the costs of doing these conferences. Registration fees do not cover all of the costs, and many of the presenters waived their normal speaker's fees for this first-of-its-kind historic event. Please donate now.

From Ideology to Inclusion:

Evidence-Based Policy and Intervention in Domestic Violence

DVDs NOW AVAILABLE!

"From Ideology to Inclusion" conference

DVD Order Form and Catalog — fax or mail your order today!   Summary of Speaker Bios