Family Violence Clinic to Cosponsor Domestic Violence Training Conference

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Law School's Family Violence Clinic will cosponsor a training conference for professionals who work with the victims of abuse and domestic violence.

Titled "Domestic Violence: Where Do We Go From Here," the one-day conference will be presented from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 2 in the Hearthstone Manor, 333 Dick Road, Cheektowaga. Cosponsors of the conference are Child & Family Services, Haven House and Catholic Charities of Buffalo.

It will examine the history of the battered-women's movement, issues and concerns for those working with victims of domestic violence, and strategies for domestic-violence intervention. It also will include a question-and-conversation session, case studies and practical applications.

Presenters will be Ruth Busch, J.D., an associate professor of law at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, and Karla M. Digirolamo, associate director of Unity House, a multi-purpose human-service agency in Troy.

A family-law practitioner in both Canada and New Zealand, Busch has published numerous reports and articles on domestic violence and the criminal justice system, and judicial discourses on domestic violence, child witnesses of spousal violence and violence-intervention models. She also is an extensive campaigner for domestic-violence law reform in New Zealand.

Digirolamo has provided trial consultation and expert testimony in a range of civil and criminal cases, and assisted communities in developing domestic violence prevention and intervention strategies. She has spent 15 years in domestic-violence policy and program development for New York State, and six years as the founding executive director of the State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

Registration for the conference is $25 or $20 per person for organizations sending three or more members. For more information or to register, contact Susan Augspurger at 896-6390. Information also is available at www.childfamilybny.org.