Keynote Speakers

Irene Intebi Child Psychiatrist and clinical psychologist from Buenos Aires (Argentina) who has been working in the child protection field since 1985 as a practitioner; as the director of treatment programs; and as a trainer in Argentina, in Latin America and in Europe, working both for governmental agencies and for NGOs.

Presidential Keynote Address:

ISPCAN Experience in Understanding Cross Cultural Practice

For the last 10 years, ISPCAN has been committed to training multidisciplinary professionals from the so-called “developing countries” on different aspects of child protection.

ISPCAN philosophy has been to facilitate the access of local field workers, service providers and decision makers to international best practices and latest research while encouraging their adaptation to the local background and encouraging the input from local professionals.

This approach raised questions about cultural sensitivity; about what aspects of the culture are most important when intervening across cultures; and of how to transport a cultural practice from one culture to another, among others.

The objective of this conference is to address the main aspects of the questions raised while, at the same time, share ISPCAN learnings that can shine some light on what can be regarded as culturally appropriate interventions and how can professionals work with clients from diverse cultures.

James Garbarino (USA) Henry Kempe Lecturer Presentation Title: Child Maltreatment: What Is It? Why Does it Matter Presentation time: Monday, 27 September 2010 08:30-09:15

Dr. James Garbarino holds the Maude C. Clarke Chair in Humanistic Psychology and was founding Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago. Previously he was Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Development and Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University. He earned his B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1968, and his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University in 1973. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Garbarino has served as consultant or advisor to a wide range of organizations, including the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, the National Institute for Mental Health, the American Medical Association, the National Black Child Development Institute, the National Science Foundation , the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the FBI. In 1991 he undertook missions for UNICEF to assess the impact of the Gulf War upon children in Kuwait and Iraq, and has served as a consultant for programs serving Vietnamese, Bosnian and Croatian child refugees.

Nainoa Thompson (USA) Presentation time: Monday, 27 September 2010 13:00-13:45

Charles Nainoa Thompson is currently the Executive Director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). Since 1976, he played an integral part in the design, construction, sailing, and navigatin of the Hawai'i Maritime Center's double-hulled voyaging canoe, Hokule'a. Also, under Thompson's supervision, PVS completed the construction of a new Hawaiian voayaging canoe out of traditional materials in 1994. The canoe, named Hawai'iloa, took its maiden voyage in 1995 across the Pacific from Hawai'i to Tahiti to Ra`iatea and back via Nuku Hiva, from where it is believed early settlers to Hawai'i came.

Thompson's current interest is to develop an educational program for the schoolchildren of Hawai'i to teach them about Polynesian voyaging traditions and instill them with pride in their ancient seafaring heritage. The program will emphasize not just knowledge about ancient traditions, but also modern scientific knowledge about the ocan and sky and environmental principles based on traditional values for insuring the conservation of resources and a safe, healthy, sustainable future for Hawai'i.

Tonier Cain (USA) Presentation title: Trauma and Recovery Presentation time: Tuesday, 28 September 2010 13:00-13:45

Tonier Cain is a consumer advocate who has spoken nationally on trauma, incarceration, and recovery. She has served as a member of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with a Mental Illness (PAIMI) Council, a federally-required advisory body that reviews and guides work funded under the PAIMI grant and, in conjunction with the Board, sets and approves annual program priorities. She has also worked as a case manager and Director of Advocacy Services for a private non-profit in Annapolis, MD. Ms. Cain is featured in the documentary “Behind Closed Doors: Trauma Survivors and the Psychiatric System”. Ms. Cain is the team leader for the National Center for Trauma Informed Care which provides consultation, technical assistance, and training to revolutionize the way mental health and human services are organized, delivered and managed, while furthering the understanding of trauma-informed practices through education and outreach. Ms Cain is the subject in “Healing Neen”, a documentary based on her life as she moved through multiple systems of care.

Dr. Assefa Bequele (Ethiopia) Presentation Title: The Good Government Presentation time: Wednesday, 29 September 2010 10:20-10:55

Dr. Assefa Bequele is a leading voice on child wellbeing in Africa. He is an internationally recognized expert on child rights, with considerable experience in university teaching (USA and Ethiopia) and long years of service in the United Nations system (ILO Geneva, Asia and Africa). He is the author of numerous reports, publications and articles on child rights and economic development.

He was responsible for many years for the design, development and management of the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) - the world’s premier technical programme on child labour - and the development of the ILO’s new Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (Convention No 182). Dr Assefa was a member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. He is the founder and Executive Director of The African Child Policy Forum, a leading Pan-African policy research and advocacy centre based in Addis Ababa. (www.africanchildforum.org).