Wrap Up of Minnesota’s Inaugural Conference on Family Violence

Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota hosted a free virtual conference on Friday, October 14th from 9:00 am to noon to explore family violence, which encompasses the interrelationships among animal abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence and elder abuse.

Summary of Conference

9:00 – 10:00am Plenary Session featured Andrew Campbell. Watch the video of Andrew’s Plenary Session below. (Click here to view the slides)

Andrew Campbell is an inspiring author and advocate who has raised awareness nationally of family violence, which is the interrelationships among child maltreatment, domestic violence, and animal abuse.  He has presented his findings at hundreds of conferences and training events over the past several years, including to physicians, first responders and advocates.

In his keynote presentation Andrew will share his most recent research and publications focusing on the intertwined nature of child maltreatment, domestic abuse or Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and animal abuse.  This includes his work on animal abuse as an indicator of IPV and child maltreatment, and as a signal of risk to first responders. Andrew will also talk about his latest book “Not without My Pet”, and the healing role that animals play in mitigating the impact of family violence.

Following this virtual plenary session were breakout sessions focusing on specific issues related to family violence.

10:15 – 11:30am Breakout Sessions

Breakout Room #1: Andrew Campbell discussed the lingering impact of the Covid pandemic on child maltreatment and IPV. Watch the video of Andrew’s Breakout Session below. (Click here to view the slides)

Breakout Room #2: Victor Vieth, Director of Education and Research at the Zero Abuse Project and noted child welfare author discussed the role of faith communities in identifying and addressing family violence.

Breakout Room #3: Phil Arkow, National Link Coalition Coordinator, introduced participants to the organization’s 25 years of research and activism on the relationship among various forms of family violence with his presentation: “Connecting the Dots: Animal Abuse as a Risk Factor for Child Abuse and Other Family Violence.” Watch the video of Phil’s presentation below.

Breakout Room #4: Charles Hempeck, Executive Director of AnnaMarie’s Alliance in St. Cloud, Minnesota described how pet friendly policies and space helps victims decide whether to remove themselves and their children from an abusive relationship.  Anna Marie’s Alliance recently renovated their domestic violence shelter which now includes space for sheltering pets.

11:30am – 12pm Wrap-Up and Future Opportunities