April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and OJJDP's Child Protection Division staff will participate in national conferences on child abuse prevention and juvenile justice issues to discuss OJJDP's efforts to protect children and offer services to system-involved youth.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is sponsoring the 17th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Atlanta, GA, March 30–April 4, 2009. On April 1, during the session "Addressing Exposure to Violence as a Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Strategy," OJJDP staff will discuss how the Safe Start Initiative decreases risks and increases protective factors for children exposed to violence in their homes and communities.

The associate administrator of the Child Protection Division will speak at the OJJDP's National Children's Advocacy Center in Huntsville, AL, March 23–26. For more information about children's advocacy centers, please visit OJJDP's Web site and read the OJJDP Bulletin Evaluating Children's Advocacy Centers' Response to Child Sexual Abuse, released in August 2008.

OJJDP staff will present information on the OJJDP-sponsored court coordination program (CCP) at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. CCP helps system-involved youth receive the services they need to improve their lives. For more information on CCP, please see the story "OJJDP's Court Coordination Program Promotes the Delivery of Services to Children in Need" in the November/December 2008 issue of News @ a Glance.