On November 2, 2016, the Washington County Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) sponsored its annual Child Abuse Training Day for child abuse professionals. This training provided guidance for professionals who deal with all aspects of child abuse, both within Washington County and throughout the state. Over sixty people attended from a variety of fields including law enforcement, DHS, social workers, counselors, and child interviewers. Topics and speakers included the following:

• Introduction to the Washington County Multidisciplinary Team (Presented by Kevin Barton, Chief Deputy DA and MDT Chair)
• The Legalization of Marijuana and Drug Endangered Children (Presented by Dr. Dan Leonhardt, CARES NW, Chris Lewman, Deputy DA, and Jay Wurscher, DHS)
• Technology and Child Abuse Investigations (Presented by Mike Hanada, Intel and Paul Maloney, Assistant United States Attorney)
• Child Abuse Interviewing: From Field to Forensic (Presented by Jennifer Wheeler and Kathy Kroeger, CARES NW)

The Washington County Child Abuse MDT is a legislatively established collaboration of representatives from a diverse group of government and nonprofit community partners within Washington County. The purpose of the Child Abuse MDT is to ensure the safety of children in the community by promoting collaboration among agencies that address and investigate child abuse. The Child Abuse MDT began in 1989 with the recognition that addressing the issue of child abuse presents complex issues that require community-wide cooperation. Over the last 27 years, the Child Abuse MDT has developed into a well-established partnership of community stakeholders with expertise in the field of child abuse prevention and intervention. The Child Abuse MDT provides valuable resources and leadership to our community partner organizations, both within Washington County as well as throughout all of Oregon. The Child Abuse MDT engages in community outreach and training throughout Washington County. For more information, please direct all inquiries to the Child Abuse MDT Coordinator, Kathleen McDonough, at Kathleen_McDonough@co.washington.or.us or call 503-846-8671.