The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invite you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 4 March 2025 at 12:45pm. The seminar will be presented by Dr. Christian Connell.

About the Seminar:

Bridging Data and Disciplines: Advancing Child Maltreatment Research Across Systems.

Globally, child maltreatment-including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect— remains a critical public health challenge, with significant impacts on physical, behavioral, and mental health. Recognizing the urgent need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary inquiry, Dr. Connell will discuss the establishment of an innovative interdisciplinary network and research center at the Pennsylvania State University [US]. This initiative integrates scholarship, education, and training to address the complex issues surrounding child maltreatment.

The seminar will highlight a novel research effort that leverages integrated data from a range of child- and family-serving systems-including child protection, child welfare, maternal and child healthcare, and justice-to advance applied, practice- and policy-relevant research.

Specific examples will illustrate how child welfare systems can better identify developmental concerns and connect families with essential supports, as well as explore the collaborative roles of justice and child welfare systems in serving youth involved with multiple systems.

Speakers

Dr. Christian Connell is the Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State and Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. He co-leads Penn State's federally funded Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies. Dr. Connell earned his Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina and trained at Yale School of Medicine, where he was a faculty member for 15 years before joining Penn State. With over 25 years of experience, he researches how individual, family, and contextual factors affect child behavioral health and wellbeing following maltreatment or child welfare involvement, as well as community-based strategies for trauma prevention. His work, often using linked administrative data, has been funded by major federal agencies, including NIH, ACF, and the National Traumatic Stress Network, along with state and local grants.

 4 March 2025
 12:45 - 14:00 SAST
  CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29 Robert Leslie Social Science Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa