MACA Events

MDT Training Summit

The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance (MACA) remains committed to providing cutting-edge training and resources for Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) staff and Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) members across the state. Our annual MDT Training Summits serve as a vital space for all of the MDT partners to enhance their skills and strengthen collaboration.

This year’s summit, held in Framingham, featured a keynote presentation from Joseph Coliflores, Managing Attorney, and Justin A. Hunt, MS, Digital Evidence Analyst of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office Digital Evidence Laboratory. Titled Digital Evidence in Child Abuse Investigations – The Who, What, When and How, this session provided an in-depth look at digital evidence, its identification and collection, and forensic examination processes.

The summit also featured specialized workshops, including:

  • Understanding Business Models in Human Trafficking Investigations
  • Child Exploitation & Sextortion Investigations for MDTs
  • Re-Energizing Your MDT: Strengthening Collaboration and Mission Alignment

Participants engaged in meaningful discussions and practical exercises designed to enhance investigative strategies, improve MDT cohesion, and ensure the safety and well-being of child abuse victims.

Our MDT Training Summits continue to serve as an essential resource for child advocacy professionals, fostering collaboration across the MDT and renewed commitment to the protection of children across the Commonwealth.

14th Annual Conference

The Massachusetts Children’s Alliance hosted its 14th annual statewide conference, Healing, Hope & Justice: An Advanced Conversation, bringing together more than 300 child abuse professionals from across the Commonwealth. Attendees included law enforcement, prosecutors, Department of Children and Families (DCF) investigators, medical and mental health professionals, and Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) staff, all dedicated to improving responses to child abuse.

This year’s keynote speaker, Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., provided a presentation on best practice responses for victimized youth, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ children and teens. His session, Authentically Them, Authentically You: LGBTQ+ Children and Teens and Cultivating Hope in the Face of Adversity and Trauma, explored the challenges these youth face and the importance of affirming, trauma-informed approaches in child-serving systems.

Our conference featured a diverse array of workshop sessions covering critical topics in the child advocacy field, including:

  • Recognizing bias in child abuse investigations
  • Trafficking risk factors for migrant youth
  • Addressing recantation in domestic violence and child abuse cases
  • Empirically-based prosecution strategies for youth with problematic sexual behaviors
  • Understanding the impact of racial trauma and adultification bias on Black girls
  • Victim considerations in sextortion cases
  • Promoting safe and stable families through community-based resources

Through these sessions, attendees engaged in advanced conversations on emerging trends, challenges, and solutions in child abuse intervention and prevention.

“The annual conference reaffirmed MACA’s commitment to equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to serve victims of child abuse in an ever-changing landscape.” – MACA’s Executive Director, Tom King

Conference Testimonials:

This was my first time at the conference, but I definitely plan to attend again. I am a Forensic Interviewer in New Hampshire, and I will also tell others in the network about this valuable training. The keynote was amazing. The perfect mix of funny and informative, ensuring people pay attention. Thank you! 

The conference was great. The Keynote speaker was AMAZING! Resources were great and the facilitators for each workshop that I attended were very knowledgeable about the information they presented. 

Very pleased with the variety of workshops offered. The keynote was great and the workshops I chose were excellent. All of the presenters invited questions and were eager to have dialogue with participants.