An Australian psychologist will speak on”Assessing the Situation and Deciding to Do Something: Risk, Needs and Consequences in Child Protective Work,”on July 16 during a breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30 in Hatfields Restaurant in the WVU Mountainlair. The WVU Division of Social Work is sponsoring the lecture, which will begin at 8:15 a.m. Len Dagleish, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology, University of Queensland, will present the same lecture at the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect Convention, in Denver, just prior to his visit to Morgantown. His involvement in child protective service issues includes membership on the editorial board of the journal, Child Abuse Review, as well as participation in the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Judgment and Decision-Making Society. He has conducted multiple research projects on risk assessment.

The lecture is especially timely with several child abuse and child abduction cases in the national news. Nationally, there are more than three million reported and suspected cases of child abuse each year. In addition, recent funding cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (popularly known as welfare) program has resulted in the elimination of hundreds of positions for individuals who worked with children and families. The assessment work performed by social workers involved in child protective services is even more important now.

Professional social workers can receive up to 1.5 hours of continuing education credit for attending the lecture. Pre-registration for the breakfast lecture is required. Fees are $10 for persons not applying for continuing education credit and $15 for persons applying for credit. To register, call the Division of Social Work Continuing Education Program Office at 293-3501, ext. 3103.

Dagliesh also will present a Department of Psychology colloquium titled”Assessing a Situation and Deciding What to do about It: The General Judgment and Decision Making Model”on July 15, from 4 to 5 p.m., in the Mountainlairs Laurel Room. His visit is made possible through a collaborative effort among the WVU Department of Psychology, the Division of Social Work, the Beatrice Ruth Burgess Center for West Virginia Families and Communities, and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.