Highlights from the 2025 Seaside Symposium on Child Abuse
More than 500 professionals gathered at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center from May 27–30 for the 2nd Annual Joint Symposium on Child Abuse & Neglect for the Carolinas. Hosted by the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (SCNCAC), in collaboration with Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina (CACNC), this year’s Seaside Symposium continued to build on its mission to strengthen the coordinated response to child abuse.
This three-day professional development event was designed for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) and their Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) partners. A total of 478 attendees and 42 speakers participated in 48 sessions covering areas including investigation, medical response, victim support, mental health, legal proceedings, and trauma-informed care—all anchored in the evidence-based CAC model.
Diverse Representation of Disciplines and States
Attendees represented a wide array of MDT roles, including victim advocates, forensic interviewers, mental health professionals, child protective services, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical staff, and CAC leadership. While the event focused on the Carolinas, it also welcomed professionals from 10 other states, highlighting the symposium’s growing regional impact.
Exhibitors and Resources
The exhibit hall featured 21 representatives from organizations offering tools, technologies, and services aimed at supporting professionals in the field. Notable exhibitors included iRecord, Cortexflo, Guardify, and the SC Office of the Attorney General, among others—providing attendees with opportunities to discover new resources and build connections.
“I LOVE being an exhibitor at this event! The people are awesome and willing to listen.” – People Outcomes
Keynote: A Call to Serve
The Symposium opened with a powerful keynote from Kevin McNeil, M.Div., Victim Advocate at The Twelve Project. Drawing on the metaphor of being “summoned,” McNeil reminded attendees that their work is more than a profession—it is a call to serve. “Consider Yourself Served,” he declared, reinforcing the idea that every attendee plays a vital role in changing lives and communities. As one attendee put it, “This speaker was PHENOMENAL!! I felt very motivated after hearing his message.”
Standout Sessions Empower and Educate
Several sessions received exceptional feedback and attendance, including:
- “Corroborating Child Sex Abuse Cases” by Hayli Livingston Hoover, University of South Carolina’s Children’s Law Center – This session provided practical tools for building credible evidence using forensic interviews, behavioral indicators, and MDT collaboration.
“This session deepened my understanding of what constitutes evidence and how to corroborate it. I definitely learned things I did not know.”
- “Understanding Sex Offenders” by Dr. Jim Tanner – Over 30% of symposium attendees participated and explored the mindset and grooming tactics of offenders, including their digital behavior, to better inform investigative and prosecutorial strategies.
“Great presenter, left the presentation with a new perspective.”
- “Communicating with Children with Disabilities” by Kate Homan, MS, Modell Consulting Group – Participants learned to adapt interviewing techniques to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities while maintaining legal defensibility and sensitivity.
“It was great to have examples to apply/implement!”
- “Youth With Problematic Sexual Behavior – Best Practices for Prosecution and Response” by Robert Peters, JD, GRACE – This workshop offered research-based guidance for intervention and prosecution, highlighting the unique challenges these cases pose and helping teams respond with accountability and care.
“Great information and excited to share with community partners and schools.”
- “Mommy Dearest” by Jeanne Allert, PhD, Institute for Shelter Care – Focusing on complex mother-daughter dynamics in sexual exploitation cases, this session helped professionals understand and navigate challenging family relationships, in order to provide them with better support
“The breakdown of these different mothers was extremely helpful for understanding more about the challenges I may encounter working with teens who have mothers like this.”
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
This year’s Symposium was made possible in part by the generous support of our sponsors. We extend our deepest gratitude to:
Platinum Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Looking Ahead
The success of this year’s Symposium underscores the strong dedication of CACs and their MDT partners to ongoing improvements in responding to child abuse through collaboration, innovation, and compassion. With preparations already underway for the 2026 Seaside Symposium, participants departed inspired and equipped with new ideas to apply within their communities.
As attendees shared:
“Excellent experience, helped recenter my focus with the work I do, expanded my knowledge significantly.”
“This was one of the best training events I have ever attended.”
“I always look forward to these events. It’s inspiring… I leave feeling empowered and appreciated!”
The staff at the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers would like to thank all of the professionals who attended the 2025 Symposium. We appreciate your continued support and collaboration, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2026.
