BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) — Dozens of people filled Celebrations on Park on Thursday for a survivor-centered conference that brought people together through shared experiences.
The all-day Child Safety Summit was held on Thursday, April 30, and went from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The summit focused on deepening our understanding of child abuse through lived experience, professional insight, and victim-centered practice.
The child advocacy center’s director, Daniel Lesch, said it’s great when connections can be made with lived experience.
“It’s amazing when you can make a connection with someone who has lived experience,” Lesch said. “Unfortunately, you know, child abuse is something that we deal with on a regular basis,” he said. “But it’s nice to have moments like these where professionals who do work can think about ways to do their jobs better,” he said.
Lesch said that a good number of people who registered for the event were outside Broome County, and he was very proud of the turnout they had at the event.
The event had several keynote speakers, including author and therapist Dr. Sharon Zaffarese-Dippold and former Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary.
Fazzary spoke as a victim of child abuse at the summit and shared his perspective as both a survivor and a former prosecutor.
Lesch said that the speakers are made possible through the good connections the advocacy center has with local law enforcement, child protective services, mental health, and medical providers in the community, as well as victim advocates.
“So we invite speakers on those topics to come and give presentations so that we can all learn a little bit more about how to do our jobs as best we can,” Lesch said.
Copyright 2026 WBNG. All rights reserved.
————————————————
