Child Abuse
The Commission administers the Children’s Justice Act Grant. This grant is made available to the state by the Office of Child Abuse and Neglect. Every three years, the Commission comprehensively reviews and evaluates all laws, policies and procedures regarding child abuse and neglect cases, placing particular emphasis on child sexual abuse, suspected child maltreatment-related fatalities, and cases involving a potential combinations of jurisdictions.
Policy recommendations are made for each of the following three categories:
- Investigative, administrative and judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect to reduce additional trauma to the victim and family and ensure procedural fairness to the accused
- Experimental, model and demonstration programs for testing innovative approaches and techniques
- Reform of state laws, ordinances, regulations, protocols and procedures to provide full protection from abuse while ensuring fairness to everyone affected.
The Child Abuse Project Coordinator is available to provide free training, technical assistance and case consultation.
A Team Approach to Protecting Children
Multidisciplinary Teams are set up to protect children and reduce trauma by assuring that established protocols are followed for conducting joint investigations and multi-agency reviews, to ensure coordinated services to victims and families and hasten prosecution when appropriate. The multidisciplinary teams also help to ensure coordination and collaboration among county agencies in cases of severe child maltreatment. The teams act as vehicles of communication among agencies coordinating different intervention efforts in severe child maltreatment cases and help with intervention planning and case reviews. Team members are bound by the confidentiality standards of child protective services and other team members.
Child Safety Centers
Child Safety Centers (CSCs) are non-profit, child friendly facilities that offer a focused and comprehensive approach to providing services to victims of child abuse and their families. CSCs support the multi-disciplinary team by offering space for forensic interviews and case reviews while providing access to medical and mental health services either on-site or through referrals. A main goal of CSCs is to reduce the rate of revictimization by bringing the relevant professionals together to ensure coordinated investigations and effective case coordination. In 2007, the 86th General Assembly passed legislation with program and fiscal requirements for existing and developing CSCs. To view the legislation, click here.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) trained therapists by county
CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE 1-800-482-5964