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Before the creation of children's advocacy centers, those who had experienced abuse would have to go through a painful interview process — asked to relive that experience over and over to police, Child Protective Services, meetings with the DA’s office, and visits to the hospital. The aim of advocacy centers is to reduce the amount of trauma children have to endure and to create a welcoming space where they feel comfortable.
“The children's advocacy center model means that they get to tell their story one time to one person,” says Molly Horn, marketing coordinator for Alliance For Children. “Once they have told their story, they can move into the healing process.”
Alliance For Children is one local children’s advocacy center that investigates and processes cases of abuse against children. During the month of April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, the local nonprofit will be holding virtual events to educate the public on how to prevent abuse.
In the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year (October 2019 – September 2020), the center helped 1,617 families receive support services and advocated for 2,125 children. Over 15,000 children were trained in personal body safety, and 3,223 adults were educated on how to prevent child abuse.
“We at children's advocacy centers believe that child abuse can be eradicated,” Horn says. “It just requires action.”
Alliance For Children is hosting four virtual learning events during April. Thursday's Virtual Lunch and Learn introduces guests to Alliance For Children, with an overview on what steps the public can take to prevent child abuse.
The second event, Stewards of Children Training, will be on April 6 and will focus on how to prevent child abuse, how to recognize child abuse, and how to respond responsibly to child abuse.
Let’s Talk: Talking with Your Child about Personal Body Safety is the third event, scheduled for April 14. Geared towards parents, the class will teach them how to educate children about body safety.
The last event will be on April 23 — Protecting Children in the Digital World, teaching parents how to discuss internet safety with their kids.
“What we hope for is parents, caregivers, teachers, anybody in the community, to see this, to be aware of it, and to take that next step to educate themselves,” Horn says. “It requires the courage of people in the community and their actions to educate themselves, to spread the message, to educate others, to take what they have learned out into the community to then take those steps to start preventing child abuse.”
More information is available at allianceforchildren.org.
