What is the Children's Advocacy Center?
The Terrrebonne Children's Advocacy Center is a non-profit agency initiated by Joe Waitz, Jr. to coordinate the community's response to the problem of child abuse. Assistant District Attorney, Bernadette Robinet Pickett was appointed by Mr. Waitz as the Executive Director of the center.
It is a child-friendly place where children are interviewed about their reports of abuse. By agreement, child protection, and the law enforcement agencies refer all cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse to the center. All necessary persons are present; the story is told one time and recorded and the child does not have to go from agency to agency telling the story over and over.
How are These Interviews Conducted?
Jada Thomas, a specially trained forensic interviewer, conducts the interview as it is being recorded. A special interview room is used. Only the child and the interviewer are allowed. A viewing room gives child protection and law enforcement a bird's eye view of what is taking place. The interviewer wears an earpiece and the viewing room has a microphone linked to the earpiece in case any of the law enforcement personnel needs a question asked or clarified. All is done in an effort to do one solid interview.
What Other Services are Provided to These Victims?
The child victim and the parents are informed of the availability of mental health counseling. We have several private counselors who will see children for us. These children are seen until the counselor says it is no longer necessary or the victims themselves end the therapy.
How Does This Help in the Judicial Process?
The videotaped statement of the victim is admissible evidence in a legal proceeding. This keeps the child from having the child tell thier story in a crowded courtroom. Since the defense attorney has the right to cross examine the victim, we make every effort to take the best interview possible. Our interviewers cover all of the needed information therefore; most defense attorneys will not put the child on the stand. We do prepare the child for the possibility of being called to testify. The interviewer, investigator, and the mental health provider works with the victim preparing them for the possibility of coming face to face with the offender.
How Many Children Has the Center Assisted?
The Center opened its doors in April of 1998. That year 86 children were interviewed. Those children were referred to outside agencies for mental health assistance. 1999 brought 101 children through our doors. In 2000 we saw 115 victimized children and in 2001 we saw 131 victims our personnel provided a good portion of the mental health counseling.
Other Services
The center has bi-monthly meetings called team review. Team review is a round table discussion with the director of the center, the interviewer, investigator and members of law enforcement, child protection and the school system. We brainstorm to come up with the best answers fro difficult cases and try to find other available resources for abused and or neglected children.
Funding
The center runs strictly off of grants and fundraising efforts. Grants pay the salaries of the interviewer and the investigator. A grant is also in place, which pays for things like the phone bill to cookies for the kids. Unfortunately, 2 of our grants are at the end fo the term. Thus, fundraising is critical. The executive director is on loan from the District Attorney's Office. Throughout the year, various fundraising evetns take place. We are involved with the Good Earth Festival, the Gumbo Grand Prix and the Houma Grown All-Star Christmas Jam.
Plans for the Future
Our goal is to provide in house mental health counseling for all of our victims as well as strengthening courses for their caregivers. We will begin this task by giving educational materials and then move into group sessions. The group sessions will begin once we meet our fundraising goals.