An injured child is assigned to three different counselors because one of many agencies involved didn't know what another organization was doing. The confusion allows offenders to escape prosecution and prevents investigators from building a solid case. Victims fall through the cracks and are repeatedly abused before their cases are resolved. But an organization just more than a year old, the Child Advocacy Center, is working to halt these problems and help children by linking all agencies that may be involved in child abuse and neglect cases. The center organizes regular meetings every month among area law enforcement officers, prosecutors, court personnel, child care investigators and members of other groups involved in handling some of the worst cases in any court system, cases of physical and sexual child abuse.
Participants pool their knowledge.
They share photos that can be used as evidence, firsthand knowledge, such as interviews with children and relatives, and reports. That's the whole idea, to share ideas among all these disciplines. And results have been impressive. In one local case, investigators obtained an arrest warrant the morning after one of these staffings for a father accused of abusing his child. Supporters say the center, which has been involved in more than 200 cases, has made a huge difference.