Description
The Children's Justice Center (CJC) provides a neutral, safe, child-friendly atmosphere for child victims of sexual and physical abuse and children who have witnessed crimes. Programs and services provided by the CJC are the Supervised Visitation Program and the Children’s Advocacy Center. The Children’s Advocacy Center (located at Mary Lee’s House) consists of the Outreach Program, Depositions, Forensic Interviews and Remote Testimony.
Children’s Advocacy Center
- Forensic Interviews
- Depositions
- Closed Circuit Testimony
The Outreach Program
Supervised Visitation Program
Monitored Exchange
History
Children’s Advocacy Center
In 1992, the Children’s Advocacy Center, a program under the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court’s Children’s Justice Center, was developed. The impetus for the establishment of the CAC was to provide a neutral and non-threatening environment for children who were subject of child abuse investigations or who witnessed a crime. Since that time, the services benefitting children in the community and the needs of the judiciary have grown. Currently, the CAC provides forensic interviewing, child advocacy case management, child depositions, and closed circuit testimony services.
Supervised Visitation Program
The CAC expanded services to include supervised visitations in 1993. In 2000, the Children’s Justice Center was developed as an umbrella for the CAC and the Supervised Visitation Program. Throughout 2001 and 2002 the CJC added several more educational components to the services and the Outreach Program was created.
Performance Measures
Goal: Provide child-friendly facilities for children who have entered the judicial system due to alleged abuse or risk of abuse for interviewing or to maintain contact with a parent in a safe neutral setting.
Performance measure: Number of children served in safe neutral environment
Goal: Minimize trauma to child abuse victims by streamlining the intervention process
Performance measure: Number of child and family advocacy service extended
Goal: Develop formal, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary responses to child abuse
Performance measure: Maintain National Children Alliance accreditation status
Goal: Educate the community of child abuse issues and enlist support to help prevent child abuse
Performance measures: 1. Number of trainings presented, number of surveys returned indicating information will reduce trauma to children during investigations
2. Number of community events attended where child abuse prevention is the focus of the group