Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County

1. Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County P.O. Box 1763 Aiken, South Carolina 29802 (803) 644-5100

2. Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County

3. The Scope of the Problem • According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) an estimated 905,000 children in the United States were victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006. • 1,530 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 2006.

4. The Scope of the Problem • 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will experience some form of sexual abuse by the age of 18 (Deblinger & Heflin, 1996). • Many children do not tell anyone about their sexual abuse (London, Bruck, Ceci, & Shuman, 2005). • If they do disclose, children rarely lie about sexual abuse. • Aiken County ranks #1 in South Carolina in terms of incidents of sexual violence against children.

5. The Scope of the Problem • On average, 90% of child victims know their sexual abusers (USDHHS, 2006).

6. Who We Are • We are a 501(c)(3), therefore we rely on grants and private donations. • We do receive some reimbursement for forensic interviews and medical exams through South Carolina Office of Victim’s Assistance (SOVA). • We are nationally accredited by the National Children’s Alliance, which is the national accrediting agency for CAC’s. • We are a collaborative of over a dozen public and private agencies that serve abused children.

7. Our History • There are 18 CAC’s in South Carolina. • The Aiken County CAC is the 17th and was not established until 2005. • Prior to the center: • Children had to be transported to Columbia or Charleston • Children had to be transported for both the forensic interview and the medical exam • Children had a lengthy wait for both of these (usually several weeks) • Children were also seen at the ER • The ER is a poor environment for disclosure and not appropriate for examination of chronic sexual abuse.

8. Our Staff • Executive Director: Gayle Lofgren, LMSW • Program Coordinator: Anne Laver • Clinical Coordinator: Mary Helen Simons, LMSW • Office Manager: Arimenta Greene • Master’s Level Intern (USCA): Ashley Miller • Julie Kappes, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

9. Greeter: Peaches

10. Our Mission • The mission of the CAC is to protect children by providing on-site agency collaboration and the use of the multi-disciplinary team approach in: • prevention • investigation • assessment • referral for prosecution • treatment of child sexual abuse • To be able to conduct child-friendly criminal investigations.

11. Waiting Room- Child Side

12. Waiting Room- Adult/Teenage Side

13. What We Do • We provide forensic interviews. These interviews follow a protocol entitled “Child First” formerly known as “Finding Words”. • We provide medical exams. These exams allow us to ensure the safety of children. • We provide therapy for child victims and their non-offending family members. • We provide case management by bringing all parties involved together through Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings. Agencies involved are Law Enforcement, DSS, DJJ, Mental Health Providers, Solicitor’s Office, and the School District.

14. Who We Serve Children who have been sexually/physically abused in Aiken, Edgefield, and Barnwell counties referred by law enforcement and DSS.

15. Who We Serve • Children ages 2-17

16. Who We Serve • Children from different ethnic backgrounds:

17. Forensic Interviews • The goal of the center is to conduct one interview early in the case. This reduces the number of times the child has to repeat his or her story. • The interview is recorded live with law enforcement and DSS watching the DVD. • DVD can be used in court with children under the age of 12. • Use “Child First” Protocol • Used nationwide • Careful not to lead child • Use of anatomical dolls and drawings • Very important as it does not introduce fantasy

18. Forensic Interview Room

19. Forensic Medical Exams • Medical exams are conducted by a medical provider and trained in physical and sexual abuse examinations. • Provides exams for chronic sexual abuse which is 95% of cases. (ER is only set up to do an exam on acute sexual abuse which is those incidents that occurred within the previous 72 hours). • Very little physical evidence is found in medical exams. • A study by Heger et al. (2002) reported that out of 2384 children reporting abuse, 95.6% had a normal medical exam. • The same study showed that of those with abnormal medical exams, only 8% were diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases and/or acute or healed genital injuries.

20. Forensic Medical Exams • Although most children reporting sexual abuse may have normal medical exams, medical exams are still important to conduct. • The purpose of the medical exam is to: • Ensure the health and safety of the child • Identify and provide treatment for any medical conditions related to the abuse • Provide comfort and reassurance to the child and non-offending family members • Document forensically significant findings

21. Medical Exam Room

22. Therapeutic Intervention • Therapy is provided for children who have had a forensic interview at the center and have made a disclosure of abuse. • Therapy will be provided by or supervised by a licensed professional counselor with training in trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. • Therapy is never provided by the same person who conducted the forensic interview.

23. Multi-Disciplinary Team • Many agencies participate including: • Law enforcement • Guardian ad Litem • Mental Health Providers: Cumbee Center, Children’s Place, Aiken Barnwell Mental Health • Solicitor’s office • School district • Department of Social Services (DSS) • Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) • Team makes recommendations for action including prosecution of perpetrators, decisions regarding the child’s home and family situations, and mental health referrals.

24. How A Child Comes To Us

25. What You Can Do • Listen to children and educate yourself about abuse. • Make reports of abuse to law enforcement and/or DSS. • If a child discloses to you, it is important to make a report and allow these agencies to determine the validity of the allegations. • Make donations to or volunteer at agencies assisting abused children.

26. References • Deblinger, E., & Heflin, A. H. (1996). Treating Sexually Abused Children and Their Nonoffending Parents: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. • Heger, A., Ticson, L., Velasquez, O., & Bernier, R. (2002). Children referred for possible sexual abuse: Medical findings in 2384 children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26, 645-659. • London, K., Bruck, M., Ceci, S. J., & Shuman, D. W. (2005). Disclosure of child sexual abuse: What does the research tell us about the ways that children tell? Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 11(1), 194-226. • United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2008). Child Maltreatment 2006. Accessed on December 02, 2008, retrieved from: http://www.childwelfare.gov/ systemwide/statistics/ can.cfm