Children’s Advocacy Center Earns National AccreditationSeptember 17th, 2007
Members of the Children’s Advocacy Center multi-disciplinary team gathered to celebrate the center’s accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance. Pictured are (left to right), seated, Susan Gardner, CAC Advisory Board; Patty McNeal, Manager of Women’s and Children’s Health for Shore Health System; Betsy Mason, MD, CAC Medical Director; Kawana Molock, CAC Coordinator; Linda Epperly-Glover, Talbot County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services investigator; standing, Kerri Engels, Talbot County Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services investigator; Detective Milton Orellana, Easton Police Department; Detective Yvonne Freeman, Easton Police Department; Jennifer Wright, Talbot County Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services Supervisor; Paula Coulby, Talbot County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services investigator; Ruth Sullivan, Director of Patient/Family Advocacy for Shore Health System; April Sharp, Acting Director of Talbot County Department of Social Services; Fayette Engstrom, MD, CAC medical staff; Lynn Gurley; CAC Family Advocate; Richard Goldstein, Executive Director for For All Seasons; and Maggie Mayo, CAC Mental Health Therapist.
The Talbot County Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is now an accredited member of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), joining over 399 other member programs across the United States. Located at The Memorial Hospital at Easton, the CAC is a partnership between the Talbot County Department of Social Services (TCDSS) and Shore Health System. The Children’s Advocacy Center, which was created in 2003 to minimize the trauma experienced by children who are victims of abuse, has been an associate member of NCA for three years.
Organizations can be recommended for NCA membership following an extensive application and site review process. The review assesses the CAC against minimum standards set by NCA. Core components include separate, child-friendly facilities for interviewing and providing services to child victims and their non-offending family members; coordinated, multidisciplinary investigation of reports of abuse; and regular interdisciplinary case review. The Talbot County CAC also met the standards of cultural competency and diversity as well as access to specialized medical evaluation and treatment.
Attention to the needs and abilities of children is a hallmark of Children’s Advocacy Center programs and is fundamental to NCA standards. Recent research has validated that when interactions with children are age-appropriate and provided in a supportive manner, children are more likely to provide accurate and truthful information to investigators, clinicians and other professionals, which is in the best interest of everyone involved in and affected by child abuse.
The NCA reviewers interviewed Talbot County CAC team representatives and attended team meetings to assess the competency of the center. Following their visit, the reviewers reported, “The Talbot County CAC is a perfect example of a private (non-profit fundraising arm), public (Memorial Hospital at Easton which is very supportive), and government (Talbot County Dept. of Social Services) partnership. Ongoing philosophical support and teaming for the success of the agency was evident in our interviews with leadership of these entities including the CEO of the hospital [Joseph P. Ross, President and CEO for Shore Health System.]” The reviewers were especially impressed by the resources Shore Health System invests in the center each year, which include the facility at Memorial Hospital, nursing expertise and laboratory services.
Betsy Mason, MD, pediatrician and Medical Director of the Talbot County CAC, comments, “NCA requires that we document the services provided by each discipline involved with the center. Attaining the NCA accreditation shows that we adhere to protocols that comply with best practice in the investigation of child abuse.”
The multi-disciplinary team responsible for achieving NCA accreditation includes Dr. Mason and pediatrician Fayette Engstrom, MD, as well as Shore Health System nurses trained in sexual assault investigations, representatives from TCDSS, law enforcement officers, and the State Attorney’s office. Under the direction of TCDSS, For All Seasons provides advocacy services for the non-offending family members who may require social services and support.
The Talbot County Department of Social Services reports that the regional CAC has investigated over 150 cases of child abuse in a five-county area in its first four years. Speaking on behalf of TCDSS, the agency that leads the CAC planning and operations, Acting Director April Sharp says, “During the accreditation review process we showed the NCA reviewers that our committed, expert team members have developed a process for reviewing complex cases that can be a model for other CACs. They were also impressed to see that we had developed a strategic plan that guided us as we built what we have in place today.”
Sharp expresses gratitude to the community for its support of the CAC, in particular to Talbot Community Connections, a private, non-profit fundraising group. Grants and private donations provide funds needed for continuing education for team members, equipment and technology. “We depend on the community for the financial support required so that victims of child abuse can return to normal, active lives,” Sharp says.
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