New center gives child abuse victims more relaxed setting

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Department of Children’s Services case manager Peggy Bratcher, pictured in the interviewing room at the new Children’s Advocacy Center, said it’s important to be on a child’s level during abuse investigations. (Amy Satterwhite photo)

When the new Children’s Advocacy Center officially opens today, Department of Children’s Services child abuse investigators like Peggy Bratcher will have one more tool at their disposal.

“This more like a home than a police station,” Bratcher says as she enters the brick house at 1100 Sparta St., the use of which is a donation from East End Church of Christ.

The center, complete with a living room, kitchen area and a calming yellow interview room containing child-sized tables and chairs, is a result of more than two years of local efforts to try to create a child-friendly environment to serve abused children in the 31st Judicial District, which covers Warren and Van Buren counties.

Bratcher, a case worker for DCS who investigates child abuse and neglect cases, has no doubt been in the delicate position of trying to get a child to open up during investigations before.

She crouches at a child-sized table and chairs painted with stars and moons and explains interviewers plan to be at the children’s levels, hoping to delve into the truth of their circumstances in a safe environment where predators will never come.

The center is designed for victims of sexual abuse, said Stephanie Craven, who is on the board of directors for the non-profit center and who is a team leader for the local DCS office, but can be also be used for other abuse situations.

“It’s primarily for sex abuse, but it can be used for any type of abuse or neglect situations,” she said, “but that’s the type of abuse when the child needs more comfort.”

Craven said the development of the center follows a national concept of advocacy initiatives that include trying to make abuse investigators and others concerned with such investigations come to the child, instead of expecting the child to open up during a visit to the adult working world of fluorescent lights, stoic desks and complicated office machinery.

“These investigations that are conducted – we’re asking the children to tell us some of their deep, most hard secrets, and they’re not going to tell you at the jail or at the DA’s office,” she said.

“Our office [at DCS] is probably better than either one of those two, but our work environments are not conducive to a child wanting to tell what has happened to them, particularly when it’s a family matter. It’s the child’s house and everything in there is focused toward the child, to comfort the child and develop trust with the child.”

At this point, the center is only able to be used as a central point for investigations, but center officials hope to grow to include mental health services and counseling in the future.

“Some of the larger centers even have facilities to do the actual physical examinations at the advocacy center, and of course, that’s a long range goal for us is to be a full-fledged center offering a complete range of services,” Craven added, further noting future plans are to track victims to meet their needs.

The center’s board members hope to hire a part-time person to act as a community liaison and garner community support through a grant they believe they will receive. They plan to host an open house for members of the community today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the help of the Junior Auxiliary.

The center is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors and is officially called The Children’s Advocacy Center of the 31st District. It includes members of the community as well as law enforcement officials. Those who want to get involved or need more information may contact the District Attorney General’s office at 473-9752 or the Department of Children’s Services at 473-1524.