Blog

Child Advocacy in Warren County

January 18, 2016
As an organization, Mental Health Recovery Services of Warren and Clinton County (MHRS) partners with dozens of service providers to treat, protect and educate the community. One of these integral partnerships exists between MHRS and Child Advocacy Center of Warren County (CACWC).

CACWC opened its doors in 2008 to answer the needs of the community. As described on their website, their mission is "to protect children through a coordinated multidisciplinary response to child abuse and neglect." Prior to the institution of Child Advocacy Centers, children and non-offending family members had to recount the story of the abuse and/or neglect repeatedly. Doing so caused further trauma and might have led to abuse going unreported. CAC groups across the nation have made efforts to eliminate unnecessary repetition through bringing together a multidisciplinary team of advocates.

CACWC partners with "necessary specialized medical, emotional, legal, investigative and victim advocacy services... [to ensure] that children are not further victimized by the systems intended to protect them." This united approach can increase communication between agencies, strengthen cases and provide integral links to additional services. In fact, this approach was what led to the partnership between MHRS and CACWC.

From the beginning, Solutions Community Counseling has sat on the CACWC steering committee since 2008 and they have such a close relationship that Solutions has an office in the CACWC building. Solution's Parents and Children Together (PACT) program has been a driving force in the center's process. MHRS became aware of the efficacy and community need of the CACWC through our existing partnership with Solutions. In 2010, MHRS began to assist through a grant and our very own Patti Ahting sits on the steering committee.

MHRS hopes to continue this partnership in the coming years and is excited to see how this partnership can grow and better serve the community. Please contact Patti for more information about this partnership PAhting@mhrswcc.org.