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Justice for Children Advocacy Center is recognized for 'high quality, effective services to child abuse victims'

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center in Batavia has been awarded re-accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.

As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.

Accredited CACs must undergo a re-accreditation process every five years to ensure that best practices are continually being applied. With accreditation standards being updated in 2017, re-accreditation this year reflects the Justice for Children Advocacy Center’s commitment to providing high-quality, evidence-based services to children and families impacted by violence.

Long, successful history

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center has a long and successful history of providing services to children and families in the GLOW region. In 1992, Genesee Justice, a department of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, helped establish a multidisciplinary team to serve the unique needs of children in Genesee and Wyoming counties alleged to have been physically or sexually abused.

In 1998, with the support of many dedicated members of the community and the multidisciplinary team, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center opened its doors at 108 Bank St. in Batavia. The goal of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to provide a child-friendly location to offer forensic interviews, medical examinations, mental health counseling, and advocacy services to children from birth to age 18 and their non-offending family members regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or financial status.

Since 1998, approximately 2,500 local children have received services at the Justice for Children Advocacy Center, and in 2016, a total of 239 local children benefitted from the services available.

Comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate services

As an Accredited Member of National Children’s Alliance, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.

National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membership based on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims.

Accredited Members must use a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment. National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.

Proven dedication

“Because the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and members of our multidisciplinary team are so dedicated to responding to child abuse, we recognize the importance of maintaining accredited status from the National Children’s Alliance," said Theresa Asmus-Roth, Justice for Children program coordinator.

"Re-accreditation not only validates our organization’s dedication to proven effective approaches of child abuse intervention and prevention, but also contributes to consistency across the child advocacy center movement as a whole. A team response to child abuse is what we stand for, and it is our entire team that allows us to provide the highest level of care and service to children and families in our community.”

Teresa Huizar, executive director of National Children’s Alliance, said: “The Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse. As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration.

"By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo re-accreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided."

What the mission is about

The mission of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team is to seek to reduce the incidence of child sexual and physical abuse, to minimize trauma to alleged child victims, and to promote healing for victims and their families by collaborating with a variety of professionals to provide services at a single child-friendly facility.

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team work to improve the response to child abuse by eliminating multiple interviews and examinations of children, providing quick access to medical and mental health, victim advocacy, and support services for children and families, and enhancing multidisciplinary communication and coordination with a singular focus on the best interest of the child.

Domestic Violence Awareness: Focus at YWCA's annual breakfast was on children, wrongly viewed as 'secondary victims'

By Billie Owens

Press release:

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and, as often as domestic violence is discussed during October, there is often one missing component in the message.

“Domestic violence is a devastating social problem that affects every segment of the population. Children are considered secondary victims of domestic violence and this is not the case,” says YWCA’s Support Services coordinator Sherry Crumity. “Children often hear and see violence at home, and through that exposure they have emotional, mental and social damage that can affect their developmental growth.”

That was the message during YWCA’s annual Partner Agency Breakfast Wednesday at the nonprofit’s North Street site. The event is a way to recognize those people that work in law enforcement, legal and justice systems, government, business and human service fields to help reduce domestic violence in the community.

Why the focus on children? Since 2015, two dozen victims and 46 children have sought safe housing at YWCA’s shelter. That means 46 little lives have all been touched by domestic violence right here in Genesee County this past year alone. Nationally, one in 15 kids is exposed to intimate partner violence each year and 70 percent of abusers seeking treatment witnessed domestic violence as a child.

This type of violence does not happen in a vacuum, said Dr. Alisa Hathaway of Project Stronger at Mount Hope Family Center. She explained it simply after a video showed one young girl’s sadness due to the abuse in her home.

“She feels invisible,” Hathaway said to the audience of about 50 people. “There’s not something wrong with her but what has happened to her.”

Children exposed to domestic violence exhibit signs of aggression, anxiety, stress, destruction of property, depression, bedwetting, challenging authority, headaches and/or nightmares, Crumity said.

Since services for children began at YWCA earlier this year, seven out of 10 have met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. It can be a long-lasting struggle, she said. She has worked with adult clients who have gotten “stuck” at the age they first witnessed domestic violence.

“Children who have witnessed domestic violence often have confused and contradictory feelings.  When the violence happens, children may feel scared and ashamed, or they may even think that they caused the problem,” she said. “Worse, they can grow up thinking that it's okay to hurt others or let other people hurt them.”

While most people are aware that domestic violence may include emotional, verbal, physical, sexual and even financial abuse, trauma and its signs may not be as obvious. Trauma is one’s response to a perceived threat to survival or emotional well-being. Even if a child seems “fine” on the outside, that doesn’t mean he or she is truly emotionally stable, Hathaway said.

In fact, care providers need to pay attention to those kids in particular, she said. They can be feeling shutdown, numb and separated from normal life, and therefore pull away from activities and relationships.

Crumity believes that it’s crucial for partner agencies, which also include health care professionals, schools and churches, to be trained in trauma-informed care and the effects domestic violence has on children.

“This way they are able to identify and refer families to services,” she said. “The training conducted today by Dr. Hathaway was a major step in addressing the gaps in services for children exposed to domestic violence.”

What to do? Hathaway offered some “essential elements” for providing this type of care:

  • Recognize the impact trauma has had on a child;
  • Help the child to feel safe and understand his or her problem behaviors;
  • Respect and support the child’s positive, stable relationships;
  • Be an advocate for the child and encourage trauma-focused assessment and treatment.

There is another element that is the anchor to all of these suggestions, Hathaway said.

“Take care of yourself,” she said. “It is equally important that trauma care providers take care of themselves.”

For more information about domestic violence and YWCA’s services, call (585) 343-5808 or YW’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at (585) 343-7513.

Woman allegedly striking child in Walmart parking lot prompts 9-1-1 call

By Billie Owens

A caller reports possible child abuse at Walmart and Sheriff's deputies are responding. A woman was allegedly in the parking lot striking a child.

UPDATE 2:19 p.m.: They left in a gray Dodge Caravan and officers have it stopped in front of a nearby pizzeria.

UPDATE 2:35 p.m.: The van's occupants and the 7-year-old are on their way now after speaking with law enforcement. This was apparently a case of "grandparents trying to control their out-of-control grandchild," said an officer. No report was taken.

Man who allegedly threw child to the ground, then slapped him, runs out of Walmart

By Billie Owens

Law enforcement is responding to the Walmart parking lot, near the Garden Center, after receiving a call that a man with three young boys in his care threw one of the them to the ground and then slapped the child. The only description is that the man is white, wearing a bright green shirt and he ran out of the store after the incident.

UPDATE 2:44 p.m.: A person in the parking lot told an officer that the subject left with the three little boys in an unknown type vehicle.

UPDATE 2:47 p.m.: The subject is believed to have exited the parking lot at the south end driving a dark gray older-type Buick.

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