Child abuse is truly horrifying and yet it happens to one in ten children in our community. The abuser is often a known and trusted individual. Bev Turner, Director of the Douglas County Advocacy Center (CAC), trained to be a teacher and found herself interested in dealing with kids with special needs and problems. She sought an advanced degree and went to work at the CDC. The mission of the CDC is to insure children and families affected by child abuse receive compassionate community based intervention through a multi-disciplinary team approach. Staff work to prevent, identify, investigate, prosecute and treat child mistreatment.
Trained forensic interviewers are utilized and referrals are made to other support agencies. Families and children are guided through the entire process. Turner noted that there have been big improvements on information sharing among agencies in the last decade. The CDC has an annual case load of approximately 120. Funding is primarily from the State, County and various foundations. Staff members who work with these cases also may need counselling and support. The CDC has a distinguished board of local citizens and is one of seventeen such agencies in the State. The CDC welcomes volunteers and financial gifts.
