The Child and Family Advocacy Center of South Central Minnesota is working to establish local prevention programs in the community that will protect children from abuse. These programs will offer a range of services to parents, children, schools and a variety of individuals and organizations throughout our community. We all want to have safe, healthy, and happy communities.
We CAN protect our children, stop abuse, and build a strong and prosperous future for our community. It’s possible and it’s happening.
Child abuse prevention is important!
When children are little and parents are responsible for their every need, it is overwhelming.
When children are school age and parents aren’t always there to supervise, children are vulnerable.
When children become teenagers and don’t think before they act, there are unforeseen consequences.
Intervention Programs
As a child-focused, multidisciplinary response to child abuse, the Child and Family Advocacy Center of South Central Minnesota was established to prevent the re-victimization of sexually abused children by the system’s response to their cases. The “multidisciplinary team approach” involves law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, mental health, medical, family/victim advocacy, and other resources in a model community response to child sexual abuse. Professionals across this nation have recognized that by focusing on abused children, they can work together to achieve better outcomes for young victims and families.
The Child and Family Advocacy Center of South Central Minnesota is dedicated to providing access to an array of child abuse intervention services in Blue Earth County and its surrounding areas in order to minimize the long-term effects of abuse. These services include Forensic Interview Services, Mental Health Services, Medical Services, Family and Victim Advocate Services, and coordination of investigations by our Multidisciplinary Team. We serve children under the age of 18 who are alleged victims of child sexual abuse or severe physical abuse. Diverse communities are impacted by these services, in that children and families from a wide range of socioeconomic and ethnic groups are equally served. No group is denied services because of an inability to pay, since there is no charge for services. All children who qualify for and need services receive them regardless of race, ethnicity, religious background, and socioeconomic status.
Child sexual abuse has no boundaries. It spans economic and social classes, is embedded in different cultures, and can affect any family. Childhood sexual abuse endures in our homes, schools, and communities. One in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys are victims of child sexual abuse. Of these children, 20% of child sexual abuse occurs before the age of 8. Child sexual abuse is often under-reported because child sexual abuse is a silent and invisible epidemic. Take active steps towards prevention by beginning to talk about it. Talk to your children about safe and unsafe touch and establish healthy boundaries.
