child advocacy

Vantage Pointe Child Advocacy Center was established in 2000 by Family Services to provide a child and family-friendly facility to those impacted by child maltreatment. Prior to the establishment of the Center, children suffering from maltreatment had to recount and relive their ordeals several times. The Center developed a system consisting of community agencies involved in the prevention, investigation, prosecution and treatment of child victims and their families.

Services for Children and Family Members
	Forensic Interviews - an interview with the child by a trained forensic interviewer to obtain information relevant to the case.
	Child Trauma Assessments.
	Supportive Services and Advocacy.
	Multidisciplinary Staffing.
	Referrals

Goals of the Center
	Provide appropriate care to child maltreatment victims in a child-friendly atmosphere.
	Support victims and non-offending family members by facilitating access to a continuum of treatment services beyond the initial evaluation.
	Reduce the number of interviewers a child is exposed to, thus reducing trauma, as well as eliminating duplication of effort.
	Increase agency collaboration by facilitating a multidisciplinary team that consists of all organizations with an interest in child maltreatment cases.
	Enhance the legal process by providing solid forensic interviews and ensuring the integrity of potential evidence, which can facilitate an increased rate of successful prosecution of perpetrators.
	Improve communication with clients and between professionals throughout periods of investigation, prosecution and therapy.
	Develop an organizational/management structure that will ensure ongoing success and growth of the children's advocacy center.
	Maintain a central data base of child maltreatment statistics for Forsyth County.

What to Expect from the Center
Referrals to Vantage Pointe are accepted from law enforcement and the Department of Social Services. These organizations are responsible for protecting children and holding the offender accountable by providing the following:

	A child-friendly, safe space that assists the child in sharing what has happened.
	Assistance and advocacy in understanding the child protective and legal system.
	Supportive services that will assist child and family healing.
	Information for other community resources

What Should I do if my child has been referred to the Center?
	Be calm and reassuring to your child. Don't coach your child on what to say. It is important for the story to come out in your child's words and in your child's own time.
	When you are asked for information, try to provide as many facts as you can and let the professionals decide what is needed - don't withhold information. Don't try to guess if you don't know the answer to a question; it is much better to say you don't know.
	On the other hand, your feelings are important. Feelings are valuable in giving investigators insight, so tell us how you feel and why you feel that way.
	Always be honest, even though the truth may not seem favorable to yourself or others.
	Try not to overreact. It is a difficult time and emotions run high. Losing control can hurt the case and overshadow the needs of the innocent victim, your child.
	Love, support and protect your child at all costs. If the alleged offender is a significant person to you, it can be very difficult to balance your feelings for them with the need to protect your child. Remember that your child has only you to make healthy, protective decisions.
	Cooperate. You will probably feel as if investigators are prying into your personal life, but this is necessary and vital to the case and your child's welfare.
	You may feel that investigators do not care because they avoid showing emotions. In fact, investigators do care, and part of that caring involves remaining objective and calm in the face of extremely emotional situations.

Child Maltreatment Statistics
Neglect is the most common form of maltreatment.

Male and female children are equally at risk for maltreatment; however, research shows that very young children are at the greatest risk for maltreatment.

Child maltreatment occurs in all ethnic, cultural, educational, religious and socioeconomic levels.

More than five million children are reported nationwide as victims of child abuse and neglect. It is estimated that the cost of maltreatment is $94 billion annually in this country.

For more information about our services, please contact the staff at Vantage Pointe, (336) 354-1067.

Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Team
The purpose of the Multidisciplinary Team is to provide and promote coordination and communication among the agencies that serve children who have been referred to the Vantage Pointe Child Advocacy Center. Overall, the goal of the Team is to protect children, preserve families and ensure that abusers are appropriately punished and/or rehabilitated. With this purpose in mind, a primary focus is the determination of the best possible outcome for the child victim. Team members that are actively involved with a case are encouraged to attend interview sessions conducted at the Child Advocacy Center, as well as the MDT meetings. As cases are reviewed at MDT meetings, all MDT members participate in a full discussion of the investigation and the information obtained. Team members are required to adhere to the strictest guidelines regarding the confidential nature of information.

Representation from core agencies consists of the Department of Social Services, 3 law enforcement agencies, medical and service providers victim advocates and Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office.

In addition to new members receiving an orientation, MDT members are routinely informed of local and regional training opportunities and are encouraged to attend.