The Problem In Oklahoma alone, 50,728 cases of child abuse or neglect were investigated in FY 2002, 11,996 of them in Oklahoma County alone. 27% or 13,903 were confirmed statewide; 27 percent of Oklahoma County investigations were confirmed. New studies reveal that one in three girls and one in five boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. In most communities, when children disclose abuse, they must traverse a maze of agencies where they are questioned by strangers in each of these "helping" agencies. But what occurs is rarely "helpful" to the children and their families. This system is not set up to assist the victims. In fact, that model only further traumatizes children and often results in their shutting down and refusing to answer questions at the most crucial point in the process: in the courtroom. This was the way it was in Oklahoma City until November 21, 1993. History The CARE Center began in 1989 as a project between the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Mental Health Association in Oklahoma County. The police department wanted to help child victims who went to headquarters for questioning,and they approached the MHA for assistance. In an attempt to alleviate the fears children experienced by virtue of having to go to the police station, a playroom was set aside for them, and child-friendly interview rooms were designed. Volunteers were trained by area psychologists to spend time playing with the children and answering questions from family members. However, in spite of all good intentions, police headquarters was still a place children feared. Many had been threatened, "If you tell anyone, you will go to jail." Often when child victims were brought to police headquarters for interviews, they had to share elevators with prisoners in ankle chains and handcuffs. And the police station was just one of many stops and many interviews the child and his or her family had to endure in the quest for justice. A task force was assembled in the spring of 1991 to visit Dallas, TX, where a new Child Advocacy Center had opened -- a child-friendly setting that offered a central location for the professionals of child abuse investigations to meet with victims of suspected child abuse. In a lovely old mansion, all the investigative and treatment agencies were housed, and children only had to go one place for interviews and treatment. Here they were greeted by bright toys lining a playroom, not creaky elevators and a maze of sterile corridors. Wide smiles from volunteers and staff replaced the hurried, stern faces of overworked and stressed professionals. This model, as well as the first established in 1985 in Huntsville, AL, by Congressman Bud Cramer, formerly Huntsville's District Attorney, served as the impetus for change in Oklahoma County, and the private and public sectors came together in an unprecedented way to make sure this model was made available for abused children in our community. In an attempt to create a child friendly environment in order to allay some of the fears children experience when confronted with in-depth questions about a very personal trauma, the Child Abuse Response & Evaluation Center was incorporated on October 31, 1991. The board of directors and professional advisory board began the task of finding an appropriate site and raising money for its purchase and renovation. A turn-of the century, Victorian house near the OU Health Sciences Center campus was located and purchased, and a ground breaking ceremony was held March 1, 1993. On November 21, 1993, a ribbon cutting and dedication was held to celebrate the opening of the CARE Center. Throughout the year, the Professional Advisory Board worked to develop an inter-agency letter of agreement and a protocol that would guide the case work at the Center.
The CARE Center Today The mission of the CARE Center is to protect and assist child victims of suspected sexual and severe physical abuse through expert multidisciplinary response intervention in an environment that is child sensitive, supportive and safe. The CARE Center was designed in order to house not only law enforcement, but also child welfare workers, mental health and medical personnel and an assistant district attorney. Together they interview the children; not individually as in the past, but as a team, all working for the good of the child. Through one-way mirrors between observation areas and interview rooms, all team members have the opportunity to observe the interview and have their questions answered because the interviewer (deemed most appropriate by the team) wears an ear bug similar to those worn by television newscasters. In addition to state-of-the-art interview rooms and offices, the CARE Center has a well-stocked playroom, a conference room for weekly case reviews and medical exam room. The cost to purchase, renovate and expand the Center was approximately $400,000, and it was funded entirely by private donations. When the Center opened, it did so debt-free. Operating costs are funded through a mix of public and private funds. The CARE Center is governed by a 16-member board of directors, and employs a staff of nine full-time employees who oversee the day-to-day operations of the center, including administration, forensic interviewers and case staffing. Today children who are interviewed are no longer overwhelmed by shame and guilt. Instead, they leave the Center armed with self-esteem that they gain from a positive experience in a supportive environment. And follow-up counseling for the children and their non-offending family members is only steps away. The CARE Center recently forged another partnership with a community mental health center to provide this critical service in a house that is located across the street from the Center and is owned by the Center. The CARE Center has handled more than 10,000 cases of child physical and sexual abuse since it opened November 21, 1993. The average case involves a 7 year old white female who has been sexually abused by a father or stepfather. Nationally In 1993, just shortly after opening, the CARE Center became a full member of the National Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, having passed a set of rigorous requirements, including a weekly case review process and an established data base. The CARE Center was one of the first 50 charter members and is one of 216 current member centers throughout the country. The National Network was incorporated in 1990 in Huntsville, AL, and opened its national office in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 20, 1994. In addition to the 216 member centers, there are also 169 centers in various stages of development. In Oklahoma, there are seven centers: in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Jay, El Reno, Shawnee, Norman and Muskogee.
Awards The CARE Center has won several awards in recent years. 2002: The CARE Center was honored with a prestigious second place award from the Society of Professional Journalists for the Family Brochure, an informational packet for families who visit the CARE Center 2001: The CARE Center was honored with a prestigious first place award from the Society of Professional Journalists for the 2000 Annual Report. Also, CARE Center volunteers were chosen by the Department of Human Services as the recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award. 2000: Ann Mundy, the CARE Center's former executive director, was presented with the Friends of Children Professional Award by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. Also, the CARE Center was selected as an award winner by Creating Partnerships for Oklahoma Families, sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. 1999: Bill A. Larson, a founding board member and past president of the CARE Center board of directors received the National Children's Alliance Individual Award for Volunteer Leadership. Also, the CARE Center received a second place award by the Oklahoma Professional Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists for its 1998 Annual Report. 1997: The Center received a "Lookin' Good" award from Oklahoma City Beautiful for restoration and beautification of the neighborhood where the CARE Center is located. Also, the CARE Center received the Award for Nonprofit Management Excellence by the Center for Nonprofit Management and was named to Leadership OKC, Class XIV. 1996: The CARE Center and the staff were awarded the Institute for Child Advocacy's Friends of Children Award, a prestigious statewide honor that recognizes individuals and programs that "are Building assets in our children." 1995: The CARE Center's 1994 Annual Report was the first place winner from the OKC's Society of Professional Journalists. 1994: The CARE Center won the Byliners Award for Child Welfare, presented by Women in Communications, Inc 1993: The CARE Center was named one of the top three non-profit groups by the Oklahoma Gazette. |
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