What Services We Provide

A Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Investigation is the core component of York County's response to allegations of child abuse. The Children's Advocacy Center facilitates an MDT response to allegations of child abuse. The MDT creates a prompt, sensitive, thorough, interagency response to reports of alleged child sexual abuse and serious physical abuse as well as child witnesses to violence. The MDT also provides extensive supportive and follow-up services to children and their families.

Each person and agency on the MDT is dedicated to providing complete and effective services to children and their families.

The York County Children's Advocacy Center's Multidisciplinary Team includes:

Team Facilitator
brings together team members and schedules forensic interviews of children when they are conducted as part of an investigation and facilitates case review meetings. The Children's Advocacy Center Team Coordinator is also a trained Forensic Interviewer.

Law Enforcement Officers
police detectives are assigned to investigate reports of child abuse. They are responsible for collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and alleged perpetrators, making arrests when appropriate and helping to ensure the child and family's safety.

Assistant District Attorneys
the prosecutor decides whether someone should be charged with a crime and then presents evidence in court ot a judge and/or jury.

Victim/Witness Coordinators
are based out of the office of the District Attorney. They communicate between the child and family and the MDT. The Victim/Witness Coordinators are a primary contact for the family throughout their case, providing information about victim rights, addressing safety concerns, providing referral information and helping the family through the court process.

Forensic Interviewers
have specialized training in conducting interviews of children who may have been abused or witnessed serious crimes. They speak with children about their experience to find out if abuse occurred. The rest of the MDT observes from behind a one-way mirror. The interviewer's training and skill ensures that reliable information is elicited from the child in a legally, clinically and culturally sound manner.

Children and Youth Services
social workers have the primary mandate of ensuring the safety of children in an environment free from abuse and neglect, while preserving family life when possible. Children and Youth Services is able to provide on-going support to families when necessary.

Mental Health Consultants
therapists from the Victim Assistance Center, a program of the YWCA, and case managers from York/Adams Mental Health and Mental Retardation assist the team in identifying services that will be helpful for the child and family.

Medical Providers
specially-trained Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFE) are available at the Children's Advocacy Center and York Hospital to conduct medical evaluations, consult with families and collect forensic evidence when needed.

Services Provided by the York County Children's Advocacy Center

Forensic Interviews

When allegations of child abuse and neglect are made, it is important to quickly determine the validity of each allegation. Talking with a child is often the first stop for most investigations in to allegations of child abuse and neglect.

The York County Children's Advocacy Center strives to minimize the number of times a child has to give his or her statement regarding allegations of abuse. The York County Children's Advocacy Center works with the MDT on most cases to schedule a single interview with a Forensic Interviewer at our Center. Our forensic interviewer is specially trained to conduct a neutral, non-leading and well-documented interview in a child-focused manner. The MDT observes the interview from behind a one-way mirror, which permits the team to collaboratively work together to meet each child's unique needs.

Forensic Medical Exams

After a disclosure or concern of sexual abuse, it is often helpful for a child to be seen by a health professional for a complete head to toe examination.

At the York County Children's Advocacy Center a physician performs all medical exams. The physician and nurse have received special training in the medical examination of abused children. The nurse will assist the physician during the exam. A representative from the Victim Assistance Center will be present as well to provide support to the parent/caregiver and their child. The examination does not begin until the child is ready and there is never any coercion or restraints used during the examination process.

The exam is important and will help:

• To ensure the health and well-being of the child
• To reassure the child that everything is okay with his/her body
• To diagnose and treat medical conditions that may or may not be related to child abuse
• To provide video documentation of possible physical and forensic findings
• To allow for collection of evidence
• To further help link the child and family to other necessary services and resources

Medical services are provided in our child-friendly examination room, which has a mural depicting an outdoor science. The mural has a "Find It" book that helps to put children at ease by asking them to find different pictures in the mural.

The medical exam is not painful or invasive. Examination of the child's genital and anal area involves looking at them to make sure they look normal. A special camera called a colposcope is used during the exam. The camera has a light and magnifies the area to allow the doctor to see the child's private parts more closely. The colposcope never touches the child's body and is never felt by the child.

After the exam, the results will be shared with the family and child in an age-appropriate manner. Any questions or concerns the family has will be discussed without the child present.

Victim Assistance Center: A program of the YWCA

The mission of the York County Victim Assistance Center is to provide crisis intervention, information, advocacy and ongoing counseling and support to the people of York County who are victims of sexual violence or other violent crimes; to advocate for change in the community and criminal justice system when in the best interest of assault and crime victims; and to work towards the prevention of violent crimes through education and coordination of service with other community organizations. For additional information about this organization, http://www.vacyork.org/index.html