Collaborative efforts in Nassau
County's to address the needs of children
making disclosures of abuse have earned the Child Advocacy
Center of Nassau County accreditation from the National Children's
Alliance, according to Cynthia G. Scott, Executive Director
of the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (CCAN),
the non-profit agency housing and facilitating the operations
of the CAC.
"This accreditation recognizes a new era of services
for child abuse
victims here in Nassau County," Ms. Scott said, noting:
"These children now have a completely friendly and supportive
environment in which to tell their stories, receive services
and to begin the process of recovery from their trauma with
the assistance of the Coalition and the members of the Nassau
County Multidisciplinary Team." CCAN facilitates the
operations of the CAC (located adjacent to its Garden City
offices) and the multidisciplinary team with members from
the Nassau Police Department, Department of Social Services,
Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Nassau
University Medical Center, District Attorney's Office and
County Attorney's office.
The National Children's Alliance sets standards for CAC's
throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia,
U.S. Virgin Island and Canada, and requires core components
including separate, child-friendly facilities for interviewing
and providing services to child victims and their non-offending
family members; coordinated, multidisciplinary investigations
of reports of abuse; and regular interdisciplinary case review.
Research shows that when interactions with children are age-appropriate
and provided in a supportive manner, children are more likely
to provide accurate and truthful information to investigators,
clinicians and other professionals, which is clearly in the
he best interest of everyone involved.
Recently, CCAN Director of Advocacy Services, Maureen O'Connor,
who oversees the CAC operations, was awarded by the NCA with
the Horowitz-Barker Professional Leadership Award for perseverance
and dedication to the CAC.
For more information on CCAN, call (516) 747-2966, visit
www.coalitiononchildabuse.org,
or write: CCAN, 229 7th Street, Garden City, NY 11530.
www.liwomen.com
August 2005
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