Two new programs under development

The Family Crisis Center is currently developing two new programs; Child Exchange/Visitation Center and Dell Hayden Memorial Child Advocacy Center.

The Child Exchange and Visitation Center is designed to provide safe exchange for children when visitation has been order in domestic violence cases. Trained Exchange/Visitation Supervisors facilitate safe exchanges by developing strategies that will limit or eliminate contact by the adults so the child or children are not further exposed to the emotional and sometime physical violence. When supervised visits are ordered, these supervisors monitor visits within the center’s visitation rooms to make sure appropriate interactions are occurring and the child remains safe.

The Dell Hayden Memorial Child Advocacy Center, named for the first Director and mother of current director, creates a safe space to complete forensic interviews of children who have reported being sexual assaulted or abused. A multi-disciplinary team comprised of law enforcement, prosecution, mental health, medical and advocacy personnel work together to interview a child in a comfortable environment without multiple interviews. This approach has shown to be less traumatic for children and has a higher conviction rate for the prosecution. The Dell Hayden Memorial Child Advocacy Center will have an interview room with cameras to record the interview, a team room so that the team can watch the interview and send questions into the forensic interviewer if more information is needed and a family room for the non-offending parent to sit and wait while the interview is taking place.

The target date for these new programs is Winter of 2012.